Set in a beautiful wooded estate near Pumsaint, the Dolaucothi Gold Mines are on the site of the only known Roman gold mine in the UK. The Romans left around AD 120, but the locals carried on for a couple of hundred more years. Mining recommenced with the Victorians and by the time the mine was finally closed down in 1938 the works employed more than 200 men.
The exhibition and the mining machinery above ground are interesting, but the main attraction is the chance to go underground on a guided tour of the old mine workings. Back at the surface, there's a sediment-filled water trough where you can try your hand at panning for gold.
The mines are 10 miles northwest of Llandovery, off the A482.
