Day 19: Carmarthen to somewhere in the west of Carmarthenshire

“As I walked out one midsummer morning” seems an appropriate theme today, it’s the first line of a folk song, The Banks of Sweet Primroses (though it doesn’t explain why they were flowering in June) and is also the title of Laurie Lee’s second memoir, where he leaves Slad with his violin and walks first to Southampton and then around Spain. I’ve always read these chronicles of walks – Edward Thomas in search of the Icknield Way, Gerald Brennan also in Spain – with some bewilderment, but now I start to understand how what seems epic is just a matter of a day at a time: the next mile, the next hill, the next bed for the night.

Today wasn’t ideal walking weather but we struggled our way out of Carmarthen (only having to make a brief reverse to retrieve Ian’s hat from the deli) and started on a succession of shady lanes downhill, across a stream then a long unshaded climb up again. We knew from the map it was going to be tiring, and we had plenty of short breaks, as well as being able to drink on the move from our water reservoirs.

Only one dog today, who was reluctant to move out of the shade he was lying in, but got up to make sure we weren’t staying on his patch.

There was occasionally some breeze, and high white cloud brought the temperature down slightly, but it was very humid. We just kept plodding along and after 5.5 hours had done 13.5 miles with 1400ft ascent (and nearly as much descent) and reached our destination – the only Airbnb within about 10 miles. Fortunately Judy was happy to cook for us tonight, it’s a long way on foot to the nearest pub.

We are now due north of St Clears, for those who know the A40; we glimpsed the Preselis through the haze, looking slightly closer than they were; and we can see the big TV mast that our aerial points at!