Carmarthen

The town was given a royal charter in 1201 by King John, and is an important local centre with a busy food and cattle market and is believed to be the oldest town in Wales.
Narrow, winding streets thread between old houses up to the ruins of the 14th-century castle, now almost completely masked by the imposing county hall.

The gatehouse of a ruined Norman castle, which shares with Caerleon has the title of the oldest town in Wales.

Of the many fine buildings in Carmarthen, the oldest is St Peter's Church, probably dating from the 12th century. The splendid houses beside the church and the elegant Guildhall of 1770 testify to the towns distinguished past.

King Arthur's wizard, Merlin, is supposed to have been born near the town in AD 480. The decayed stump of an oak at the end of Priory Street is said to carry his spell: \When Merlin's oak shall tumble down, Then shall fall Carmarthen town.'

During the Middle Ages, the town had a priory where the Black Book of Carmarthen, the oldest known manuscript in the Welsh language, was written.

On the River Tywi, traditional Welsh coracles are still used for salmon fishing.