The Dylan Thomas Trail ( cy, Llwybr Dylan Thomas) runs through places associated with the poet

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

, west Wales. It was officially opened by Aeronwy Thomas, Dylan's daughter, in July 2003. It also featured in the celebration in 2014 of the centenary of Dylan's birth. The Trail is marked by blue plaques and information boards in

Lampeter Lampeter (; cy, Llanbedr Pont Steffan (formal); ''Llambed'' (colloquial)) is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, ...

Aberaeron Aberaeron, previously anglicised as Aberayron, is a town, community, and electoral ward between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, in Ceredigion, Wales. Ceredigion County Council offices are in Aberaeron. The name of the town is Welsh for ''mouth of ...

and

New Quay New Quay ( cy, Cei Newydd) is a seaside town (and electoral ward) in Ceredigion, Wales, with a resident population of around 1,200 people, reducing to 1,082 at the 2011 census. Located south-west of Aberystwyth on Cardigan Bay with a harbour a ...

. There is also a detailed guide available, ''The Dylan Thomas Trail'', which helps visitors walk the route but also describes the poet's time in the area.

Llanon to Llanina

The Trail begins on the coast at the Central Hotel in

Llanon Llanon (also spelled Llan-non) is a village in Ceredigion, Wales. It adjoins the village of Llansantffraed on the coast of Cardigan Bay, north of Aberaeron and south of Aberystwyth on the A487 road. It is situated on a raised beach. The villag ...

, then meanders through upland countryside to Plas Gelli, Tal-sarn, the mansion where Dylan and Caitlin lived for part of World War II. It then turns west to wander along the beautiful Aeron valley. The walk passes Tyglyn Aeron (now a hotel) which was the summer home of the publisher,

Geoffrey Faber Sir Geoffrey Cust Faber (23 August 1889, Great Malvern – 31 March 1961) was a British academic, publisher, and poet. He was a nephew of the noted Catholic convert and hymn writer, Father Frederick William Faber, C.O., founder of the Brompton ...

, where T. S. Eliot spent his holidays in the 1930s. The Trail continues past the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

Llanerchaeron Llanerchaeron, known as "Llanayron House" to its nineteenth-century occupants, is a grade I listed mansion on the River Aeron, designed and built in 1795 by John Nash for Major (later Colonel) William Lewis as a model, self-sufficient farm comp ...

estate and then along a disused railway line to Aberaeron, where Dylan had a number of friends, including Thomas Herbert the vet and Dewi Ianthe, the battery man. From here, the Trail follows the cliffs to New Quay, passing close to Plas Llanina, where Dylan, “hoofed with seaweed, did a jig on the Llanina sands and barked at the far mackerel.” Under the waves lies a drowned cemetery which has been described as “the literal truth that inspired the imaginative and poetic truth” of

Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, ''Under Milk Wood'' directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of ...

. Plas Llanina was once the home of

Lord Howard de Walden Baron Howard de Walden is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Hereditary peer#Writs of summons, writ of summons in 1597 by Queen Elizabeth I for Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, Admiral Lord Thomas Howard, a younger son of ...

, who encouraged Dylan to write in the apple house in the garden.

Majoda and New Quay

Next comes Majoda, the tiny bungalow where Dylan and family lived from September 1944 to July 1945. They were there during one of the coldest winters on record. But despite the weather, it was one of the most productive periods of Dylan's life, “a second flowering, a period of fertility that recalls the earliest days.” His Majoda poems were “among the finest that he wrote...they provided nearly half the poems for ''Deaths and Entrances''.” And it was here in Majoda that Dylan started writing

The Trail then follows the beach, before it arrives in

, its finishing point. There are further day walks on extensions of the Trail, including Eli Jenkins' Pub Walk which follows the River Dewi to the coast at Cwmtydu. Another walk is the town trail around New Quay, taking in the house where his aunt and cousins lived, as well as Dylan's favourite pub, the Black Lion, where

Augustus John Augustus Edwin John (4 January 1878 – 31 October 1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a time he was considered the most important artist at work in Britain: Virginia Woolf remarked that by 1908 the era of John Singer Sarg ...

used to exhibit. Caitlin preferred the Dolau pub, as did Alastair Graham, who had once been

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

's lover. A companion book is available for those walking the Trail who want to know more about Dylan's time in west Wales. It contains an account of the shooting incident at Majoda whilst Dylan lived there in 1945. A collection of published articles is also available, as well as a photographic history of New Quay and an account of New Quay's maritime profile as seen through the 1939 War Register.

And Onwards

The coastal stretch of the Trail forms part of the

Wales Coast Path The Wales Coast Path ( cy, Llwybr Arfordir Cymru) is a designated long-distance trail which follows, or runs close to, the coastline of Wales. Launched in 2012, the footpath is long and was heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the wor ...

and the

Ceredigion Coast Path The Ceredigion Coast Path ( cy, Llwybr Arfordir Ceredigion) is a waymarked long distance footpath in the United Kingdom, on the coast of Ceredigion, Wales. It is in length, running along the coast of Cardigan Bay from Cardigan to ...

, and is included in a number of the Path's walking guides. Dylan ardents can follow the coast path from New Quay to

Llangrannog Llangrannog (sometimes spelt as Llangranog) is both a village and a community in Ceredigion, Wales, southwest of New Quay. It lies in the narrow valley of the River Hawen, which falls as a waterfall near the middle of the village. Llangran ...

, where Dylan enjoyed meeting up in the Pentre Arms with World War I, flying ace, Ira Jones. The coast path then continues southwards, passing Yr Hendre farm, near St. Dogmaels, where the sixteen-year old Dylan camped with a school friend in 1930. The holiday is described in the Trail guide. The Dylan Thomas Trail is established on various walking and cycling websites, and has appeared in tourism guides. It also heads the Wales Online list of ''100 things to do in Ceredigion before you die.'' It has received national media coverage, as well as more academic consideration.(1) F. Rhydderch (2003) ''Adieu Dylan'', editorial, ''New Welsh Review'', 62, Winter. (2) M. Lansverk (2004) ''The Almanac of Time: Dylan Thomas and Pilgrimage'', in ''Rendezvous'', Idaho State University Journal of Arts and Letters, Spring, vol. 38, 2. (3) O. Palusci (2006) ''Translating Tourism Linguistic/Cultural Representations'', Cicerone. (4) M. Griffths (2009) ''Small Town on the Big Screen: The Edge of Love and the Local Experience'', in the ''Journal of Audience and Reception Studies'', 6, November.

References

External links

Maps for the Dylan Thomas Trail
* Routeyou https://www.routeyou.com/en-gb/location/view/48053877/dylan-thomas-trail?toptext=1594598 * https://dylanthomasnews.com/2016/10/25/quite-early-one-morning-on-the-trail-of-dylan-thomas-in-new-quay/ * https://www.discoverdylanthomas.com/resources/walking-trails-tours. * http://www.dylanthomassociety.com/dylans-places.html * http://www.dancingledge.com/features/exploring-the-dylan-thomas.html * https://sites.google.com/site/dylanthomasandtheedgeoflove/home {{Dylan Thomas Dylan Thomas Tourist attractions in Ceredigion Long-distance footpaths in Wales