The town stands on
the river Bran, near its junction with the Towy, in a beautiful valley,
surrounded by wooded hills. Besides these two rivers, some smaller
streams join in the neighbourhood, and from this fact comes the name of
the place, a corruption of the Welsh _Llan ym Ddy fri_, or Church among
the Waters.
There are two churches of some interest, the more important being the
one in the main street, where the famous Rhys Pritchard was vicar in
1602. The other church stands on higher ground to the north of the town,
on the site of the old Roman station.
On a grassy knoll, adjoining the Castle Hotel and overlooking the river
Bran, are the remains of Llandovery Castle, built about the twelfth
century, and dismantled by Cromwell's orders.
Llandovery is a good starting-place for the ascent of the
Carmarthenshire Van (_i.e._ Beacon), about 13 miles distant, one of the
highest peaks in South Wales. The view from the summit of the Van in
clear weather is magnificent. Near at hand are the Black Mountains, a
rather gloomy sandstone range, and in the distance are the mountains of
North Wales, Swansea Bay, and the Devonshire coast. An easy descent may
be effected on the south-eastern side of the mountain to Penwyllt
station, on the Brecon-Swansea line. Just below this is Craig-y-Nos
Castle, the home of Madame Patti-Nicolini.
Among other interesting excursions from Llandovery are those to
Irecastle, a village in the valley of the Usk; Ystradffyn, near which a
splendid panorama of the valley of the Towy is obtained; and Pumpsaint,
a romantic village with a gold-mine near at hand.
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