In the 18th century AD, Carmarthenshire’s roads were so bad that it was often quicker and easier to travel by sea, even for short journeys. Carmarthen’s many small ports from Llanelli to Laugharne were used by passengers and goods, with ships sailing to London, Bristol and the West Country as well as along the coast.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries tourists in search of the picturesque braved the difficult inland routes to explore historic castles and churches and the dramatic Welsh scenery. Their numbers rose during the Napoleonic wars when travel to mainland Europe became more difficult. Care of the roads was the responsibility of each parish; every able-bodied man in a parish was supposed to spend six days a year building roads. Women and children were often sent instead of the men (who could not afford to lose pay), and the roads were not properly mended.

Turnpike Trusts, already successful in England, were introduced, with the Main Trust being formed in Carmarthenshire in 1763. This took over the London Road, which ran through Llandeilo, Carmarthen and St Clears to Tavernspite. Other trusts, like the Carmarthen Lampeter Trust, the Llandovery Lampeter Trust and the Carmarthen Newcastle Emlyn Trust soon followed. The first Irish mail coach from London to Milford passed through Carmarthenshire in 1787.