Llanerchaeron is a rare complete survivor of a self-sufficient Welsh gentry estate, set in the wooded Aeron valley near Aberaeron and home to ten generations of the Lewis and Lewes family over three centuries. The villa was designed by John Nash in the 1790s, long before his work on Brighton Pavilion, and has remained largely unaltered since; behind it a service courtyard keeps its dairy, laundry and brewery. The red-brick walled garden has grown fruit and vegetables for over two centuries and sells its produce in the visitor centre, the farmyard has Welsh cobs, Welsh pigs, poultry and a rare-breed Llanwenog flock, and waymarked paths circle the ornamental lake and riverside parkland. Dogs on leads are welcome everywhere except the house. Reviewers single out the friendly staff, the Geler Jones collection of early farm machinery and Conti's cafe by the river. One tip from visitors: walk or cycle in along the old railway path from Aberaeron.
