We have wonderfully dark skies here – around the cottages on a clear night it is stunning. And we also have lots of Dark Sky Discovery sites within easy reach of the cottages around the Cambrian Mountains and Cardigan Bay if you want to experience truly epic stargazing. 🤩
Leigh has become pretty good at Astro Photography, capturing pictures around the cottages and our meadows.
Red Kite Cottage Starlapse image.
The Milky Way taken in Picnic Meadow.
Another shot of the Milky Way from the cottages’ Picnic Meadow. The best seasons for stargazing are Spring, Autumn & Winter.
Venturing further afield, Leigh went on a night time expedition up Drygarn Fawr in the Cambrian Mountains near Tregaron for even darker skies.
Dark Sky Discovery Sites
There are plenty of great designated Dark Sky Discovery sites within easy reach of the cottages. From the map above the three easiest to get to are:
Visiting Dinefwr National Trust – a historic estate located in Carmarthenshire. Dinefwr is known for its grand mansion, extensive parkland, and rich history dating back many centuries. The estate encompasses Dinefwr Castle, Newton House, and a large area of parkland that has been designated as a National Nature Reserve. It is about a 40 minute scenic drive from Red Kite & Woodpecker Cottages. There is a large car park which is free to NT members or £5 for a full day for non-members. The easiest way to find it is with What3Words : Compelled : Trailer : Park
Newton House
A Georgian mansion that was built within the estate during the 17th century. It served as the home of the Rhys family, who were descendants of the Lord Rhys. The mansion is a prime example of Georgian architecture and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. It is open to the public and offers visitors a glimpse into the estate’s history. Entry to the house is currently £9 per adult for non NT members.
There is so much to do at Dinefwr. You can explore the castle ruins, tour Newton House, enjoy walks through the parkland, and appreciate the stunning views of the surrounding countryside. The estate offers a combination of history, architecture and nature.
Dinefwr Castle
A medieval fortress that sits on top of a hill overlooking the River Tywi. It has a strategic location that allowed its occupants to control and monitor the surrounding landscape. The castle has a long history, with its origins dating back to the early 12th century. Over the years, it was the seat of the Lord Rhys, a powerful Welsh prince, and played a significant role in Welsh history during periods of conflict with the English. You can visit the castle for free and the views over the Tywi Valley are stunning.
Parkland and Nature Reserve
The parkland surrounding Dinefwr is known for its natural beauty and diverse wildlife. The estate’s landscape includes woodlands, meadows, and the picturesque Dinefwr Deer Park. The park is home to a herd of fallow deer that roam freely, adding to the scenic charm of the area. The estate’s parkland has been designated as a National Nature Reserve, emphasising its ecological importance.
The walks around the estate are beautiful in all seasons. Late spring is especially lovely when the bluebells are out.
Here’s a handy map showing all the different areas. There are plenty of picnic areas scattered through the estate and also a cafe for refreshments. You can definitely spend a whole day exploring! Find out more on the NT website: National Trust Dinefwr
Cenarth Falls is a picturesque waterfall on the River Teifi located in the village of Cenarth. It is on the border of Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. The Teifi is one of the longest rivers in Wales. It cascades over a series of rocky steps to create Cenarth Falls. The waterfall is particularly stunning during times of heavy rainfall when the water flow is at its peak.
The village is such a pretty place with a lovely riverside walk and plenty of cafes for a cream tea.
There are boardwalks along the riverside making the walk easy and accessible. There is a circular walk you can do along the river, then up through woodland and back through the village to the car park.
The area is also well-known for fishing, and the River Teifi is abundant with salmon and sea trout.
In addition to its natural beauty, Cenarth is also famous for its history, with a long-standing tradition of coracle fishing. Coracles are small, round boats made of wicker and coated with tar or bitumen. Fishermen have used these unique vessels for centuries to navigate the river and catch fish. The National Coracle Museum by the river is worth a visit.
There is a Car Park at the Falls. Parking is £3 per car for all day parking (9am – 6pm). Cenarth is easily reached in around 30 minutes from Red Kite & Woodpecker Cottages.
