Swansea

City and County of Swansea

Geography
Area - Total - % Water	Ranked 14th 378 km² ? %
Admin HQ	Swansea Guildhall
ISO 3166-2	GB-SWA
ONS code	00NX
Traditional county	Glamorganshire
Ceremonial county	West Glamorgan
OS grid reference	SS6593
Dialing Code	01792
Demographics
Population: - () - Density	Ranked Ranked / km²
Ethnicity	97.8% White 1.2% S. Asian 0.3% Afro-Caribbean 0.3% Chinese
Welsh language - Any skills	Ranked 11th 22.5%
Politics
File:Swansea arms.jpg City & County of Swansea Council http://www.swansea.gov.uk/
Control
MPs	Martin Caton Sian James Alan John Williams

For other places with the same name, see Swansea (disambiguation).

Swansea (Template:Lang-cy, "mouth of the Tawe") is a city and county in Wales, United Kingdom. It is in the historic county of Glamorgan.

Situated on the South Wales coast immediately to the east of the Gower Peninsula, Swansea is the second largest city in Wales. It grew to its present size during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, becoming a centre of heavy industry. It never experienced, however, the same degree of immigration as Cardiff, Newport and the eastern valleys of South Wales.

The name Swansea is often said to come from "Sweyn's Ey" ("ey" being the Old Norse word for "island"), but as there is no island at Swansea, a more likely explanation is that it comes from "Sweyn" (a corruption of the Viking name "Sven") and "sey" ("sey" being an Old Norse word that can mean "inlet"). The name is to thought to have originated in the period when the Vikings settled along the South Wales coast (Swansea is thought to have developed from a Viking trading post). Consequently it is pronounced Swan's-y [ˡswɒnzi]) not Swan-sea.

The founder of Swansea is believed to be the Viking King of Denmark Sweyn Forkbeard who in 1013 conquered the Anglo-Saxons of Wessex and Mercia, and who controlled a vast empire including Southern England, Denmark and Norway. The earliest known form of the modern name is Sweynesse used in Swansea's first charter, which was granted sometime between 1158-1184 by William de Newburgh, 3rd Earl of Warwick. The charter gave Swansea the status of a borough, granting the townsmen, called burgesses certain rights to develop the area. A second charter was granted in 1215 by King John. In this charter, the name appears as Sweyneshe. The town seal which is believed to date from this period names the town as Sweyse. Swansea was granted city status in 1969, to mark Prince Charles's investiture as the Prince of Wales. The announcement was made by the Prince on July 3, 1969, during a tour of Wales. It obtained the further right to have a Lord Mayor in 1982.

Satellite photo of Swansea Bay

Geography

Three Cliffs Bay, viewed from Pennard Castle

See also: List of places in Swansea

Boundaries

There are number of different ways in which Swansea's boundaries are defined, depending on whether it is an attempt to define the city, the county area or the wider urban area. Both the local authority and the Welsh Assembly Government simply use the description of "city and county" to describe Swansea and do not make a clear distinction between the city and the county. One possible definition of the city, that falls within the local authority boundaries, is the one used by the Office for National Statistics, this includes places further out from the city centre like Mumbles, Sketty, Killay, Landore and Llansamlet. The ONS has also defined an area which it calls the "Swansea Urban Area". This includes towns outside the Swansea local authority area like Neath, Port Talbot and Pontardawe. The "City and County of Swansea" local authority area is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the north, and Neath Port Talbot to the east.

Physical description

The local government area is 378 km² in size, including a large amount of open countryside and a central urban and suburban belt.

The county area can be roughly divided into four physical areas. To the North are the Lliw uplands which are mainly open moorland reaching the foothills of the Black Mountain. To the west is the Gower Peninsula with its rural landscape dotted with small villages. To the east is the coastal strip around Swansea Bay. Cutting though the middle from the south east to the north west is the urban and suburban zone stretching from the city of Swansea to the nearby towns of Gorseinon and Pontarddulais.

