If you fancy a challenging and quiet traverse of some of the western valleys and hills of south Wales, St Illtud’s Walk should appeal to you.
The Walk, planned by G. Colin Davies, a member of Llanelli Ramblers, was completed in 1994. Its route starts at Pen-bre (Pembrey) on the Carmarthenshire coast and ends at Margam in Neath Port Talbot. The total length is 64 miles, usually walked west to east in seven sections (I took eight, splitting stage 5 into two).
The connection with St Illtud is tenuous. Early Welsh saints seem to have been strong walkers – St Samson was a particularly energetic – but Illtud is mainly known for his scholarship and teaching and as the founder of the monastery at Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major) – miles away from the Walk. Many churches throughout south Wales and beyond were given his name, including the church in Penbre. Curiously, though, the Walk fails to call there!
Colin Davies published a guidebook to the Walk (St. Illtyd’s walk: 64 mile, Pontardawe: Lliw Valley Countryside Access Project, 1995), but it’s long out of print, and no one has revised it since. On the ground, the route is well signposted with plastic roundels bearing a castle logo. These were installed when the route was revised in 2014. They’re now in need of renewing, since some of them have been damaged or have disappeared. A big advantage for the walker is that the Walk is marked on Ordnance Survey Explorer maps. So, if you have the app version on your phone, route finding is relatively easy. (Not that it prevented me from making the odd error, but that’s just down to my poor navigation skills.)
On the whole the terrain isn’t difficult. After the first few days there’s a fair amount of climbing and descending, as you’d expect on the basically west-east journey, and on the hills you enjoy fine views in good visibility. Be warned, though: if you’re not fond of massed conifers or tramping along monotonous forestry tracks, the final four stages may try your patience. On the other hand, if you like windmills, there are plenty to enjoy on Day 4.
It’s possible to get to and from the beginning and end of most stages by public transport – bus or, in the first stage, train. The exception, on Days 3 and 4, is Penlle’r Castell, a remote spot (we walked on from there down to Ammanford). Overnight accommodation is sparse in some areas.
St Illtud’s Walk day by day
Day 1: Pen-bre to Furnace
24 May 2023
Day 2: Furnace to Pontarddulais
30 May 2023
Day 3: Pontarddulais to Penlle’r Castell
21 August 2023
Day 4: Penlle’r Castell to Pontardawe
15 September 2023
Day 5: Pontardawe to Creunant
7 November 2023
Day 6: Creunant to Resolfen
20 May 2024
Day 7: Resolfen to Afan Argoed
23 July 2024
Day 8: Afan Argoed to Margam
1 April 2026
