 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 31.8 mi[1] (51.2 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| North end | Cardigan |
| Major intersections |  A487A40  A4115 A477 A4218 A4139 |
| South end | Tenby |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Primary destinations | Cardigan Tenby |
| Road network | |
TheA478 road is a major road inWales. The route is from its junction with theA487 atCardigan, Ceredigion, toTenby,Pembrokeshire. It crosses thePreseli Hills and winds through farmland for almost all of its route. The road just touches the very west ofCarmarthenshire.[2]
A road between Cardigan and Narberth was recorded between 1536 and 1642. The 1555 Highways Act made parishes responsible for the roads that crossed them. Most were unsuitable for wheeled traffic. Turnpike trusts were set up in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to manage road maintenance; at least part of this road came under the Whitland Trust. However, by the mid-19th century, some trusts were badly managed or abused, exacerbatingrural poverty and in part leading to theRebecca riots in the 1840s, some of the earliest of which were on this road, particularly at Efailwen in theCilymaenllwydCommunity. The trusts were reformed in 1844.[3]
The northern two-thirds of the A478 was adrovers' road, used for transporting goods and livestock to and fromWest Wales andIreland. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Cardigan was a port, the commercial centre of the region and the most important port inSouth Wales, exporting fish, agricultural products and raw materials, and involved in emigration.[4] In 1815, it possessed 314 ships totalling 12,554 long tons (12,755 t), seven times more thanCardiff and three times more thanSwansea. It had a thriving shipbuilding industry, with over 200 vessels being built both in Cardigan and downstream in the village ofLlandudoch (St Dogmaels).[5] When Cardigan was connected to theCarmarthen and Cardigan Railway in 1886, the decline of the port was hastened. The river silted up and larger vessels could no longer reach the port, which had largely become inactive by the early part of the 20th century.[6]
Starting from the roundabout with the A487 south ofCardigan, the A478 soon crosses the county boundary into Pembrokeshire at Glanpwllafon, where it crosses Afon Piliau, a tributary of theRiver Teifi. The road passes throughPen-y-bryn inBridell parish, crossing the River Plysgog, and climbsRhoshill, crosses the B4332Eglwyswrw-Cenarth road, then climbs the northern slopes of the eastern end of the Preseli Hills throughBlaenffos village, bridging theRiver Nevern (near its source) at Riverlea, toCrymych village.[7]
Still at an altitude of over 200 metres (660 ft), the A478 passes throughPentre Galar hamlet, crosses the county boundary to Carmarthenshire and passes a viewpoint near the summit of Carn Wen, where it reaches its highest altitude of 260 metres (850 ft).[7] The quarrying at Carn Wen (also known as Garnwen) is clearly visible from the road; quarrying was active in 2025.[8]
Passing throughGlandy Cross andEfailwen (the location of the first of theRebecca Riots) the A478 crosses the county boundary back into Pembrokeshire, passing throughLlandissilio to therailway station atClunderwen. The A478 then crosses theA40 trunk road between Llanddewi Velfrey and Penblewin, to the west ofSt Clears, at the Penblewin roundabout and passes throughNarberth town centre where it meets the B4314.[7]
After Narberth, the road passes throughCamp Hill andTempleton, then crosses the A4115 nearTempleton Airfield. After passing theFolly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo and continuing throughBegelly (Welsh:Begeli) it crosses theA477 road on a roundabout. The B4316, a left turn, is toSaundersfoot railway station and an alternative way toSaundersfoot. Continuing on the A478 and passing throughPentlepoir, Wooden and Moreton at the roundabout at Twycross it reconnects with the other end of the B4316; the preferred route to Saundersfoot. The A478 continues south throughNew Hedges following the coast. After its junction with theA4139 and Tenby High Street, the A478 runs to the side of North Beach and terminates at the harbour by the town wall.[9]
The majority of traffic on the A478 is local, agricultural and, in season, tourist traffic. In 2012,Pembrokeshire County Council said the A478 at New Hedges, near Tenby, carried an average of 9,900 vehicles a day.[10] There were 10 deaths as a result of road accidents on the A478 between 1999 and 2010, compared with the county's total of 80 road deaths for that period.[11]
Media related toA478 road (Wales) at Wikimedia Commons
Transport inCarmarthenshire | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roads |  | ||||||
| Bus | |||||||
| Cycling | |||||||
| Railway lines | |||||||
| Railway stations |
| ||||||
| Air | |||||||
Transport inPembrokeshire | ||
|---|---|---|
| Roads |  | |
| Cycling | ||
| Railway lines | ||
| Railway stations | ||
| Air | ||
| Sea | ||
| Bus | ||
51°53′39″N4°42′49″W / 51.89429°N 4.71348°W /51.89429; -4.71348