Rhossili Beach as seen from headland, Gower Peninsula

The most heavily populated areas of the county area are Morriston and Sketty and the city centre. The chief urbanised area radiates from the city of Swansea towards the north, south and west: along the coast of Swansea Bay to Mumbles; up the Swansea Valley past Landore and Morriston to Clydach; over Townhill to Cwmbwrla, Penlan, Treboeth and Fforestfach; through Uplands, Sketty, Killay to Dunvant; and east of the river from St. Thomas to Bonymaen, Llansamlet and Birchgrove. A second urbanised area is focused on a triangle defined by Gowerton, Gorseinon and Loughor along with the satellite communities of Penllergaer and Pontarddulais..

About three quarters of the county is bordered by the sea. The two main rivers in the region are the Tawe which passes the city centre and the Loughor which flows on the northern border with Carmarthenshire. The lower River Tawe has been heavily engineered whilst the River Loughor remains relatively untouched by man.

In the small county area, the geology is complex, providing diverse scenery. The Gower Peninsula, to which the city is considered the gateway, was the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Excluding the small urbanised area in the south eastern corner of the county, the whole of the Gower Peninsula is part of an AONB. Swansea has numerous urban and country park lands. The region has featured regularly in the Wales in Bloom awards.

The geology of the Gower Peninsula ranges from carboniferous limestone at Worm's Head to the salt-marshes and dune systems of the Loughor estuary to the north. The eastern, southern and western sides of the peninsular are lined with numerous sandy beaches both wide and small, separated by steep cliffs. The South Wales Coalfield reaches the coast in the Swansea area. This had a great bearing on the development of the city of Swansea and other towns in the county like Morriston. The inland area is covered by large swathes of grassland common overlooked by sandstone heath ridges including the prominent Cefn Bryn. The traditional agricultural landscape consists a patchwork of fields characterised by walls, stone-faced banks and hedgerows. Valleys cut through the peninsula and contain rich deciduous woodland. Much of the county is hilly with the highest point of the county being Mynydd y Betws on the border with Carmarthenshire.

Bracelet Bay, Mumbles and Swansea Bay, seen from the Mumbles Lighthouse.

Climate

Similar to the west of the UK, Swansea has a temperate climate. As part of a coastal region, Swansea experiences a milder climate than the mountains and valleys inland. This same location, though, leaves Swansea exposed to rain-bearing winds from the Atlantic: figures from the Met Office make Swansea the wettest city in Britain.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Avg high °C	6	6	9	11	15	17	19	18	16	13	9	8
Mean °C	6	6	8	10	13	16	18	17	15	12	8	7
Avg low °C	4	4	7	8	12	14	16	16	13	11	8	6
Precipitation cm	7.07	5.19	4.51	4.91	3.63	4.22	5.07	5.03	5.53	8.08	7.09	7.11	67.44
Sources: uk.weather.com, MSN News & Weather

Demographics

The population of the city in mid-2004 was about 169,880. The population in the county was 225,000, 13.4% of which were Welsh speakers at the 2001 census. However, the wider urban area including most of Swansea Bay has a total population of 270,506 (making it the 22nd largest urban area in England and Wales)

History

Oystermouth Castle, a venue for Shakesperian performances

Main article: History of Swansea

See also: Lower Swansea valley

Archaeology on the Gower Peninsula includes many remains from prehistoric times, passing through Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. Prehistoric finds in the Swansea city area proper are rare. The Romans visited the area, as did the Vikings, whose name for the settlement on the river is used in English today.

Following the Norman Conquest, a marcher lordship was created: named Gower, it included land around Swansea Bay as far as the Tawe, and the manor of Kilvey beyond the Tawe as well as the peninsula itself. Swansea was designated its chief town, and subsequently received one of the earlier borough charters in Wales.

Swansea became an important port: some coal and vast amounts of limestone (for fertiliser) were being shipped out from the town by 1550. As the Industrial Revolution reached Wales, the combination of port, local coal, and trading links with the West Country, Cornwall and Devon, meant that Swansea was the logical place to site copper smelting works. Smelters were operating by 1720 and proliferated.

