This small town has been named one of the best places to live in the UK (Image: Alex Robinson Photography via Getty Images)
It’s a quaint market town with centuries of history behind its discount designer fashion, posh chocolates, smart delis and art and craft shops.
Along its high street and up and down several picturesque character-filled lanes you’ll find independent retailers ranging from fashion boutiques to homeware and craft shops, plus everything from bakeries and artisan chocolatiers to wholefood and organic food outlets. And what’s more, there’s a community with a robust identity behind it, drawn from the town itself as well as the dozens of small villages that surround it on all sides.
The average house price here in the picturesque Welsh town of Llandeilo is £241,265, making it costlier than the average Welsh town — but far below what you’d pay across large areas of the UK for somewhere as pretty. And the town, at the heart of rural Carmarthenshire, has just been named among the best places to live in the UK by The Sunday Times.
The Little Welsh Dresser is an independent homeware shop in Llandeilo (Image: Visit Wales/Crown Copyright)
Few towns have the kind of stunning approach that Llandeilo has from its south side, where a large stone bridge dating back to the 1840s leads to an iconic row of colourful cottages rising up a steep hill that leads to the high street. On the town’s outskirts you’ll find the beautiful Dinefwr Park, which is home to the 17th century mansion Newton House and the 12th century medieval Dinefwr Castle perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking the lush green Towy valley below.
From the edge of town, Dinefwr Castle looks over the Towy valley below (Image: Visit Wales/Crown Copyright)
Explaining its inclusion in its list of best places to live, The Sunday Times said Llandeilo was a « down-to-earth market town where people from all walks of life come together to make things happen ». It said the conversion of the town’s long-neglected market hall into offices, a café, and community space has boosted Llandeilo’s business credentials and that there are also 14 dining establishments rated four stars and above on Tripadvisor including the five-star Cegin Diod, which is remarkable for a small town with just 1,784 residents.
Llandeilo is full of independent shops and places to eat (Image: Jo Ridout)
WalesOnline journalist Joanne Ridout, who visited in December 2025, described the moment she arrived in the town for the first time having long wanted to visit: « We wandered out onto the main street and it was quieter than expected and after just a few minutes of strolling around we realised why: a substantial amount of the shops and eateries were closed, at a rough estimate it was about half. »
The Shire Hall, called Hengwrt in Welsh, is now a community, heritage, and visitor centre that includes a meeting room plus gift and book shop (Image: Jo Ridout)
But she explained: « Before the good people of Llandeilo shout at me through their screens, this unfortunate scenario is all on me – I have always lived in a big city and it didn’t even occur to me that any shops and eateries would be closed on a Monday and some even staying shut on a Tuesday too.
« I totally understand the need for a shop or eatery in a small town to close at the beginning of the week due to opening and working through the weekend, I just hadn’t considered it at the time – oops.
« It was disappointing not to be able to experience the whole of Llandeilo’s offering but it was down to me not pre-planning the trip, including finding somewhere to eat. The choice for lunch was slimmer than the number of options listed on Tripadvisor but this limited choice also looked very appetising. »
Jo said the Flows Café Bar on Market Street « looked very appealing » and « full of character inside ».
A row of colourful terraced houses in the town of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire (Image: VictorHuang via Getty Images)
Another place to eat, Diod, is described online as « a popular independent café, wine shop, and deli known for its relaxed Scandi-Welsh vibe ».
Faced with limited options early in the week, Jo went to the boutique Cawdor Hotel, a town landmark that dates back to 1765 in parts and visually dominates the main street, painted a strident shade of deep, earthy red. The hotel offers 24 rooms, two penthouse apartments and even a former chapel now restored and used for meetings, parties and wedding celebrations.
The Cawdor Hotel is a town landmark that dates back to 1765 (Image: Jo Ridout)
Table of toasties and drinks served at The Cawdor, Llandeilo (Image: Jo Ridout)
She said: « The restaurant was closed but the bar was serving food and was quite busy. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, the menu was more limited from the Lite Bites menu but there was still a good variety. We chose toasties that sound like a snack but they were packed with filling, so much so that they needed a wooden skewer to keep them in place. Our choices were one toastie stuffed with pork sausage, caramelised onion, dijon mustard with Welsh cheddar and one oozing with bacon, brie and cranberry, both costing £9.50 each. »
Looking down Llandeilo’s main road (Image: Jo Ridout)
Once she had eaten, Jo decided to walk around the town centre, strolling along the winding streets that are flanked by period homes and historic buildings.
