The idyllic Welsh county that rivals Cornwall with infinity pool resorts and beautiful beach walks

“GET out of the road!”; yelled a cyclist as I nervously edged my rented Mini Countryman around a bus.

I was on the wrong side of the highway, yes, but doing only about three miles per hour.

This was country-lane driving at its finest. But don’t let that put you off — it’s all part of the fun of a holiday in Carmarthenshire.

This part of South West Wales is criss-crossed by tiny, winding lanes cutting through beautiful, rugged hills and coastlines that rival more crowded Cornwall.

My partner Dan and I were staying at the idyllic Dylan Coastal Resort, a collection of luxury lodges overlooking the mouth of the River Taf — beautifully enveloped in mist when we arrived.

Although we were there on a well-earned break from the children, the resort is perfect for adventurous families, thanks to the cycling and walking routes that abound nearby and the Manor Wildlife Park just up the road.

Hen and stag dos would also have a blast here, where treats include an on-site spa and, a 15-minute drive away, an 18-hole golf course.

The sumptuous spa area features a glorious infinity pool where you can lie back and take in the calming view of the river estuary, as well as a bigger swimming pool, saunas and steam rooms.

Our three-bedroom accommodation featured a huge living area, two bathrooms and its own hot tub.

Its kitchen had all the utensils needed for whipping up a feast, should you desire, but for those looking to truly sink into holiday mode there’s the on-site Milk Wood Bar and Restaurant.

The elegant menu there featured gastro-pub favourites such as seared scallops and minted lamb rump but it was the steak that won us over — juicy and packed with flavour. The Dylan Coastal Resort is in the town of Laugharne, with stunning castle ruins right at its centre.

But the place is most famous for Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who spent four years there until his death in 1953 — and homage to the great man is paid everywhere.

There are plaques commemorating where he lived, signposts dedicated to places he loved, and you can also visit his grave.

He lived at The Boathouse, and now you can visit the shed where he wrote a lot of his work.

Dylan’s Birthday Walk takes in three miles of breathtaking scenery that was the inspiration for his verse Poem In October.

Land speed records

Of course, a three-mile stroll deserves a reward, and while Laugharne has many pubs — and fantastic pizzeria Ty Glo — it is also worth venturing a little farther afield to the seaside village of Pendine.

A lovely beach, and miles of fabulous coastal walks, await.

With seemingly age-old steps carved into the rocks, it is hard not to feel you are walking back in time to when the pace of life was far more gentle.

What we also hadn’t realised ahead of our visit to Pendine was that it is the site of a seven-mile stretch of sand that has been used over the years to set many a land-speed record.

J.G. Parry-Thomas achieved one in 1926 when he clocked 171mph in his car Babs, only to have this beaten the following year when Sir Malcolm Campbell in his Blue Bird moved the dial to 174mph.

Probably more exciting to a lot of people is the photo of actor Idris Elba then smashing that 88-year record in 2015, when he reached 180mph in his Bentley Continental GT Speed on the same hallowed stretch of sand.

The local Land Speed Museum is a must for petrolheads who live for tales of this sort, and even I enjoyed the simulation, which lets you feel what it would have been like to race across the sand.

I certainly hadn’t been breaking any speed records along those country lanes in my Mini — but at least I could here.