Following this, more coal mines (everywhere from north-east Gower to Clyne to Llangyfelach) were opened and smelters (mostly along the Tawe valley) were opened and flourished. Over the next century and a half, works were established to process arsenic, zinc and tin and to create tinplate and pottery. The city expanded rapidly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and was termed "Copperopolis". By the mid-nineteenth century Swansea docks was the largest exporter of coal in the world.

Through the twentieth century, these industries eventually declined, leaving the Lower Swansea Valley filled with derelict works and mounds of waste products from them. The Lower Swansea Valley Scheme (which still continues) reclaimed much of the land: the present Enterprise Zone exists almost entirely a result of this scheme, and of the many original docks, only those outside the city continue to work as docks: North Dock is now Parc Tawe and South Dock became the Marina.

Little city centre evidence beyond road layout remains from medieval Swansea; its industrial importance made it the target of heavy bombing in World War II, and the centre was flattened completely.

Swansea's Maritime Quarter

Whilst the city itself has a long history, many of the city centre buildings are post-war as much of the centre was destroyed by World War II bombing in the so-called Three Nights' Blitz. Within the city centre, are the ruins of the castle, the Marina, the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea Museum, the Dylan Thomas Centre, the Environmental Centre, and the Market, which is the largest covered market in Wales. It backs onto the Quadrant shopping centre which opened in 1978.

On 27 June 1906, one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the UK during the twentieth century struck Swansea with a strength of 5.2 on the Richter Scale. Earthquakes in the UK very rarely cause any structural damage as most occur away from heavily populated areas, but with the earthquake centered on Swansea many taller buildings were damaged .

Culture

Brangwyn Hall main entrance

See also: List of cultural venues in Swansea and List of Swansea people

The Royal Institution of South Wales was founded in 1835 as the Swansea Literary and Philosophical Society.

Performing arts

Swansea Grand Theatre

There are a number of theatres in the city and the surrounding areas. The Grand Theatre in the centre of the city is a Victorian theatre which celebrated its centenary in 1997 and which has a capacity of a little over a thousand people. It was opened by the celebrated opera singer Adelina Patti. The annual programme ranges from pantomime and drama to opera and ballet. A new wing of the Grand, the Arts Wing, has a studio suitable for smaller shows, with a capacity of about 200. The Taliesin building on the university campus has a theatre. Other theatres include the Dylan Thomas Theatre (formerly the Little Theatre) near the marina, and one in Penyrheol Leisure Centre near Gorseinon. In the summer, outdoor Shakespeare performances are a regular feature at Oystermouth Castle, and Singleton Park is the venue for a number of parties and concerts, from dance music to outdoor Proms. Although Pontardawe is outside the city boundaries, the trip from Swansea to Pontardawe for the annual folk festival is a short one. Another folk festival is held on Gower. Standing near Victoria Park on the coast road is the Patti Pavillion: this was the Winter Garden from Adelina Patti's Craig-y-Nos estate in the upper Swansea valley, which she donated to the town in 1918. It is used as a venue for music shows and fairs. The Brangwyn Hall is a multi-use venue with events such as the graduation ceremonies for Swansea University. Every autumn, Swansea hosts a Festival of Music and the Arts, when international orchestras and soloists visit the Brangwyn Hall. The Brangwyn Hall is praised for its acoustics for recitals, orchestral pieces and chamber music alike.

Swansea hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1863, 1891, 1907, 1926, 1964, 1982 and 2006. The 2006 event occupied the site of the former Velindre tinplate works to the north of the city and featured a strikingly pink main tent.

Welsh language

There are many Welsh-language chapels and churches in the area. Welsh-medium education is a popular and growing choice for both English- and Welsh-speaking parents, leading to claims in the local press in autumn 2004 that to accommodate demand, the council planned to close an English-medium school in favour of opening a new Welsh-medium school.

45% of the rural council ward Mawr speak Welsh, as do 38% of the ward of Pontarddulais. Clydach, Kingsbridge and Upper Loughor all have levels of more than 20%. By contrast, the urban St. Thomas has one of the lowest figures in Wales, at 6.4%, a figure only barely lower than Penderry and Townhill wards..

