This picturesque town sits on the Carmarthenshire coast in Wales, positioned along the River Taf estuary, giving it the atmosphere of its own small island.
Over two decades, the renowned poet Dylan Thomas made Laugharne his home and was captivated by its beauty from his first visit in 1934, when he instantly fell for the place. The Welsh poet penned his work in various locations throughout the town, where some of his finest pieces took shape.
Remnants of his life are dotted around Laugharne, making it an ideal destination for visitors keen to steep themselves in literary history and bygone stories. Several of his former residences remain standing, serving as markers of his journey and creative output, including Castle House on Market Street.
This property represents the start of his romance with the Welsh town and with his partner, Caitlin McNamara, as this \ was where their paths first crossed. A friend and fellow writer, Richard Hughes, occupied the house, and Thomas was a regular visitor, utilising the property and its waterfront vistas as a writing retreat.
Eros at number 2 Gosport Street also served as his residence, for approximately half a year, in what was an intimate fisherman’s dwelling for the pair. It was from this address that he penned correspondence to his American publisher, sharing his impressions of Laugharne.
He characterises it as “a very odd town”. He wrote: “A good place, undiscovered by painters… because the sea is mostly mud and nobody knows when the water will come in or go out or where it comes from anyway.”
The poet famously referred to the town as “a timeless, mild, beguiling island of a town”, yet he found himself irresistibly drawn to it. The most renowned location associated with the writer is the aptly named Dylan Thomas Boathouse, which now serves as a museum dedicated to his life.
In 1949, Thomas and his wife moved into the boathouse, living rent-free thanks to a generous benefactor who was an ardent fan of his work. It appears that here he discovered a great deal of solitude and peace, as well as a renewed appreciation for the quaint town.
In a letter to Margaret Taylor, the benefactor who provided him with the house, he expressed his affection for their new waterside home. He penned: “For this place I love and where I want to work… this is it: the place, the house, the workroom, the time.
“All I shall write in this water and tree room on the cliff, every word will be my thanks to you. You have given me a life. And now I am going to live it.”
Nowadays, visitors to the area can admire the boathouse in all its splendour, situated along the waterfront. It functions as a museum, shop and tearoom, filled with his writings in the shed and an abundance of memorabilia, as well as the view that inspired his poetry.
Numerous admirers of his work and eager explorers participate in the Dylan Thomas birthday walk, established in his honour by a local farmer. This walk replicates the one he undertook on his 30th birthday, which inspired the creation of ‘Poem In October’. Visitors can now tread the very path that led to him penning these renowned words.