We are spending a week in Laugharne this month. We are taking our Mom. She is a very spry 72 but we need to take our time and don't want to spend all day driving. We have a rental car for the week. I am not sure how long it will take us to go east so I have not planned to go further than Cardiff for a day. My proposed itinerary is as follows:
Day 1-National Botanic Gardens, Carreg Cennen
Castle and the Trapp Arts and Crafts
Centre
Day 2-Laugharne Castle and Dylan Thomas
Boathouse, Tenby
Day 3-Travel over Presili Mountains to New
Quay honey farm and then Aberaeron
Day 4-Pembroke Castle, St. Govan's Chapel
and Green Bridge of Wales
Day 5-Museum of Welsh Life, Cardiff Castle
and Cardiff
Day 6-St.David's and Solva

How long will it take to drive to Cardiff? Is it harried driving around Cardiff? Should we consider driving to Carmarthen and then taking the train (estimated time of 1 1/2 hrs)? Please be blunt with suggested changes as time is running out and my eyes are getting bleary! Much indebted to you, Karen

Topping.

Laugharne to Cardiff is a good 130km, which will take you at least an hour and a half.

The traffic around Cardiff is nowhere near the chaos of London, so don't worry about that. Except for the weekend of 22nd May, when the FA Cup final is held at the Millenium Stadium. Avoid the city that weekend!!

Also I'm glad to see that you have included the National Botanical Gardens in your itinerary. The gardens have been under threat of closure due to its loss-making.

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http://www.bangor.ac.uk/~fos007/travel.htm

Hi Karen,
As Colin quite rightly said Cardiff is not a traffic bottleneck and is totally nothing like London. The weekend of the football finals are always a problem as 75000 fans all drive into the city, but in saying that Cardiff copes very well in this situation.
You don't say when you want to come to Cardiff, let me know as there are a lot of Football finals in the Millenium stadium.

The route to Cardiff is via the M4 which is usually ok unless its the rush hour. Let me know when you are coming and I will study your itinary closely.
And perhaps suggest a few more places too.
But you seem to have covered some great places so far.
The museum of welsh life is not in the center but the Castle is, The Museum is free entry and needs at least half a day, it is mainly outdoors. The castle too is about 2 hours visit
I think that its a long day for your mum but it should be ok with good planning.
I would suggest your car is the best way to travel around, but beware as the car parks in the center are £1.60/hour so I will suggest somewhere else for you to park if I may.
You should schedule in rest times and there are plenty of places to eat in cardiff center as well as agreat old pub behing the Welsh folk museum.
If you want to contact me by email please feel free to do so.

Bye for now

Muck

Can I just add that to get up to Carreg Cennen from the car park is quite a pull.My mother certainly couldn't manage it!

I wish I had spent more time elsewhere than in Cardiff but I loved Snowdonia.