I KNOW it's only 22 miles away from my home in Swansea. And yes, that isn't really that far. But if I don't fancy Swansea or Llanelli for a retail therapy session, I have to admit that in the past I have usually gravitated east towards Cardiff or McArthur Glen in Bridgend, rather than west and Llanelli or Carmarthen.

However, a drive back from a weekend away in Tenby a couple of weeks ago has changed all that.

We wanted a break and decided to stop off in Carmarthen. And almost by chance I stumbled across what is now a real regional magnet for shoppers.

For the oldest town in Wales has just unveiled a £74 million precinct called St Catherine's Walk, home to Debenhams, Next, New Look and Quiksilver, as well as a Frankie and Benny's restaurant, a six-screen multiplex cinema and a Costa coffee shop.

Is it worth the trek?

In short, Yes.

It will take around 40 minutes to get there from Swansea, and while the drive is nothing special, it is still considerably more picturesque than other parts of the M4.

There are plenty of signs for the town centre when you approach it, and it only took me a few minutes to find a parking space at a pay and display car park on Lammas Street, which cost £1.10 for up to two hours, £1.60 for up to three hours or £2.70 for up to four hours.

The street featured High Street staples such as Peacocks, Bonmarche and Shoe Zone. So far, so, well, predictable, I suppose.

But on closer inspection, I came across a quirky little boutique called Tony's Emporium, which manufactures, designs and imports jewellery, clothing, accessories and gift items. I noticed a couple of cute '60s-style rayon dresses which were beautifully cut.

The changing room left a little to be desired — it was a small space under the stairs behind a curtain, with no mirror. But the service was friendly and it was lovely to find something a bit different.

I strolled on to the charming Merlin's Walk, which was previously known as Greyfriars shopping centre. An attractive, litter-free pedestrianised walk, it is home to an 11ft wooden statue of the legendary magician, Merlin, as well as an Edinburgh Woollen Mill, an Animal store, a Thornton's, The Travel House, JJB and Savers.

I wandered into a shop called Store 21, which stocked range of men's, women's and children's casual clothing and reminded me of Matalan.

The prices were reasonable, with women's tops for £3.50, jeggings for £7, summery skirts for £10, men's T-shirts for £5, shorts for £10 and shoes for £5.

Next stop was St Catherine's Walk, where I was drawn to the flagship (and rather busy) Debenhams store, which seemed bright and airy with high ceilings and colourful displays. The usual designers were featured, including Red Herring, Jasper Conran and Mantaray.

There was also a large section dedicated to one of my favourites — Henry Holland — and his fun lines in shouty slogan T-shirts, purple Alice in Wonderland- inspired tea dresses and tartan culottes.

I picked up a pretty white Frost French Floozie bikini with delicate frills and a card print (£14 for the top, £10 for the bottoms).

At the till, I overheard one customer tell a shop assistant: "I'm just glad we've got a Debenhams in town rather than having to go all the way to Swansea."

Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge are also due to open stores at the development, with hopes that H&M will also make a move into the area.

A stone's throw away, I ventured into the town's indoor market, which was clean and smart, although sadly, with a lot of closed stalls.

The streets looked clean, probably because of the many rubbish bins and even a recycling bank dotted around.

Shoppers were taking the weight off their feet in the sunshine on circular benches around beds of flowers outside a bakery. It was all very quaint. I chose to take a pitstop at a park and tea shop near the town's rugby club, where I could have sat for hours watching the world go by.

As I was leaving, I noticed a Carmarthenshire County Council banner overhead marketing a visit to the town as "a magical day out".

I wouldn't go that far, but it's certainly an enjoyable place to shop, with plenty of character and friendly faces to boot.

Once home to just a couple of budget retailers such as Hyper Value and Poundstretcher, Parc Trostre has gone from strength to strength in recent years.

Now it is home to big names such as Debenhams, Monsoon, M&S, Asda Living and River Island, and has become a popular shopping destination, much to the dismay of town centre retailers.

I stopped off on a Monday afternoon and the large car park was almost half full, which made parking a breeze.

I headed for La Senza, where the service was faultless, before trekking over to Tesco for a few groceries.

I grabbed a trolley, but soon wished I'd opted for a basket as I kept getting little static shocks every time I went near a metal part of the trolley.

There was a great offer on Pimms, which was £10 for a litre bottle.

My main gripe with Parc Trostre is the lack of public toilets and the fact that it can be difficult to get from one side to the other without walking right the way around.

I wouldn't recommend ducking through the car park, that's for sure.

But all in all, it has a lot to offer — most of the big High Street names you could ask for, free parking and plenty of places to grab a bite to eat.

Less exciting and more functional than nearby Parc Trostre, Parc Pemberton hasn't been open very long, but the units there are gradually filling up.

The complex now boasts Argos, Morrisons, Carpet Right, Homebase, Bensons4Beds, Halfords, Dunelm, Comet, Currys and PC World.

I called in to the branch of Halfords to get my bike serviced and had to wait around half an hour to be served, but was told they could do it that day.

It needed quite a lot of work, but I went back the next day and my bike was ready for the road, with the price even including a one- year servicing plan.

The branch of Dunelm is slightly smaller than the Fforestfach store but if you pick your moment, it's easy to find half-price items.

The store's layout it easier to navigate than Parc Trostre with its narrow lanes, and it also boasts free parking.