Landsker Borderlands Trail

Walking route

Explorer Tom

The Landsker Borderlands Trail lets you walk across a border invisible on the ground: the old divide between much of Welsh-speaking north Pembrokeshire and English-speaking south Pembrokeshire. Around Whitland and you might catch two languages trading jokes over a hedge; the hedge, naturally, refuses to translate. This long rural route winds through parts of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, taking in estuary country, lanes, fields and wooded valleys. The Landsker is a cultural and linguistic idea, not a line painted through the grass. If the whole circuit feels ambitious, Carmarthenshire's visitor service describes five kilometres from near Whitland towards Lampeter Velfrey using part of the trail. You can discover the borderlands one sensible piece at a time. Near Whitland, the waymarked path passes Whitland Abbey, a Cistercian house. A local station walk follows this section and explicitly says the abbey is not open for a public visit, so admire the remains from the lawful route. Carmarthenshire's own wildlife guide points to the trail here for its valley landscape, where hedged lanes drop towards streams and woodland. I reckon the trail's signposts hold an annual argument about which county they're in, then agree to keep everyone walking. Start with the Whitland section or its station circuit and carry the route directions, since this is countryside walking rather than a paved promenade. The station circuit is unsuitable for wheelchairs or buggies, and longer stretches can leave you well away from shops. Check the day's weather and any path notices, take water and keep to signed rights of way. There's no prize for finishing at once; the next bend is enough reason to set off.