D165: Wales Coastal Path

Day 165: GOWERTON to PWLL

Monday 9th June 2025

Today miles: 10.4 Total miles: 2709.7

I woke this morning after an excellent sleep. I then wandered around the still empty building and made myself a coffee and a small bowl of cereal. I returned to the train station and after buying myself a bacon roll at a nearby cafe I got talking to a man on the platform. He was genuinely surprised when I informed him that I had actually purchased a ticket, he stated ‘Nobody ever buys a ticket and there’s never anybody who checks’ I was gutted (not really) that I’d spent £2 on a ticket. I arrived in Gowerton around lunchtime and walked the half mile back to the coastal path. It’s a relatively short day today so I tried to take my time and have plenty of rest.

I crossed the River Loughor along the A484 and a half mile later left the road and entered the National Wetlands Centre of Wales. There’s an easy stone path skirting the edge of the river, busy with the usual mix of joggers and dog walkers. There’s plenty of seats along the route if you need to rest. Eventually the path leads me slightly inland around the Millennium Coastal Park and then towards the Machynys Peninsula Golf Club. The walking was pleasant and no issues at all along the path. I arrived at St Ellis Bay and I’ve only got around three miles left to walk. I took an extended break and made myself a coffee outside of an interestingly shaped building it resembled the elevated bridge of a modern warship.
The next couple of miles run along the South end of Llanelli and then towards Pwll. For some reason on this trip I’d only brought two pairs of socks and they were both looking in a poor state. Google maps confirmed that there was a Sports Direct in Llanelli so I decided to get settled into my Airbnb and then catch the bus into Llanelli town centre.

The excellent path continued all the way to Pwll and I reached the end of today’s walk around 4pm. It’s an easy ten minutes bus journey back to Llanelli. Disappointingly the towns shopping centre closed down a couple of years ago but I managed to get a five pack of work socks from a Llanelli stall holder for £3. Not sure how good they’ll be but I’ve no other options. I also managed to catch a young shoplifter in Llanelli’s B and M store, I left my details with the local police.
It was strange getting back on the bus as I didn’t have a clue how to pronounce as destination Pwll. I explained my dilemma to the driver and heard several passengers giggling. I later asked Google how to pronounce Pwll but it didn’t really help. I spend my night relaxing in my room which is only around two minutes walking from the coast path.