« Some gems really stood out, such as Yr Hen Farchnad Old Market Hall on Carmarthen Street, » she said. « This beautifully restored Grade II listed building was once the Provisions Market, and is now also home to Cegin Diod café and a number of local businesses as well as the town’s library. »
Opposite this impressive building stands the former National School with the former Master’s House next door, which boasts a memorable timber framed structure, both Grade II listed by Cadw for their group value within this section of the street.
Wander down Carmarthen Street towards the town centre and The Shire Hall, called Hengwrt in Welsh, with its sunny yellow painted façade, is now a community, heritage and visitor centre that includes a meeting room plus gift and book shop.
A bakery in what was once the town’s post office (Image: Visit Wales/Crown Copyright)
Hengwrt has a history that includes being used as a police station, magistrates court, open market and offices and is now also the headquarters of Llandeilo Fawr Town Council.
Jo said « the disappointment of not being able to visit all the shops was soon forgotten when the staff inside the shops that were open greeted me with such a warm welcome ».
Among those she did manage to visit and enjoy were Copper Foxes, Peppercorn, Dot Clothing, Toast, Mari Thomas Jewellery, and the Welsh chocolate shop Heavenly Chocolate Emporium.
The town centre is a collection of small and charming streets (Image: Jo Ridout)
« Walking inside this lovely shop is like stepping into a page of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book complete with a wave of chocolate scent that wafts to greet you at the front door, » she said.
« There are, of course, a number of gift and homeware shops aimed at visitors and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Scorpio where I got chatting to the very friendly owner who confirmed that more places were closed today than normal due to the weather. »
A section of Bridge Street, the main street of shops and eateries in Llandeilo (Image: Jo Ridout)
She bought gifts in Scorpio « from the wonderful selection of products, many of them sourced in Wales » and added: « There were so many more places to visit but time was moving on and daylight was slipping away, but before we headed back to the car Llandeilo had an enchanting surprise for us.
« As dusk started to descend Llandeilo offered me a surprise that was magical: coloured lights started to appear within the historic St Teilo’s church’s graveyard either side of the main road as part of an event I later found out was called Festival of the Senses. According to the event’s website the festival is an annual weekend… that began in 2008 organised by local traders and volunteers ‘who were determined to showcase the unique character and charm of Llandeilo’. »
The distinctive row of coloured terraced houses on Bridge Street as you enter the town of Llandeilo (Image: leighcol via Getty Images)
Former National School with the former Master’s House next door (Image: Jo Ridout)
« It has grown in size and popularity since then and now offers a blend of artisan stalls, local crafts, food and drink tastings, live music, and street performances, continuing to attract participating traders and visitors from all over the county, and way beyond too. »
« The lights that lit up the trees and large Christmas tree in the grounds of the church stay on past the festival and through the advent period and were an unexpected but enchanting visual treat to the end of our time in the town.
« Shades of blue, green, red and yellow shone brightly on the textured barks as they soared up the tree trunks to dance through the leaves and branches above us with shrubs and bushes also joining the visual display – it was an absolute delight and a beautiful bonus to our day in Llandeilo. »
Inside the yummy Heavenly Chocolate Emporium (Image: Jo Ridout)
Inside the Scorpio shop (Image: Jo Ridout)
« There was just time to wander down to the bridge at the edge of the town that strides over the river Towy and, due to the weather, it had burst its banks and flooded the land around it.
Sunset over the town of Llandeilo (Image: Jo Ridout)
« It was here that we saw maybe the most spectacular and natural light festival of all – a stunning sunset that lit up the sky with layers of orange and gold that reflected in the water: magical. »
You can be easily persuaded to wander its charming little streets off the main road (Image: Jo Ridout)
Diod is an independent café, wine shop, and deli (Image: Jo Ridout)
Jo said: « We will come again because Llandeilo is a very tempting proposition for a visitor. I definitely recommend a visit to enjoy what the small town has to offer and it is also a great base from which to explore the county of Carmarthenshire that too many people just drive through on their way to Pembrokeshire. »
Llandeilo is surrounded by quiet hamlets, fields stretching for miles and flowing over hilltops, pockets of ancient woodland and surprising buildings like Paxton’s Tower, positioned on a hill and built over 200 years ago as a memorial to Admiral Lord Nelson. and a continual reminder to the people of the valley of the prominence of its commissioner, Sir William Paxton.
Jo said: « As evening fully descended and we made our way back home we knew Carmarthenshire needed to be explored in more depth and Llandeilo is definitely worth another visit, except next time I will check on the weather and the opening times. »
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