Pet friendly places in Wales: Carmarthenshire offers dog holidays

Add to My Stories 1992. Two goldfish, Fred and Ginger, are won at a May Bank Holiday fair. When the pair are found floating on the surface of their makeshift bowl in my parent's kitchen just a few days apart, the tears I, as a mere six-year-old, shed are enough to make the subsequent use of a flush on the toilet unnecessary. It was decided then that I wasn't emotionally stable enough for pets.

Paws for thought: Sparrow was taken to the beautiful Welsh county of Carmarthenshire for a 'dog friendly' holidayThe absence from my life of any form of live-in creature was never an issue until I met Sparrow the labradoodle (Labrador crossed with a poodle), the most important member of my partner's family. Forget winning over my prospective mother-in-law, in my other half's household, it was imperative I won over the dog.
And four years after he first ran rule over me with a series of painfully unfamiliar barks and slightly unnerving sniffs, this man has a new best friend, and with it, access to an entire network of people with whom I share common ground.As a result of my interaction with other dog walkers with Sparrow at my side, I have come to realise the role these affectionate, loyal and heart-warming hounds play in the lives of their owners. Yet in similar measure I have discovered the trepidation with which others, including myself from times past, deal with dogs. Finding a holiday, therefore, that can be enjoyed by every member of the family, human or otherwise, is a daunting task.The west Wales county of Carmarthenshire think they've cracked it, with the launch of the Dog Friendly Initiative, which aims to encourage dog owners to bring their pets along on holiday.
Unfortunately by attempting to cover every base, they have possibly diluted, and thus lessened the quality of, an experience that needed precious little promotion other than the hard evidence provided by Mother Nature.!

Ma ke no mistake, this little corner of our country is perhaps the most complete of any in the land. The 'Garden of Wales', as the region is dubbed, is a mass of the UK's most captivating scenery, from the cobweb-removing hikes to Llyn-y-Fan Fach - a crescent of steep inclines sliding towards a lake - to the lung-clearing sea air on Cefn Sidan beach - eight miles of golden sands edged by a belt of dunes.

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There is Pembrey Country Park with it's network of woodland pathways and vast range of fun-filled summer - and indeed winter in the case of the dry-ski slope - activities, the quaintly curious town of Llandelio, and the all-encompassing Millennium Coastal Path, an entry level walk. All this is a mere stone's throw away from the Gower Peninsula, the first part of Britain to be officially declared an 'area of outstanding natural beauty'.
Such is the multitude of options, though, that thorough research, not to mention a hearty breakfast before embarking, is vital. The Beacons, for example, offer as challenging, or otherwise, a walk as you could wish for, depending on the athleticism of your dog.

Isolation: Cefn Sidan beach is eight miles of golden sands edged by a belt of dunes, and provides the perfect setting to walk an energetic dogWhat I've loved most about my new found best-friendship is that having your dog there gives purpose to the walk. Rather than get lost in my own thoughts, I am able to consign every concern I carried with me from London to an unreachable part of my brain, and instead enjoy the frantically wagging tail leaping off ahead, cutting shapes into the panoramic views like Picasso unleashing himself on a more considered masterpiece.
Th! at is wh at I came for, and Carmarthenshire offers these opportunities in abundance. Holidays like this don't need gimmicks, least of all rashly produced ones.
One such occasion was an afternoon pit-stop for lunch. We'd risen early and spent a large part of the morning winding - and wading - through the dew-drenched misty hills of the Beacons.

Natural highs: Climbing the steep inclines at Llyn-y-Fan Fach is an invigorating way to start a weekend in Carmarthenshire

Conscious, then, that we were muddy and dressed more for the elements than for entertaining, I was unnerved by the reception we received from both other diners/guests and staff when we arrived for lunch at The Plough Inn. We'd tweaked on arrival that there was limited, if any, outside advertising encouraging owners and their animals in, suggesting perhaps they just wanted a place in the council's brochure rather than any legitimate custom. A hastily scrawled 'menu' only accentuated my discomfort and when the first doggy dish arrived piping hot ie too hot for any dog to eat, I knew this ploy was not the brainchild of one of the dog-walking fraternity.
That said, the food served on the table rather than the floor was of a high standard. In fact so too was Sparrow's second course, judging by the speed with which he wolfed it down following a quick chat with the staff.

Pet pride: Dial A Dogwash was one of the gimmicks that actually works a treat for dog owners

Certain additions to the trip were a far better fit, especially our memorable early evening spent with the charming Dial-A-Dogwash.
With Sparrow washed, brushed and trimmed we experienced a warm welcome at the Black Lion, a stark contrast to that which we'd experienced at lunch. Less than a mile up the road from where we were staying, the r! ich sens e of community was unlike anywhere else I'd experienced. Jovial locals engaged us with stories of their adventures in what amounts to their own back garden and the landlord seemed genuinely pleased to have Sparrow laid flat out in front of his fire.
We'd been recommended the Black Lion Inn by Jane, our hostess, herself not more than a year in the area. The extent to which the affable owner of our accommodation has considered and reconsidered every aspect of the dog-friendly holiday meant there was little surprise when, upon arrival, I saw her own four-legged friends bounding across the swathe of luscious green grass that surrounded her nearby home.

At each turn there was more and more beautiful scenery, from rolling hills to winding waterways

We - my other half Laura, Sparrow and I - were staying at The Barn. Perched on a small mound, hidden from the roadside in the imposing shadows of the Cothi Valley on the cusp of Brechfa Forest, this self-contained 18th Century build is set in 22 acres of alluring Welsh countryside, detached from the enchanting Grade II listed long house known as Maes Y Bidiau. It was converted in 1985 and has continued to be brought forward with the times, while still maintaining a wealth of original character and charm. To call it 'cosy' barely does it justice yet at the same time seems slightly inappropriate as it suggests a lacking in size.

Cosy in a big way: The Barn was the perfect place for Matt, Laura and Sparrow to unwind after a long day

The vast open-plan living area, overlooked by the mezzanine 'main bedroom', is split intelligently into three sections by first a dining room table and then by an enchanting wood-burning fireplace. True, the low, authentic beams of the kitchen present a head-banging danger to bleary-eyed break! fast mak ers but regardless, this was the perfect base from which we planned and launched our soul-cleansing strolls for the next three days.
The provision of a special collar tag with the accommodation's details under the headline 'I'm on holiday' was a nice touch.
The mark of success of our short break was simple; how keen would Sparrow be to return home? He'd kicked up an almighty fuss as we loaded him into the car back in London - memories of times he'd been taken to the kennels during human-only holidays - but had adapted quickly to life on the road. And as we prepared to journey home the barking began again; he didn't want to leave. But a quiet word in his ear from me, his new best friend, convinced him otherwise although I, too, could easily have stayed longer.

Travel facts

Matt, Laura and Sparrow stayed in The Barn where a three-night weekend costs from 210. For more information or to book log on to www.holidayinthebarn.co.uk/ or call 01267 202440.
For further information on dog friendly Carmarthenshire visit www.discovercarmarthenshire.com or call 01267 231557.
Try the 3 course doggy meal at The Plough at Rosmaen. Priced at 5 for the 3-courses. www.ploughrhosmaen.comA visit from Dial-a-Dogwash costs from 30 dependent on breed www.dialadogwashcamarthen.co.uk