Wales holidays
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Let’s go to ... spooky south-west Wales

Get spooked for Halloween on a new tombstone trail that covers five graves of interesting or scary characters in this beautiful corner of Wales

Grave of poet Dylan Thomas, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire.
Grave of poet Dylan Thomas, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire. Photograph: Alamy

Why go now?

Launched in time for Halloween, the Legends Tombstone Trail offers a novel way of exploring Camarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Swansea Bay and Pembrokeshire – by visiting graves and memorials in cemeteries across the four areas. Taphophiles (yep, tombstone tourism is a thing) are in for a treat – and for everyone else there’s beautiful scenery plus plenty of good pubs and pretty villages en route.

So how does it work?

There are five tombstones with tales attached in each area, with an interactive map to guide you. Allow two-to-three hours for each, otherwise make a mini-break of it and spend two days visiting all of them on a 200-mile road trip.

Stone commemorating18th-century pirate Barti Ddu.
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Stone commemorating18th-century pirate Barti Ddu.

Who might I encounter?

Saints, sinners, pirates, wizards and everyone in between. From Welsh poet Dylan Thomas’s final resting place in Laugharne to fearsome Welsh pirate Barti Ddu – buried near Fishguard in 1722 – there are fascinating and spooky stories galore. Sites associated with mythical characters, from King Arthur to Merlin, feature too, alongside mere mortals such as gamekeeper Robert Scott, murdered and buried in Margam Abbey cemetery, where his ghost has been spotted.

Where should I stay?

Try the Kings Head at Llangennith (doubles from £85 B&B), on the Gower peninsula, or the famous Brown’s Hotel in Laugharne, Camarthenshire, which dates from 1752 (doubles from £95 a night).

Bar at The Pilot of Mumbles.
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Bar at The Pilot of Mumbles.

What about refuelling?

There are brilliant pubs a-plenty. The Pilot in Mumbles, near Swansea, serves great real ale; in St Davids, near the end of the trail, the Farmers Arms is a cosy place for a tipple. For food, go to Danteithion Wright’s Food Emporium in Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, worth it for its pork belly cubano alone. The Swigg is a fab, newly opened cafe and deli in Swansea Marina.

What else is there to do?

South Wales is made for outdoor adventure. Richard Burton fans will love new walking trails in his honour in Port Talbot. The Botanic Gardens of Wales in Carmarthenshire have lovely autumn colour or, if the weather isn’t so kind, LC Swansea is the country’s largest indoor waterpark, complete with surf machine, while the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery reopened in the city last weekend after a multi-million pound transformation.