Peace monument on Mynydd Llanfihangel rhos y corn.

The peace monument on Mynydd Llanfihangel rhos y corn.

Almost by definition trig-point pillars are located in some pretty impressive locations, and high above the village of Brechfa,  the pillar erected on  Mynydd Llanfihangel rhos-y-corn is no exception. If you enjoy isolation and the comforts of a far-distant horizon, you will certainly find them here. Alongside the trig-point however, and sharing the panoramic views across the Carmarthenshire countryside is another man-made structure, looking to all the world like an over-sized stone honeypot.

It is designated as a Peace Monument, created by Brian Denman and erected here in 2007. Inside, it has a time capsule placed there by local schoolchildren and around its rim its message has been chiseled in a number of different languages.

Although very few may question its sentiments, there will be those who will question its location - high on a windswept mountain, acting as a windbreak for the resident sheep, rather than in the midst of the urban populace. Opinions must vary, but with its naturally elegant stone structure it does enhance its surroundings and being so high up, like a beacon over Carmarthenshire, it certainly lends a quirky edge to its message. Perhaps rather than ask why here? we should ask why don't more trig point pillars have them as companions?

Mynydd Llangyndeyrn - Stone-age Central.

Pre-historic ring barrow on Mynydd Llangyndeyrn, with trig point in the distance.

Castell Twby standing stone.

If you enjoy the feel-good factor of being among prehistoric stone monuments and sharing a moment in time with our ancient ancestors, then a walk along the limestone outcrop on Mynydd Llangyndeyrn should be on your to-do list. Standing on the mountain top you will be surrounded by ring barrows, round barrows, cairns, standing stones and burial tombs. Indeed as you walk about, any stone placed on top of another would seem to hold a a special significance.

Yet this exuberance of stone building is not the effort of any particular group of ancient ancestors, because the time span from the  neolithic burial tombs, with their huge cap-stones, to the elegant iron-age standing-stone erected nearby, could be as long as 5 millennia. A sobering thought as you stand by the trig point pillar erected by the ordnance survey engineers in the 1930s.

Telpyn Point - Border Country.

Telpyn Point with Worm's Head in the far distance.

Following the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path eastwards from Amroth, or alternatively a short woodland walk from a conveniently-placed lay by, you will reach an unmanned border crossing - a wooden bridge over a small stream that constitutes the border between Carmathenshire and Pembrokeshire.

Keep walking for a short distance and you will reach Telpyn Point and enjoy one of the most spectacular coastal views in all of south Wales. On a clear day the panarama can stretch from Caldey Island to Worm's Head, with Tenby, Saundersfoot and Wiseman's Bridge all thrown in for good measure. It will also be one of your few chances to see cliff dwelling birds in Carmarthenshire.

The unmanned border crossing between Carmathenshire and Pembrokeshire.

The more adventurous can keep walking along the clifftops to Top Castle. This is an Iron-age hill fort built to take advantage of this commanding location and from where, perhaps some time in the dim and distant past, the local residents first stood and watched the sails of Roman ships ominously rounding Worm's Head before sailing up the Burry Estuary to their new-built fort at Loughor.

Cwmdu village.

Driving the back roads around Talley you may chance upon the tiny village of Cwmdu. Cwmdu is one of those places you can't just drive through - you have to stop because it is so unexpectedly pretty.

The village pub in Cwmdu.

It is heartening to see how a bit of care and attention and a coat of paint that isn't white, can make a place stand out among so many similar villages around Carmarthenshire. A place where parked cars look so incongruous, a place crying out for a horse and cart to clippity-clop along the high-street.

Cwmdu village.

Its vibrancy however goes a lot further than a coat of paint, as its local website testifies to a strong community spirit, centered around a village pub that is still open for business - a rarity now in many Carmarthenshire villages and making them all the poorer for it.