The hub of the Teifi Valley, Newcastle Emlyn is a bustling little town which caters for the tourist and farming community.

The market town is set on a small plateau bridging the picturesque valley. It is a friendly place where Welsh and English are spoken freely.

For its size Newcastle Emlyn has a remarkable range of shops, cafes, pubs, antique and craft shops, most of which are in the main street.

In the market building below the clock tower is a small grocery and general market. Upstairs is the theatre of the town's Attic Players.

There is a weekly livestock market.

Nearby attractions include the village of Cenarth, three miles towards Cardigan, site of the National Coracle Museum and spectacular waterfalls, once painted by Turner.

Five miles south of Newcastle Emlyn is Drefach Felindre, one time capital of the Welsh woollen industry, and site of a busy museum, part of the National Museum of Wales.

The Teifi Valley Narrow Gauge Railway is based in Henllan. The Gala weekend on July 17 and 18 will feature special trains.

Newcastle Emlyn's castle ruins are still in evidence today and the grounds are open to visitors. In around 1240 the 'New Castle in Emlyn' was built on the rocky promontory to the north and east of the plateau, taking advantage of the natural moat formed by the river, which surrounds the town and castle on three sides.

Cromwell had the castle blown up in 1648. It was the only stone castle in the old county of Dyfed to have been built by the Welsh.