Dylan Thomas’ Cradle to Grave Journey

Our experienced tour guide will provide you with a tour of Dylan’s life from Swansea to Laugharne. On the way to the ancient township of Laugharne, or as Dylan called it ‘the strangest town in Wales,’ we take a slight detour and follow the course of the meandering River Towy to see the old farmhouse that inspired one of Dylan’s greatest poems, the majestic ‘Fernhill’ where Dylan proclaimed himself ‘Prince of the Apple towns.’ From here we proceed to the stunning beach at Llansteffan whose castle sits atop the cliff looking over the ‘three tongued bay’ that is Carmarthen Bay. The area, as Dylan said, was a ‘breeding box’ for the Thomas family. Indeed he is right, he has very strong roots in this quiet and picturesque corner of Wales.

Laugharne and its imposing Norman built castle holds many ‘must sees’ for a Dylan Thomas fan including his first and second homes ‘Eros’ and ‘Sea View,’ his famed last home, the Boathouse, his writing shed and of course Browns Hotel. We end our trip in the only manner fitting, both Dylan and his wife Caitlin now lie at rest under a simple but moving white cross in the town’s churchyard. Many lovers of the poet come and leave tiny mementoes at the graveside, including coins, cigarettes, whiskey and notepads and pencils. Why do they do this? Nobody really knows, perhaps a small thank you for his life and incredible works. We think it’s quite nice. The price starts from From £250.

*Please make a reservation in advance. Please feel free to book online or call (+44)01792 472555. For more information, please feel free to email info@dylanthomasbirthplace.com.

A Tour of Dylan’s Uplands

Dylan’s immediate surroundings, the area known as the ‘Uplands’ is a hot bed of sites with a connection to the man who referred to himself as the ‘Rimbaud of Cwmdonkin Drive.’ Arrive at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive the birthplace of Wales most celebrated poet where visitors shall receive a warm welcome and a word on what’s in store.

We shall follow in Dylan’s footsteps, walking through the Uplands – we’ll pass Dylan’s first school at 22 Mirador Crescent ‘so firm and kind and smelling of galoshes’ and into the main street which once had lots of local shops for all your day to day needs, including the Uplands Hotel (Dylan and his father DJ’s watering hole), and Mrs Ferguson’s sweet shop where Dylan stole sweets as a boy. We’ll enter the Grove where once stood the ‘flea-pit’ picture house that fuelled Dylan’s love of film, see the site of where his first broadcasts were made and where the author Kingsley Amis once lived. We’ll then enter Cwmdonkin Park – Dylan’s ‘world within a world’ the famed setting of his poem ‘Hunchback in the Park’- before returning to the Birthplace.

Tour the house where Dylan was born and lived for 23 years with his family, writing two-thirds of the material that would be used in his published work from the safe haven of his tiny bedroom. The house has been rescued from semi dereliction and restored to its condition as a new house when bought by the Thomas family in 1914 a few months before Dylan was born in the front bedroom. The price start from £18/person.

*Please make a reservation in advance. Please feel free to book online or call (+44)01792 472555. For more information, please feel free to email info@dylanthomasbirthplace.com.

Dylan Thomas’ Swansea and Gower Tour

The tour begins at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, where Dylan Thomas was born. We go through Cwmdonkin Park to the site of Swansea Grammar School where Dylan’s tutors tried to educate him. Then enjoy the coffee smells of the old Kardomah Café where he and the ‘gang’ discussed all the cultural matters of the day…and girls! Then to the site old the Evening Post building where Dylan ‘worked’ as a junior reporter.

On to his second home; the village of Mumbles where he frequented the Mermaid Hotel and the Antelope, getting up to hi-jinks and wowing audiences in his turns as an actor at the Swansea Little Theatre!

From here we venture to Gower and its stunning landscape; beaches, woodland and imagination. We finish with a private tour of the house where Dylan was born and lived for 23 years with his family, writing two-third of the material that would be used in his published work from the safe haven of his tiny bedroom. The price starts from from £210.

*Please make a reservation in advance. Please feel free to book online or call (+44)01792 472555. For more information, please feel free to email info@dylanthomasbirthplace.com.