Pontyates

Pontyates () is a village straddling two communities situated in the Gwendraeth Valley halfway between Carmarthen and Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. The population in 2011 was 1,449.

==General information== The village of Pontyates (or in Welsh called Pontiets)or the original name Tregwial offers a local garage, its own fire and rescue station, two bilingual primary schools, a fish and chip shop, a Chinese restaurant, a Tandoori restaurant, a cafe, a public house, a hairdressers and places of worship. The village is situated on the banks of the Gwendraeth Fawr river. It sits adjacent to the B4309 that runs between the towns of Carmarthen and Llanelli which are both about 10 miles from the village. The village is primarily Welsh-speaking. Pontyates is set in a rural area which hosts impressive views of the surrounding valleys from the top of the hill. It is known to have two sides to the village, the Carmarthen side and the Llanelli side, known locally as "pentre hyn" (this village) and "pentre draw" (that village), depending on which side the speaker stands. The population was around 4,000 in 1929, according to the parish entry of that year (Sourced from 'The Welsh Church Year Book, 1929').