Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
South Wales
Lord Nelson once described Milford Haven as the best natural harbour in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a town which has reinvented itself over the years. Built as a whaling centre and naval dockyard the town declined until the 1880's when the port was rebuilt to become a major fishing centre. The town adapted again in the 1960's to become a major oil refinery but that industry declined towards the end of the 1980's. The docks have been renovated with many visitor attractions and the beaches are home to traditional seaside attractions. It has to be said the town is surprisingly attractive, so if you have preconceptions of a dreary industrial backwater, which has seen better days, then think again.
In 1840 the Admiralty established a dockyard at Pembroke Dock built in response to the high costs at nearby Milford Haven, the surrounding town was built to house the workers and shipbuilding continued in the town until 1926. In the Second World War the port was a base for flying boats and the Atlantic convoys.
The port is still used by military and commercial traffic as well as a ferry link to Ireland. The town of Pembroke is dominated by its castle with a main street having a mish-mash of architectural styles. The castle has only fallen once during its history and that was during the Civil War when Cromwell's army overran it.
Two giant limestone pillars emerge from the sea at Elegug Stacks. In the breeding season the stacks are covered by seabirds, most notably, guillemots. Nearby is a natural stone arch, known as the Green Bridge Of Wales.
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Stackpole Quay is now disused offering a secluded spot where fossils abound. At Stackpole Head the sea has carved arches and on one side the cave roofs have collapsed offering spectacular blow holes at some high tides. The nearby Stackpole Estate is owned by the National Trust, offering gardens and a nature reserve with 18 miles (30km) of interconnected walks. A 20 minute trek, and I mean trek, from the Stackpole Quay car park will take you to the delightfully named Barafundle Bay, a secluded bay with crystal clear waters.
The walk from Stackpole Quay to Barafundle Bay follows part of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, which to be one of the most beautiful walks in the UK. If you plan to walk to teh Bay make sure you have everything you need as there are no shops or facilities and it's a long, uphill, walk back to the car.
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Tenby, arguably, has one of the most beautiful harbours in the country. Add in some beautiful beaches and it's easy to see why Tenby is such a popular resort. Dating back to Norman times the town was heavily developed in the 19th century, although many 13th century buildings survive in the old part of the town.
Beautiful pastel coloured buildings overlook the harbour, giving the town a Mediterranean feel. A free folk festival takes place the late May Bank Holiday weekend, whilst a 9 day fish festival takes place along most of the Pembrokeshire coastline late June / early July. However it is a very popular resort and on hot sunny days parking is nigh on impossible, unless arriving early.
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Pendine Sands is a six mile stretch of compact sand and was home to several land speed record attempts in the 1920's.
Pembrey is a massive area of dunes, woodland and sandy beaches. For many years the area was "out of bounds" as it was home to a large ordnance factory. The factory closed in the 1960's and the area is now the Pembrey Country Park with walks, a miniature railway, equestrian centre and dry ski slope, not forgetting seven miles of sandy beaches.
Llanelli, once home of the tinplate industry, is one of those towns which has seen better days but now has little going for it apart from a reasonably good Rugby Union team. The one redeeming feature, if you're into that sort of thing, is the towns market is very popular.
The Gower Peninsular is, without doubt, the jewel in the South Wales coastal crown, it's an area where you could easily stay a week and still not see it all. The downside is the delights are not a secret and the area is very popular and, occasionally, overcrowded. Also the roads can be quite narrow so allow extra time if your planning to visit as it will undoubtedly take longer than you expect to reach your destination.
There are loads of delightful towns and bays on the peninsula, some will require a trek to reach but will be well worth it.
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Mumbles is one of the better known resorts on The Gower with a promenade and brightly coloured buildings and well laid out parks. The beach isn't much to write home about but there are plenty of delightful cafés and restaurants to while away some time and people watch.
It's definitely the largest and busiest town on the peninsular but is still a lovely place to visit.
There are many delightful bays in the area but one area well worth visiting is Rhossili. In terms of buildings there is little there apart from a hotel and a couple of overpriced restaurants but the views are absolutely stunning.
Whilst there walk down to the coastguard watch-point and below will be Worms Head which can be accessed via a causeway, accessible 2½ hours either side of low tide.
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Swansea has continually reinvented itself, starting life as a fishing village, becoming a major industrial centre and now a major tourist centre. The once busy docks, once the lifeblood of the city, has been redeveloped as a Maritime Quarter, with the National Waterfront Museum as its centrepiece.
Ty Lly, the Dylan Thomas Centre, is at the cultural heart of the city. Swansea is also a coastal resort with sandy beaches. Plantasia is a large glass pyramid housing more than 5,000 plants. Apart from that the city has few redeeming features and, frankly, large parts of the city look like sink estates and places you certainly wouldn’t want to visit after dark, indeed they aren't even worth visiting during the day either.
Porthcawl was a major port for exporting coal until the expansion of Barry and Port Talbot killed the trade. The town then developed as a tourist attraction. Unbelievably the inner harbour was filled in to become a car park, whilst the outer harbour is a base for pleasure craft.
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Coney Beach Pleasure Park opened in 1920 and was the main attraction in the town, reaching it's heyday in the 1950's to the 1980's, since when it has been in steady decline. There was a minor revival in the early 2000's but visitor numbers are again declining and it is a moot point as to whether it will be around to celebrate its centenary. Even without the pleasure park the beaches are good and for beach lovers the town is a good place to visit.
The town of Ogmore by Sea is set atop some cliffs with a path leading to a sandy beach, where safe bathing areas are clearly marked out. Nearby Southerndown has a lovely expanse of grass topped cliffs, offering stunning views, with a steep path leading to a secluded beach.
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Barry is a town of contrasts, on the one hand a busy port on the other a seaside resort with gaudy amusement arcades and a holiday camp. Three beaches are to be found there. The town has shot to fame in recent years being one of the settings for the popular TV series Gavin and Stacey.
Penarth is the Ying to Barry's Yang and is a much quieter, more refined, resort with a long promenade and lovely gardens. The shingle beach isn't that comfortable but that's in keeping with it not being a kiss me quick resort. When I lived in Cardiff I used to love coming here for a Sunday morning stroll.
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The town is home to a delightful pier from where pleasure cruises depart in the summer months.
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Cardiff, the capital of Wales, has undergone a massive transformation in the last quarter century. For a long time a bleak industrial port, with many "no go" areas, it's now a thriving 21st century, vibrant city. For more info on Cardiff click here (opens in a new window)
Newport is only a few miles from Cardiff but has its own identity. Like its neighbour its role has changed as industry has diminished and some of the docks have been redeveloped into an area for leisure and the arts. A flight of 14 locks on the Monmouthshire Canal can be found north of the city and the restored Transporter Bridge is worth a view. Just outside the town, towards Cardiff, is Tredegar Park a green oasis. The remains of Newport Castle have an exhibition telling the story of the Chartist uprising.
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Caerleon, a few miles north of Newport has some splendid Roman remains. It was a major Roman town, as important as Chester. Unlike Chester development has not destroyed the Roman legacy and the remains are worth visiting.
Our tour of the Welsh coast has been dominated by castles and Chepstow is a fitting end as it is overlooked by its dramatic Norman castle.
The town itself still has twisting, narrow mediaeval streets and it makes a great base for touring the dramatic Wye Valley.
A few miles up the river are the remains of Tintern Abbey, well worth a detour.
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