In 1963, Dr Richard Beeching’s axe fell on the railway line running through the Tywi Valley, and the trains stopped running between Carmarthen and Llandeilo for good. More than 60 years later, the trackbed has been given a new life — and on Friday 15 May, more than 70 people gathered at Bremenda Isaf Farm to celebrate the opening of one of the most significant pieces of active travel infrastructure built in Wales in recent memory.
The Tywi Valley Path is 13 miles long, traffic-free and passes through one of the most beautiful river valleys in south Wales. From Friday, it is fully open to walkers, cyclists and families — and if the first year of operation is anything to go by, they will come.
The journey to this point began in earnest in October 2021, when Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced £16.7 million in Levelling Up funding for Carmarthenshire County Council’s vision of a continuous off-road route between the two towns. A public consultation in 2022 asked residents what they thought — and the response was broadly supportive.
The first four-mile section, from Abergwili to Nantgaredig, opened in April 2025 — and immediately proved popular. The final stretch was confirmed for Easter 2026. Now the full route is complete, and the numbers speak for themselves: a Parkrun held on the path recently pulled in more than 200 runners, and a half marathon and walking festival are already planned for the months ahead.
(Image: Carmarthenshire Council)
The official opening on Friday was not short on star power. Former professional cyclist and double European junior champion Manon Lloyd rode into the celebration alongside children from Nantgaredig Primary School — a fitting image for a path built to show that cycling in Carmarthenshire is not just for lycra-clad club riders but for everyone.
Lloyd, who competed in major international events including the Women’s Tour of Britain and now presents women’s cycling coverage for TNT Sports, gave the occasion an extra dash of inspiration — and her presence sent a clear message about who the path is for.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales Anna McMorrin and Huw Bryer, Deputy Director for Constitution, Domestic Affairs and Regional Growth, joined Cllr Linda Evans, Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council, alongside local representatives and the contractors who built the route.
The project was delivered by a largely local supply chain — T Richard Jones Ltd, Tregaron Trading Services, Walters Group, Evan Pritchard Contractors Ltd and the council’s own Highway Services Operational Team — keeping much of that £16.7 million investment within the communities the path now serves.
Cllr Hazel Evans, the council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture and Tourism, described the path as a transformational investment in Carmarthenshire’s future. “It enhances tourism in our beautiful county, creates new opportunities for local businesses, and encourages healthier, more sustainable ways to explore the area,” she said.
Cllr Edward Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services, said the route was about more than active travel. “By linking Carmarthen and Llandeilo through a safe and accessible route, we’re creating a lasting asset that will benefit residents and visitors for generations to come,” he said.
Wales Office Minister Anna McMorrin said the path would be a wonderful resource for residents and visitors alike. “From supporting local businesses through its construction to boosting local tourism, the economic legacy of the route will continue for years to come,” she said.
The Tywi Valley is already one of the most visited landscapes in south-west Wales — home to Dinefwr Castle, the National Botanic Garden of Wales and some of the most photographed countryside in the whole country. The path effectively opens all of that up to people without a car, and to those who simply want to explore it at a slower pace than a car allows.
At 13 miles, the Tywi Valley Path is one of the most significant new walking and cycling routes completed in Wales in recent years. It is also one of the most meaningful outcomes of Levelling Up funding delivered anywhere in south-west Wales — money originally announced under a Conservative government and now celebrated by a Labour one, on a route that has outlasted the political arguments around it.
The path follows a former railway trackbed that has lain largely dormant since the Beeching cuts — decades in which the land sat quietly while the towns it once connected grew further and further apart. That gap is now closed again, not by a train but by a pair of boots or a set of wheels.
For families, commuters, visitors and the communities dotted along the route between Carmarthen and Llandeilo, it is a long time coming — and worth the wait.