Notable People

On the literary stage, the poet Dylan Thomas is perhaps the best-known. He was born in the town and grew up at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Uplands. There is a memorial to him in the nearby Cwmdonkin Park; his take on Swansea was that it was a "ugly lovely town". The actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is probably the most famous of the city's recent cultural exports, and she maintains close links with the city. Welsh rock band Man, Pete Ham and Mike Gibbins of the rock/power pop band Badfinger, screenwriter and director Andrew Jones, author Mary Balogh, singer/songwriter Mal Pope, MP Michael Heseltine, scriptwriter and producer Russell T. Davies and entertainer Sir Harry Secombe were also born and raised in the city, as was the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. WBO Cruiserweight boxing champion Enzo Maccarinelli was born in the city.

Perhaps the city's most celebrated personality is Jack - a black Newfoundland dog. During his seven years of life, he managed to save twenty-seven people from drowning in the murky waters of Swansea docks. There is a monument to commemorate Jack's gallant efforts on the foreshore near the St. Helen's stadium. People from Swansea are known locally as Swansea Jacks, or just Jacks. The source of this nickname is not clear. Some attribute it to Swansea Jack, the life-saving dog. Others point to Swansea's history as a port and the use of the word jack to indicate a sailor.

Sport

Further information: [[:Swansea City A.F.C., Swansea RFC and Ospreys (rugby team)]]

for more about Swansea's major sports clubs

There are a number of sporting venues in Swansea. St Helen's is a cricket and rugby ground which is one of the homes of Glamorgan County Cricket Club. It was in this ground that Sir Garfield Sobers hit six sixes in one over: the first time this was achieved in a game of first-class cricket. The final ball landed on the ground past the Cricketers' pub just outside the ground. The stadium is metres from the coast of Swansea Bay. Strong local rivalries exist between Swansea and Cardiff in football and between Swansea and Llanelli in rugby. Swansea also boasts one of the largest Saturday local football leagues in the country, second only to the one in Birmingham at its peak.

Liberty Stadium, home of Swansea City and The Ospreys

Swansea City A.F.C., the Swans, moved from the Vetch Field to the new Liberty Stadium at the start of the 2005-2006 season, winning promotion to League One in their final year at their old home. The first game at the new stadium was on July 23: a football friendly between the Swans and Fulham which ended 1-1. Swansea City are currently pushing for promotion from League One to the Championship after losing to Barnsley in the League 1 play-off final at the Millennium Stadium. Swansea City have recently retained the FAW cup and on April 2nd 2006 30,000 Swans fans made the journey to Cardiff to see their side defeat Carlisle 2-1 in the Football League Trophy Final. The Swans' football following are known as the Jack Army due to the regional nickname for people from Swansea. Swansea has several clubs that play in Welsh Football League - Garden Village, Morriston Town and West End.

In 2003, Swansea RFC merged with Neath RFC to form the Neath-Swansea Ospreys rugby club. Swansea RFC remain at St Helen's in semi-professional form, but the Ospreys moved to the then-named New Stadium in Landore for the start of the 2005-2006 season. The final Ospreys match at St Helen's was played on the same day as the final Swans league game at the Vetch: April 30 2005. Swansea/Neath rugby games used to be hotly-contested matches, such that there was some debate about whether a team incorporating both areas was possible. In fact the Neath-Swansea Ospreys seem to be the most successful club since Welsh rugby's reorganisation and came fifth in the Celtic League in their first year of existence, and won that league in their second year.

Swansea's rugby league side play a few miles out of the city in the small town of Ystalyfera. They are known as the Swansea Valley Miners but were formed as the Swansea Bulls in 2002.

Religion

Swansea, like Wales in general, has seen many non-conformist religious revivals. In 1904, Evan Roberts, a miner from Loughor (Llwchwr), just outside Swansea, was the leader of what has been called one of the world's greatest Protestant religious revivals. Within a few months about 100,000 people were converted. This revival in particular had a profound effect on Welsh society. The "Welsh Revival" of 1904 is acknowledged as having been an instigator of, and a major influence on the twentieth century's Pentecostal movement. One of its first overseas influences was seen in the African American church: the Azusa Street Revival, beginning April 9, 1906 at Los Angeles, USA. It has been said that 25% of the world's Christians (usually Protestant Pentecostals or Charismatics) are Christians as a direct result of the 1904 revival in Swansea.

