A 4.6-mile (7.4 km) walking trail around Cil-y-cwm, the waterfalls of Craig Rhossan and traces of the village’s history give Cilycwm several distinct facets. Alongside the landscape, the village is shaped by listed places of worship and evidence of the former droving trade. You can make a walk the focus of your visit or explore the area’s architectural and local history in more depth.

Walking and Landscape

The Cilycwm walking trail offers views of the cascading waterfalls of Craig Rhossan. If you are planning the walk, please check the latest access conditions. The area’s landscape is characterised by scattered farms, small irregular fields and woodland. Many of the steeper slopes are covered in ancient sessile oak woodland. Both farmland and wooded slopes are therefore defining features of the landscape.

Habitats in the area include ancient oak woodland, plantation woodland, rivers, upland heath and farmland. They provide a habitat for numerous resident and migratory bird species. Many plantation woodlands in the Cilycwm Valley are managed by Natural Resources Wales and designated as open access land. Check the latest access conditions for these areas before your visit.

Buildings and Village History

The Church of St Michael in Cilycwm is an Anglican parish church dating from the 14th and 15th centuries and is Grade I listed. W. D. Caroe restored it between 1905 and 1909. Capel Y Groes is an independent chapel dating from 1859–1860 and is Grade II listed. The architectural history therefore ranges from the medieval parish church to the 19th-century chapel; their listed grades also differ.

Ysgoldy Fach is an old schoolhouse dating from the 18th century. It lies behind the village church and overlooks the River Gwenlais. Until the 19th century, the village green lay opposite the church. The schoolhouse and the green represent different aspects of village history: the former school building and an open space that shaped the village scene for a long time.

Settlement in the area around Cilycwm dates back at least 5,000 years. This is distinct from the village’s later role in droving: Cilycwm was once an important stopping point on a drovers’ route and became a centre for droving in the 18th century. Paved troughs on a road in Cilycwm were formerly used to feed livestock on its long journey east to market. These traces give the history of droving a tangible connection to the village.

Cilycwm has a village pub. If you plan to stop there, check in advance whether it will be open on the day of your visit.

Discover more destinations: Ferryside, Glanaman, St. Ishmael, Llangunnor, St Clears, Kidwelly, Llanarthney, Pencader

For the main travel overview: Carmarthenshire.