Pontnewydd bridges and Mining Heritage Trail, near Trimsaran.

Pntnewydd Raod Bridge, near Trimsarn.

Pontnewydd near Trimsaran is a tiny Welsh hamlet of just a few homes, yet there are so many bridges here that it seems like a miniature spaghetti junction. Coming from Trimsaran you first approach a road bridge crossing the Gwendraeth Fawr river, which although it is very low to the river it is long enough to have its own road bend.

Road bridge crossing the old Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal at Pontnewydd.

A few yards further on you will come to a brick and steel bridge, which would seem to be the road crossing the remains of the old Kidwelly & Llanelly Canal.



 

Old Burryport and Gwendraeth Valley railway Bridge.

You can park a car on the roadside after the bridge above, and walk eastwards along a footpath which was the route of the old Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley railway line. Shortly you will arrive at two more bridges. The one you are walking on would presumably be, (but I could be wrong), the old railway line crossing the Gwendraeth Fawr river.

Old Kidwelly and Llanelly canal aqueduct.

Looking right from this bridge you will see the other bridge, which you can get to if you have a mind to hack through a bit of undergrowth, this is an old aqueduct which would have taken the old Kidwelly & Llanelly Canal across the Gwendraeth Fawr as well. All in all very confusing but also a tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of the early 19th century.

After you've worked everything out you can continue eastwards along the old railway route, the footpath is called the Miners Heritage Trail,  or you can follow the trail in the other direction where you will be able to walk alongside what is still left of the old canal. And when you get home you will still be confused about what is on what level.