Set close to the beautiful Preseli Hills, and offering easy access to the gorgeous Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the famed Cardigan Bay, the villages of Hermon, Tegryn, Llanfyrnach and Glogue offer a rural base in West Wales. With local shops and a good primary/secondary school available in Crymych (around two to three miles away), these villages offer easy rural living.

They are also particularly popular due to their close proximity to the larger towns of Cardigan, Fishguard, Newcastle Emlyn and Carmarthen, providing plenty of work and leisure opportunities.

If you’d like to discuss your move to West Wales and find out more about these villages we’re happy to help. Please get in touch.

You can also read about many of the other villages in the area in our  Location Guides.

History

This part of West Wales is steeped in history, much of it dating back to the Bronze Age and Iron Age, but stone axes dating to the Neolithic period have also been found here. 

The Preseli area is also well known for its standing stones, with some believing that Stonehenge originated here. A fascinating place to discover for both locals and visitors, you can also see the remains of early settlements, such as Foel Drygarn Hill Fort with the remains of stone ramparts.

Locally to these villages, more recent history can be seen in Hermon at the Baptist Chapel, which was built in 1808, while the village’s Brynmymach Welsh Independent Chapel was built in 1888.

The village of Llanfyrnach was home to an important lead mine between the 17th and 19th centuries. The Whitland and Taf Vale Railway arrived in 1873 and provided a means to more easily export the lead. There is also a Norman motte located close to the 19th century church – one of five churches dedicated to St Brynach.

The hamlet of Glogue was famed for its slate quarry, which operated from the late 1700s until 1926, with the arrival of the railway also helping its success.

Indeed, the railways were a big part of this area’s development. The railway arrived in Crymych in 1874 and continued to Cardigan by 1886, providing a fast way to carry the slate and produce of local farmers – agriculture continues to play a key role in the local economy.

Tourism & Recreation

The area around Hermon, Tegryn, Llanfyrnach and Glogue offers some of the UK’s most beautiful scenery. The famed Preseli Mountains sit to the west and offer incredible walking, with the opportunity to discover the fascinating historic remains.

The quiet roads offer fantastic road cycling, while for mountain bikers West Wales is a delight to discover. And if you love horse riding, then you’ll be in good company as the rural environment offers plenty of peaceful roads and bridleways. If you don’t own your own horse try Preseli Pony Trekking to discover the surrounding hills with expert guides.

Another attraction of this area is its proximity to the beautiful Welsh coast around Cardigan Bay and south to Newport Sands, which is one of the closest beaches to this area. Five miles of flat, sandy beach backed by sand dunes make it popular with families and water sports enthusiasts. A little further north is beautiful Poppit Sands, set at the mouth of the Teifi estuary, while opposite is the pretty beach at Gwbert. 

Drive a little further and you’re spoilt for choice, with beaches such as the gorgeous Tresaith Beach with its waterfall, and the National Trust owned Mwnt beach. 

Not surprisingly water sports are very popular here. Many people will head out for a morning surf or enjoy sailing, windsurfing or water skiing at the weekends. You can join a local club to meet fellow enthusiasts if you choose – the Tresaith Mariners, for example, is a dinghy sailing club.

In Crymych you will find a rugby club – visit the Clwb Rygbi Crymych website to find out more about joining. Alternatively, Crymych Leisure Centre has a swimming pool and a range of fitness classes, including junior classes.

Finally, if you love singing, why not join the choir in Crymych. It performs at various festivals and events – find out more on their Facebook page.

Shopping

These rural villages are set amid unspoilt countryside so you won’t find big superstores and high street shops. Instead, there are specialist, independent retailers selling everything from local produce to gifts.

Crymych has a Spar and a Nisa Local for food and grocery shopping, while for larger supermarkets Cardigan has a Tesco, a larger Spar and an Aldi. In Cardigan, there is also a whole host of other stores and independent shops such as clothes shops, food specialists and surf shops. You should also visit the Guildhall Market – a Grade II listed heritage building where there are over 20 different retailers.

If you need a high street bank, you’ll find a Lloyds, Barclays and an HSBC in Cardigan.

