Lampeter to Llandysul - Teifi Valley Trail

Stage 2 is almost 22 miles along the very rural middle stretch of the Teifi Valley. Here the mature river meanders sluggishly along its floodplain, some of which can be submerged possibly calling for diversions when the river is in spate. In other places the trail leaves the river to take a course over higher ground. The stage is divided into 2 days, dictated primarily by the location of facilities and accommodation.

You will pass through market towns of old harking back to the industrial heritage of the Valley, to a time when the river was a lifeline for the businesses and communities along her banks. Horse, cattle and sheep markets can still be found in the towns of Llanybydder and Newcastle Emlyn. The Teifi Valley Trail weaves a path through the local heritage, past and present.

Current Trail Issues

Download GPX

Using the Route Maps

Clicking on Learn More in each map, will open the map in the Outdoor Active app on any Smartphone. Upgrading to the premium gives access to Topo Premium maps which are those used by Ordnance Survey.

There are many walking apps on the market and you may already have your favourite and you may want to simply upload the GPX files to your familiar walking app. You can access all the GPX files by using the Download GPX button above which takes you straight to a folder with all the GPX maps for the route in one place. If you have any difficulty, please get in touch.

Stage Overview Day 4 Day 5

Stage 2 Overview

Lampeter – Llanybydder – 9 miles / 14.5 kms

Llanybydder – Llandysul – 12.6 miles / 20.3 kms

Local Legend: The Wicked Squire

Less of a legend and more of a macabre tale, is the life of the wicked squire of Lampeter in the mid 18^th century, Sir Herbert Lloyd. A deceitful man who lived by bribing and threatening, he was an elected Member of Parliament until the gentry of Cardiganshire eventually rallied against him in January 1769 when he was defeated in his election bid. He apparently took his own life in August 1769, destitute and friendless.

But was he so bad? Well, the tale that has lasted the longest is that of the framing of Sion Phillips. Sir Herbert wanted a clear view to the River Teifi from his opulent mansion, known as Peterwell on the outskirts of Lampeter. But between him and the river was a field and cottage owned by an old farmer, Sion Philips, who would not sell to Sir Herbert. So Sir Herbert hatched a plan which involved him declaring that his prize black ram was missing whilst ordering one of his servants to lower the same ram down the chimney into Sion’s cottage. The local constabulary were alerted and duly arrested Sion before he could work out what had happened. He was taken to Cardigan where he was charged and executed, leaving Sir Herbert free to buy (or probably take!) the land and cottage he wanted. You can understand why he was so very unpopular! (You can read more in the book ‘Peterwell’ written by the late Bethan Phillips, a native of Lampeter.)