Carmarthenshire is hoping that the return of the Celtic Noir thriller Keeping Faith will continue to raise the profile of the county’s tourism offering and have launched a new Superfan Trail offering die-hard fans the chance to follow in the man character’s footsteps by mapping out filming locations.
Series two started on S4C earlier this month with Welsh subtitles and is due to air in English on BBC1 in summer 2019.
“Let’s hope that Keeping Faith does as much for Carmarthenshire as Gavin and Stacey did for Barry!” commented Peter Hughes-Griffiths, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board Member for Culture, Sport and Tourism.
[aoa id=”1″]He went on to say “The county is thrilled to host all of the main filming locations for another series of Keeping Faith and we can’t wait to see the drama unfold over the next few weeks. Our fan trail was really put together by popular demand as our Tourism Information Centres were already being asked by visitors about the exact locations for the series”. [/aoa]
It’s the latest blockbuster series to be filmed in this corner of South West Wales, with the first series rocketing to fame with a record-breaking number of downloads on BBC iPlayer before being given a primetime slot on BBC1. Non-Welsh speakers who can’t wait for the English version to air this Summer are already tuning in to the Welsh version, currently being shown on iPlayer with subtitles.
The new trail is the ultimate resource for those looking to visit the places where Eve Myles, who plays the show’s female lead, Faith Howells, spends her time in the fictional town of Abercorran (which is usually known as Laugharne). Once home to famous poet Dylan Thomas, this small Carmarthenshire town makes a beautiful backdrop for all, not least the show’s dedicated fans, now known as Faithfuls, to head to, donning Faith’s trademark yellow mac to snap the ultimate selfie!
Laugharne’s castle and high street feature highly in both series, along with the seven-mile stretch of beach at Pendine Sands (where Faith is regularly captured staring wistfully out to sea), as well as her fictional home with its terrace overlooking the estuary. Faith’s court scenes are played out at historic Carmarthen Guildhall and she is often pictured in the town’s main square, too. Series two also takes in Llansteffan, beside the Towy estuary, with its splendid Norman castle and knock-out beach.
Fans can either tick off the locations during a whistle-stop day trip, following the trail 38.5 miles from Laugharne to Pendine, Whitland, St Clears, Carmarthan and Llansteffan, or choose to make a weekend of it. The trail also includes suggested places to stay, one of which, Brown’s Hotel in Laugharne, is even offering its own guided tour of the Keeping Faith filming locations. Other options include an impressive country house holiday rental and a cosy cottage for two- all either seen on screen or connected to the Keeping Faith filming locations.
