Dylan Thomas Experience – Lampeter, New Quay

Our journey starts in Lampeter. Dylan and Caitlin lived at Gelli, a large house in the village of Talsarn, near Lampeter, from 1941 to 1943 – basically escaping the bombing of Swansea.

When things got hectic in the house, Dylan would book in to the Castle Hotel in Lampeter where he used to enjoy singing with the boys of Lampeter Rugby Club. By way of contrast, Dylan enjoyed the tranquillity afforded him when he walked, and sat, in the grounds of St David’s College – now Trinity St Davids. An interesting point, amongst many interesting facts about the college, is that during the 1850’s, the vice chancellor of the college, Roland Williams, was responsible for the first game of organised rugby to be played in Wales.

It was in the Lampeter Court House, in 1945, that William Killick was tried and acquitted of the attempted murder of Dylan Thomas.

We then drive to Talsarn and into the beautiful Aeron Valley, to see Gelli. Dylan and Caitlin loved this valley and did much walking there. They named their daughter Aeronwy, because she was conceived on the banks of the River Aeron. They rented Gelli from their friends Vera and William Killick. Vera (nee Phillips) was a childhood neighbour of Dylan in Swansea. Dylan produced much work whilst at Gelli, perhaps whilst sitting in the secret, almost mystical garden at Ty Glyn Davis where Dylan undoubtedly spent many a peaceful moment amidst the hurly burly of his life. We take the back road to Ty Glyn Aeron where Dylan consorted with its owner, Geoffrey Faber, the publisher, who had made Ty Glyn Aeron a haven for poets such as T.S.Eliot. This is a period which did much to enhance Dylan’s slightly bohemian image?

Down to the coast at Aberaeron and on to Llanarth. Here we turn to Plas y Wern, in Gilfachreda, where Henry Tudor stayed the night on his march to Bosworth in 1485, and where Dylan made merry – if that’s the right word – with Alistair Graham, the lover of Evelyn Waugh, and other friends including Compton Mackenzie and Augustus John.

We continue to Llanina mansion, whose owner, Lord Howard de Walden, a great patron of the arts, invited Dylan to work in the Apple House there. Just up the road is Majoda, where Dylan, Caitlin and family lived from 1944 to 1945. From here there are stunning views across the bay to New Quay, and Dylan would often walk home along the beach, tide permitting. Majoda was also the scene of the aforementioned William Killick shooting incident. The next house along the road is Ffynnonfeddyg, the home of Vera and William Killick. He was a war hero who had returned home after dangerous missions behind enemy lines. After an argument in a pub, war hero William turned up at Majoda and raked the house of Dylan who failed his army medical, with machine gun fire.

So on to New Quay “the cliff-perched, toppling town….” which, amongst others, can lay claim, with some justification, to be the Llareggub, of “Under Milk Wood”. We can spend some free time in New Quay, wandering around the many sites associated with Dylan Thomas.

Dylan, Caitlin and family left this area in 1945. We are sure you will be enchanted by the sites and the beautiful scenery we will be passing through.