New White Lion

08/10/2026

A different kind of guest arrival…

This is a new kind of post for us. We’re wandering into uncharted territory, so to speak… linking back to our website but we’re going to give it a go!

Over the past four years, we’ve welcomed some fantastic guests to the New White Lion. They’ve arrived on motorbikes, in supercars, work vans and pretty much everything in between.

But Will & Lisa were a little different…

They arrived on bicycles.

Nothing particularly strange about that, you might think…

Except they’d cycled all the way from Oxford. 😲

And they weren’t just passing through. They were staying with us for one night to celebrate their Wedding Anniversary — which, we think, is a pretty brilliant way to mark the occasion.

So, what brought them all the way to us?

How did the journey go?

And what happened when they finally arrived?

We’ve put the full story together over on our website blog, so head over and have a read.

Click the link below 👇

Probably without any doubt, the fittest guests that have stayed here. We’ve had some fantastic guests over the last 4 years arriving on Motorbikes, in Supercars, Work vans etc but Will and Lisa arrived on Bicycles with nothing more than a small bag each…… From Oxford !! We asked them both if t...

06/10/2026

Time to stretch our legs a little….

Parked up at Dryslwyn Castle and headed down to the Twyi Valley Cycle Path, taking the right-hand path signposted for Llanarthne.

A lovely, easy and mostly flat walk for around 2 miles, with some beautiful scenery along the way. Then it was time for a well earned pit stop for lunch at Wrights Food Emporium. One of our favourite spots for lunch and a mooch around the shop.

After lunch, we headed straight back towards the castle. Great weather, lovely surroundings, and only a handful of people passing us in either direction — just the way we like it!

A really enjoyable little stroll.

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30/09/2026

Wow… Where has the time gone?! 😳

Today marks 4 years since we arrived in Llandovery.
When we arrived we had a 5-year plan… and guess what? That means we’ve only have 1 year left 🤷‍♂️

But don’t worry… it looks like that 5-year plan might need a little bit of an extension 😊😊

Four years of memories, adventures, challenges, lows, highs, laughs, new friendships and so many moments we’ll never forget. It really doesn’t feel like four years ago that we made the move.
We started and chair the Llandovery Business Group and also initiated the Walkers are Welcome accreditation for the town.

Sometimes life has a funny way of changing the plans you thought you had and we’re certainly not complaining about this one. We originally came as a team of 3 but sadly now just a team of 2.

Happy 4th anniversary to us and our Llandovery adventure 🥂❤️

Here’s to year 5 and whatever comes after that 😉 Thank you Llandovery for making us feel so welcome 🙏

Karen Kirkby
Mark Kirkby
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29/09/2026

With a few hours to spare, we decided to close the door behind us and head towards Merthyr Tydfil, where we visited Cyfarthfa Castle.

After a quick walk around the beautiful grounds, we headed inside to explore the museum, where we came across a special display commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster.

It was such a moving and poignant tribute to the 116 children and 28 adults who tragically lost their lives. Seeing their stories remembered in such a thoughtful way really brought home the scale of the tragedy and the lives that were lost that day.

We then drove down to the Memorial Garden and the actual site of Pantglas School.

A sobering but incredibly important part of Welsh history, and a reminder that the memories of those lost at Aberfan will never be forgotten. ❤️

25/09/2026

We’ve got some friends re-building an old farmhouse in Cynghordy, so naturally we decided to completely bypass the building site and head into Llanwrtyd Wells for lunch and coffee first… priorities!

We were going to meet Paul and Jo afterwards for a proper building site update, so obviously we needed feeding beforehand. No photos of the house I’m afraid as we as usual were in a rush 😂

A quick history lesson of Llanwrtd - It’s claimed to be the smallest town in Britain by population (618)

Lunch and coffee at TOST Wales was absolutely lush 👍🏼 Lovely little place, Chris the owner was really friendly, and everything is homemade.

The coffee choice was excellent too, with Karen bravely venturing into uncharted territory and having her first ever Dirty Chai Latte. 😳☕️

Definitely worth a stop if you’re in Llanwrtyd Wells.

22/09/2026

That’s a wrap for the Llandovery Sheep Festival 2026. Congratulations to all the organisers, you did the town proud 👏👏

16/09/2026

Earlier this week, we were delighted to welcome a lovely group of local residents from Llandovery to the New White Lion for a special Afternoon Tea.

Lyn, the organiser, wanted to thank some dear friends for their support over the past few months, and we were so pleased to be part of such a thoughtful gesture.

It was a wonderful afternoon filled with delicious food, plenty of smiles and, of course, great company. We hope everyone had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon with us.

Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion, marking a milestone, or simply looking for an excuse to catch up with friends, an Afternoon Tea at the New White Lion is definitely one to add to your list.

14/09/2026

30 years ago today, we both said “I do.” ❤️

You’d think that after 30 years, we’d have earned the right to put our feet up and celebrate… but apparently, running your own business doesn’t quite work like that 🤭Karen Kirkby Mark Kirkby

So, in honour of today’s remarkable milestone, we’ll be spending our anniversary serving Afternoon Tea for 11 people and welcoming 4 rooms checking in this afternoon.

Not exactly the romantic day we might have imagined 30 years ago, but there’s something rather fitting about celebrating 30 years together while doing what we’ve built together over the past 4 years here in Llandovery.

Here’s to 30 years of marriage, countless memories, plenty of hard work, and hopefully a little time for a glass of something later!

Happy 30th Anniversary to us. 🥂❤️

27/08/2026

Back to exploring the beautiful countryside of Wales….

It won’t be long now until the children are back at school… and that can only mean one thing — it’s time to get out and enjoy yourselves again.

After a busy summer of family days out, holidays abroad and keeping everyone entertained (especially the younger ones) September is the perfect time to slow things down and rediscover the places you love.

Whether it’s a leisurely weekend away, a catch-up with family, a day out somewhere special or simply enjoying a little more freedom, we’ll be ready to welcome you to the New White Lion.

So, as the school bags come back out, why not start planning your next little escape?

We’ll be waiting for you 🤗

25/08/2026

A quick visit to a Castle today - Carreg Cennen.

Hard to beat a castle with views like these…

Carreg Cennen Castle standing proudly above the Welsh countryside full of history, character and absolutely spectacular views. A fantastic little piece of Wales.

Voted the most romantic Castle in Wales by Countryfile readers.