Lampeter A busy bustling town of around 3000 inhabitants, Lampeter is famous for being home to the one of the oldest universities in Britain as well as being reputed to being the original of rugby in Wales, an important accolade! Restaurants, cafes, hotels and shops are accessible here. Extract from The Teifi Valley Trail Guide (due to be published in 2026): “Lampeter lies at the centre of the glaciated valley of the Afon Teifi and on the edge of the river itself which once formed the boundary between the ancient realms of Ceredigion and Ystrad Tywi. The main road which crosses the Teifi here is a major historic east-west route way connecting the centre of Wales with the Irish Sea coast. Lampeter is also at the junction of this road with the equally major north-south route from Carmarthen to the north of Wales. This story of long-distance routes and their crossing dates back at least to Roman times when an imperial road passed along the bank of the Teifi. This was why in the Dark Ages there was a royal palace here of the Ceredigion princes and a monastic church where the parish church of St Peter’s stands today. For a time these passed under the control of a Norman lord, Stephen, who built a motte and bailey castle, the earthworks of which still stand in the university grounds. The Welsh name of the town makes reference both to the earlymonastery, Llanbedr, and to the bridge, Pont Steffan, which the Norman knight first built at this important river crossing. It is no surprise, therefore, that at some time in the later twelfth century the Lord Rhys, the native prince of South Wales who took back Ceredigion from the Normans, probably founded the town on either side of the central High Street next to the monastery and the royal hall. In 1284, this small but established town received a formal borough charter. High Street was the market place of the new town and that is why it broadens out in the middle which served also, until the 1920’s, as the venue of the town’s famous Dalis horse fair. The town developed little until the later eighteenth century when the conjunction of route ways brought three turnpike roads to meet in the town itself. Two of today’s public houses on the High Street, the Black Lion and the Royal Oak, with their extensive former stable blocks were places of change and overnight rest for travellers. Slowly the town began to develop as a commercial centre, and this was accelerated by the arrival of St David’s College in 1822, opening its doors to the first students five years later. It was the first ever institution of highereducation in Wales and it recently celebrated its 200th anniversary, today as part of the University of Trinity St David.” General information about the town – Lampeter Town Council website Lampeter Medical Practice – Bridge Street, Lampeter SA48 7AA HSBC Bank – Harford Square, Lampeter, Ceredigion, SA48 7DU Sainsburys Supermarket – Market St, Lampeter SA48 7DS Co-op Supermarket – Lower, Bridge St, Lampeter SA48 7AF Restaurant – Black Lion Hotel – High St, Lampeter SA48 7BG Restaurant – Royal Oak Hotel – 38 High St, Lampeter SA48 7BB Restaurant (Chinese) – Ling di Long – 13 Bridge St, Lampeter SA48 7HG Restaurant (Indian) – Shapla Tandoori – 8 College St, Lampeter SA48 7DY Public toilets Petrol stations Many cafes and independent shops. T1 Bus route from Aberystwyth to Carmarthen
