BESSIE’S will be a name familiar to many people from Llanelli. The pub nestled in the Gwaun Valley has been a popular stop for generations of families who make their way to Pembroke over the Summer holidays.
The pub has been closed and will remain closed for the time being due to a fire, which ripped through the property on Sunday (Feb 24). Fire crews from Haverfordwest and Fishguard were called to the Dyffryn Arms otherwise known as ‘Bessie’s’ just after 12pm.
A family member issued the following statement on Facebook: “Fire has been at Bessie’s. Mam and everyone out safely. Pub closed for the foreseeable future.”
For many years Dyfed Social Services held their annual summer camps in the Gwaun Valley with up to 500 children camping in the fields owned by Bessie and her family. Each week Bessie and her family would make a BBQ to send off the children and her door was always open for all who stayed there for a chat and refreshments.
The pub is a ‘spit and sawdust’ no frills place that is famed for selling real ale poured from a jug. Bessie herself has become a local legend. Quirky, direct and as Welsh as St Davids Cathedral or Cardiff Castle.
We wish Bessie well and hope they can recover the business soon.