If you love to shop local then Crymych has some small, specialist shops such as Bwyd y Byd which has a great range of health foods and lovely hampers if you are looking for a gift idea. Plenty of other treats and gift items can be found at Siop Siân, which sells jewellery, chocolates, candles, bags and more, as well as at Tŷ Bach Twt.

If you own horses you’ll benefit from CJ’s Equestrian, while an unusual addition to the village is The Spider Shop – it specialises in spiders of all sizes! 

For electrical items head to D E Philips & Son, where you can buy a full range of household appliances.

Eating & Drinking

Pembrokeshire and the whole of West Wales has a growing reputation for fresh, local produce and if you like cooking at home you’ll find plenty of fantastic ingredients such as local meats, cheeses and drinks.

If you prefer eating out then there is something for everyone. In Abercych (about 15 minutes away) you’ll find The Nag’s Head, a popular gastro pub serving delicious dishes such as Welsh pulled beef nachos and pan-fried sea bass fillets. It also has lovely accommodation if you’re coming to the area to house hunt.

In Tegryn there’s a friendly local pub – the Butchers Arms – which is open daily and serves real ales and evening meals.

In Crymych, there’s the Crymych Arms Inn, which is a traditional pub offering a warm welcome and where you can also order homemade food. For a coffee or milkshake and snacks such as jacket potatoes or cakes, you can try Blasus in the centre of Crymych. It also does a range of daily specials, which are definitely worth trying!

If you love ice cream then you’ll be in heaven here as Mary’s Farmhouse is just outside Crymych. They produce a range of delicious ice creams, all made locally and sold throughout Wales. 

Crymych also has a number of takeaway options including the Dragon Inn for good Chinese food, the Crymych Kebab House for kebabs and pizzas, and Y Badell Ffrio for fish and chips.

Healthcare

One of the first services to organise when you move to a new area is to register with a GP. For residents of Hermon, Tegryn, Llanfyrnach & Glogue there is a medical centre in Crymych, which is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5.30pm. The doctors here work at both Crymych and Newport, and provide a range of services, with a choice of face to face or telephone consultations. 

Crymych is also where you’ll find a local pharmacy – E P Parry Pharmacy, located on Main Street and open six days a week. You’ll also find an optician in Crymych, Celia Vlismas.

To register with a dentist, the closest dentists are in Newport – the Pembrokeshire Dental Care, and in Cardigan at the Cardigan Dental Practice. 

Schools

Depending on where you choose to live, the catchment areas for primary schools will determine which school your children attend. If you live in or around the village of Hermon children can attend the combined primary, secondary and Sixth Form – Ysgol Bro Preseli. Alternatively, there is a primary school in Tegryn – Ysgol Gynradd Clydau, where children who live around Llanfyrnach & Glogue may attend. 

For secondary education, all children from the area will attend Ysgol Bro Preseli, which has a good reputation. It is a bilingual school and also provides a range of extra curricular activities, including theatre, sports and music.

There is also a good further education college in Cardigan – Coleg Ceredigion. Here students of all ages can benefit from online courses, part-time study and apprenticeships, with subjects ranging from the performing arts and education to business and automotive studies.

For children with educational needs, including severe learning difficulties or autism, there is also the excellent Canolfan y Don at Ysgol Aberporth, about 25 minutes from Crymych. With a range of specialist facilities, the school has an excellent reputation and accepts pupils up to the age of 11. 

Transport

This part of West Wales no longer has a train service, but there are various bus services that connect Crymych to Cardigan and stop at Hermon. To make the most of all of the activities and amenities here though, it is necessary to have a car. The bus services can change, so if public transport is important to you please ask us during your property search and we can help you check on the latest services and timings.

Find out more

If you’d like to hear about new properties coming onto the market around Hermon, Tegryn, Llanfyrnach and Glogue you can call us on 01239 562 500 or get in touch through our website. To help you plan your move further you can also take a look at these other websites – 

• Things to Do – Click Here
• Primary schools – Click Here and Here
• Transport – Click Here
• Property management and lettings – Click Here