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such as Priory Street , but the Priory ’ s site can also be visited . The �riory �atehouse and gateway have been preserved in the modern buildings seen along the street , and a park occupies the site .
Merlin – Carmarthen Amphitheatre
12 th century church intact on the foreshore . Take a short walk east from the church along the beach and you can see remnants of the ruined villages ’ houses sticking out of the sand dunes .
The �oman Amphitheatre in Carmarthen is associated with one of the earliest mentions of Merlin . A young boy called Emrys was playing here when local youths began to bully him . Soldiers intervened and Emrys , who was seen to be a wise child with knowledge beyond his years , was taken to to see Vortigern , the King of Britons at Craig Gwrtheyrn , a large hillfort near Llandysul . You can see the fort from the B4336 on the way from Llandysul to �lanfihangel yr Arth . �mrys , now renamed Myrddin or Merlin ( meaning wise man ), advised him that his fort ’ s walls kept collapsing because two dragons – one white , one red � were fighting in a cave underneath it . Merlin released the dragons , ending the subsidence problem . The beasts battled on until the red one killed the white one .
Merlin ’ s Hill
Merlin may be long dead now , but according to legend , he will return when he is needed by the Welsh nation . His final resting place is said to be in a cave under what is now called Merlin ’ s Hill , 3.5km from Carmarthen . Some stories say he chose to enter the cave to die peacefully when he was old ; others that he was imprisoned by his sorceress lover and lives on – locals claim his cries can be heard on stormy nights .
Merlin ’ s Oak
Some locals blame the �oods that hit Carmarthen in October 1987 on a wizard ’ s curse . An oak tree that stood in Priory Street until 1978 was said to be the very tree that Merlin used to sit under . According to legend , he put a spell on the oak : ‘ When Merlin ’ s tree shall tumble down , then shall fall Carmarthen town .’ By the late 1970 ’ s the ancient tree was dying and dangerous , and the decision was made to remove it , against strong public opinion . Nine years later , when the �oods struck , causing the tragic loss of four people ’ s lives when a train plunged into the river Tywi at �landeilo , Merlin�s Curse was remembered . You can see pieces of the oak at the County Museum , Abergwili , and St Peters Hall , near Notts Square , in Carmarthen .
Merlin ’ s Hill is also the site of a great Iron Age fort , believed to have been occupied around 400BC . It has vast ramparts and huge ditches and can be visited by the public . At the foot of the hill , you can watch cows being milked , see rare breed Jacob ’ s sheep and explore the visitor centre ’ s displays on local legends and history at Merlin ’ s Hill Farm .
TRAVEL INFO
Regular trains to Swansea , Neath and Fishguard run from Llanelli and Carmarthen Station . Please note that space on trains for bicycles is limited .
https :// www . arrivatrainswales . co . uk / bicycles
Carmarthen Priory – Black Book of Carmarthen
The Black Book of Carmarthen , named after its dark cover , is believed to have been written around 1250AD by a monk in St John ’ s Priory in Carmarthen , nearby the site of Merlin ’ s oak and supposedly the priory where Merlin�s mother was a nun . The Black Book recounts historical stories and poems , including ones about Welsh kings and warfare . The book holds many references to Merlin , including one telling passage which is a record of a conversation between Merlin and Taliesin , a great Welsh poet , in which they discuss Welsh history . The book is now to be found in the National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth . The �riory is remembered in street names