St Clears (Welsh:
Sanclêr) is a small town on the A40 in Carmarthenshire,
west Wales, close to the Pembrokeshire border.
The
location means that the whole of the
peninsula is within an easy drive, including the many beaches of South
Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path
offers some of the best walking in the UK with 186 miles of coastal
walking. It is within an
hour's drive of two National Parks (Brecon Beacons and
Pembrokeshire Coast), the Gower Peninsula and also the
three main Irish ferry ports (Fishguard, Pembroke Dock,
and Swansea).
The town boasts a
good variety of local shops including two prize winning
butchers, and two craft centres. There are also
several pubs some of which are notable for their food.
The Norman St
Clears Castle was constructed in the twelfth century.
Only the castle mound can still be seen, which rises to
approximately 12 metres and was home to first a timber
tower and then a stone keep. The town, which was a
Marcher Borough, grew around the castle. Below the
castle there was a port on the river Tâf, which could
take ships of up to 500 tons according to a plaque on
the site. Manordaf was built as an inn at the port
around 1830, and was known as The Royal Exchange.
Today the river is one of only three rivers in Wales
where coracle fishing can still be seen.
The castle held
out against Owain Glyndwr. In 1842, the town
became famous for the destruction of one of its toll
gates in the Rebecca Riots. The Normans also
established a small priory under the supervision of the
great abbey of St Martin les Champs in Paris. The
priory church is now the parish church. It is
worth a visit: it has a spectacular Romanesque arch
inside.
The main agricultural
enterprise is dairy, but sheep, beef,
potatoes and cereals are very important
as well. The climate also allows
fruit growing and although most of the
land is farmed commercially the area is
a haven for wildlife.