Llansteffan views

Llansteffan from Ferryside © David Gill

The ruins of Llansteffan castle dominate the mouth of the Tywi estuary in Carmarthenshire.

Beach Train

Ferryside © David Gill

The Arriva train leaving Ferryside station towards Llanelli runs alongside the magnificent sands of the Tywi estuary.

Tywi Swans

We went for a walk round Dinefwr this afternoon and had a peep across the Tywi Valley as the swans came into land.

Image
© David Gill, 2010.

Paxton's Tower and Middleton Hall

The Tywi Valley is dominated by Paxton's Tower, built to commemorate the death of Admiral Viscount Nelson at Trafalgar in 1805. The folly, which could serve as a dining room for the nearby Middleton Hall (now the site of the National Botanic Garden of Wales), was designed by Samuel Pepys Cockerell (1753-1827). Middleton Hall was the home of Sir William Paxton (1743/4-1824), a business partner of Cockerell's brother Sir Charles Cockerell (1755-1837).

Paxton's Tower is open to the public. It is owned by the National Trust.

Image
Paxton's Tower from the site of Middleton Hall © David Gill, 2010