We’ve visited Cenarth three times this year and each time has been so different. First time in May there had been so little rain that the falls were small and you could see much of the underlying rock. In September they were perfectly flowing. This week after so much rain they are a force of nature, so powerful! Whenever you visit, Cenarth is very pretty.
Here’s a Reel I made for our Instagram showing the different seasons.
Since Carmarthenshire hosted the start of the 2018 Tour of Britain it has become known as the “cycling hub of Wales”. Cycling is on the rise as the county has invested in the activity so that more visitors can saddle up and enjoy the breathtaking views. To coincide with the Tour of Britain, the county launched new cycle routes to give visitors the opportunity to explore the big hills and bigger views.
One of the most spectacular routes is the Big Wilderness Adventure. This is a circular route that actually passes just a 5 minute cycle ride from our door! The route is plotted to start and finish at Llandovery, but if you stay with us you can start and finish right from your cottage. It takes you to Llyn Brianne – there is challenging climb up to the lake followed by an incredible road around the perimeter with fantastic views.
https://vimeo.com/287218462
This ride is not for the faint-hearted – it is 65 miles with a difficulty rating of 7/10 but the scenery makes the ride worthwhile (the journey to Llyn Brianne one of our favourite drives). The road follows the reservoir around the edge, constantly changing in elevation with incredible views and sweeping descends around every corner.
After Llyn Brianne the route starts to feel more remote as it skirts the Cambrian Mountains. There is barely a house or car in sight, but with this emptiness comes incredible beauty that is seen nowhere else short of the Scottish border.
The route takes in a large portion of wild, uninhabited terrain so it is worth taking what you think you will need with you and not relying on shops along the route.
There is an abbreviated version of the route if you want to shorten it – it still takes in the best bits up to Llyn Brianne but is 8 miles shorter and there is also the option to not go all the way to Llandovery to save even more miles.
If this route is too much of an adventure, then there are lots of other routes in the area to check out starting at just 10 miles – see them all here: Road Cycling in Carmarthenshire.
Set in the beautiful Carmarthenshire countryside, the National Botanic Garden of Wales is spread over 560 acres with an amazing collection of over 8000 different plant varieties. With the largest single-spanned glasshouse in the world and the best display of Mediterranean climate zone plants in the Northern Hemisphere it is easy to see why it has been voted No 1 Garden to Visit in Wales (by BBC Gardeners World).
The garden also has a wide diversity of wild plant and animal species across its mosaic of lakes, meadows, streams, woodland, and marshes. It boasts over 100 types of moths & butterflies, over 50 varieties of birds, 20 species of mammals (including otters, dormice and bats) as well as frogs, toads, newts and lizards.
New for 2020, the Regency Restoration project has restored the legendary landscape of one of the finest Regency Waterparks in the UK. The garden will feature a necklace of seven lakes, cascades, falls & weirs first created 200 years ago.
Along with the themed gardens there is also a Butterfly House and Waun Las Nature Reserve – with wildflower-rich meadows. There are two cafes and a restaurant on site as well as the Garden Plant Shop selling plants and gifts and a craft shop and art gallery too.
2020 prices are £11.50 for adults (including Gift Aid).
Opening times: 10:00am – 6:00pm 1st April to 31st October
10:00am – 4:00pm 1st November to 31st March
Postcode is SA32 8HN Telephone: 01558 667149
As if all the gardeny goodness wasn’t enough, there is now also the brilliant British Bird of Prey Centre on site for extra entertainment. There are daily flying displays with the 20 native birds of prey – you can even see a Golden Eagle flying. Displays are 11:30am and 2:30pm with the Owl Show at 1:00pm. You can also book private experiences to have time flying the birds – bookable in advance at info@britishbirdofpreycentre.co.uk
There is a packed programme of events and courses held throughout the year from exhibitions, gardening courses, art classes and photography tuition. You can easily spend a whole day exploring this delightful place.
