Laugharne

Taf estuary town in southwest Wales, inseparable from Dylan Thomas and Under Milk Wood.

Laugharne is a small, unhurried town on the Taf estuary in southwest Wales, and it would be a footnote in any guidebook were it not for one fact: Dylan Thomas lived here, wrote here, and drank here. He called it "the strangest town in Wales" and made it the model for Llareggub in Under Milk Wood. Coming to Laugharne is a literary pilgrimage, but it is also simply a pleasant place to spend a day.

The Dylan Thomas Boathouse, where the poet lived with his family from 1949 until his death in New York in 1953, is the main draw. His writing shed stands nearby, overlooking the same estuary he described so vividly. Brown's Hotel in the town centre was his preferred pub — it has been lovingly restored and is still very much in business. His grave is in St Martin's churchyard, marked by a plain white wooden cross.

Laugharne Castle, a substantial ruin above the estuary, provides the historical counterweight. Built in the twelfth century and remodelled by the Elizabethan adventurer Sir John Perrot, it also had a brief connection to Thomas, who wrote in a summerhouse within its grounds. The Town Hall opposite, with its improbable Italian campanile, is a curiosity worth a glance. For dinner, The Cors is one of the better restaurants in this part of Wales.

The town is a short drive from Carmarthen and within easy reach of the Pembrokeshire Coast. A full visit — Boathouse, writing shed, castle, pub, grave — takes a comfortable half-day.

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Bars and Cafes

Laugharne's pub scene is anchored entirely by one name: Brown's Hotel, where Dylan Thomas spent a great many of his afternoons. It remains the most atmospheric place to drink in town.

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Books

Laugharne's literary associations run deep, and the reading that rewards a visit here goes well beyond Thomas's own work.

Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas is the obvious starting point — a radio play set in the fictional Welsh town of Llareggub (read backwards), modelled closely on Laugharne. Thomas's voice, if you can find a recording of him reading it, is as much a part of the experience as the text. The published play is short; read it before you arrive.

The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas — the 1952 edition that Thomas compiled himself — contains "Fern Hill," "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," and "And Death Shall Have No Dominion." These are the poems most closely associated with his Welsh life and worth reading aloud, preferably near the estuary.

Dylan Thomas: A New Life by Andrew Lycett (2003) is the best modern biography — comprehensive, honest about Thomas's considerable faults as a husband and borrower of money, and good on the Laugharne years specifically.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog by Dylan Thomas is his autobiographical short stories about growing up in south Wales — funnier and more playful than the poems, and good evidence of what kind of company Thomas was when he wasn't destroying himself.

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Eating Out

Laugharne is a small town with limited dining options, though what exists covers the basics. The Cors restaurant is worth noting for more serious eating; otherwise the pubs and cafes along the main street serve straightforward Welsh food.

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Things to Do

Laugharne is small enough to cover on foot in a morning, but the stops are rich with literary and historic interest. The Dylan Thomas trail takes in the Boathouse, his writing shed, and his grave in the churchyard — all within easy walking distance of each other. The castle and Town Hall round out the sightseeing and give the town its distinctive skyline.