Governance

City and County of Swansea Guildhall

Local government

Main article: City and County of Swansea

Traditionally, Swansea refers to the City of Swansea which is the settlement around the Tawe estuary. Today it also refers to one of the Subdivisions of Wales under the name of the 'City and County of Swansea' (Welsh: Dinas a Sir Abertawe.) .

Swansea was once a staunch Labour stronghold. Up until 2004, they had overrall control of Swansea for 24 years. The Liberal Democrats are the largest group in the administration that took control of Swansea Council in the 2004 local elections. For 2007/2008, the Lord Mayor of Swansea is councillor Susan Waller.

Welsh politics

The National Assembly constituencies are:

• Gower, current AM is Edwina Hart, Labour since 1999
• Swansea East, current AM is Val Lloyd, Labour since 2001
• Swansea West, current AM is Andrew Davies, Labour since 1999

UK politics

The UK parliamentary constituencies in Swansea are:

• Gower, current MP is Martin Caton, Labour since 1997
• Swansea East, current MP is Sian James, Labour since 2005
• Swansea West, current MP is Alan Williams, Labour since 1964 (the MP with the longest continuous service - 43 years as of 2007)

International links

The City & County of Swansea is twinned with:

• Mannheim, Germany
• Pau, France
• Cork, Republic of Ireland

Connections with:

• Ferrara, Italy
• Århus, Denmark

Friendship link with:

• Nantong, People's Republic of China
• New York City, USA

Economy

The Technium centre, one of the first of the new buildings built as part of the SA1 development scheme at Swansea Docks

Main article: Economy of Swansea

Swansea originally developed as centre for metals and mining, especially the copper industry, from the beginning of the 18th century. The industry reached its apogee in the 1880s, when 60% of the copper ores imported to Britain were smelted in the Lower Swansea valley. However, by the end of the Second World War these heavy industries were in decline, and over the post-war decades Swansea shared in the general trend towards a post-industrial, service sector economy.

Today, the most important economic sectors in Swansea are public administration, education and health; distribution, hotels and restaurants; and banking, finance and insurance. Much large scale private sector economic activity in the city consists of either manufacturing, call centres or other commercial back office functions including outsourcing. In addition to being a holiday resort, Swansea is also a commercial centre, and the recently regenerated dock areas are home to some cutting-edge hi-tech industries. One of the best-known employers in Swansea is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Relative to the UK as a whole, Swansea (and Wales) lacks high quality professional and managerial jobs in the private sector, reflecting a phenomenon often described as a 'branch factory' economy where companies locate production or service delivery facilities in one area while placing head office functions elsewhere. However, while average earnings in Swansea are below the Welsh and UK figures, this does not necessarily reflect a gap in living standards since the cost of living varies geographically.

Education

The Swansea observatory

Swansea University has a campus in Singleton Park overlooking Swansea Bay. Its engineering department is recognised as a centre of excellence with pioneering work on computational techniques for solving engineering design problems. The Department of Physics is renowned for its research achievements at the frontiers of Theoretical Physics, particularly in the areas of Elementary Particle Physics and String Theory. And many other departments such as History and German were awarded an "Excellent" in the last inspection. The university was awarded the Times Higher Education Supplement Award for the UK's "best student experience" in 2005. Other establishments for further and higher education in the city include Swansea Institute of Higher Education and Swansea College, with Gorseinon College just outside the city proper. Swansea Institute was particularly well-known for its Architectural Glass department; stained glass was a long time speciality.

In the local authority area, there is 1 nursery school; 6 infant schools and 5 junior schools. There are 77 primary schools, 9 of which are Welsh-Medium, and 6 of which are voluntary aided. There are 15 comprehensive schools under the remit of the local education authority, of which 2 are Welsh-medium. In addition, there are 6 special schools.

The oldest school in Swansea is Bishop Gore School. The largest comprehensive school in Swansea is the Olchfa School. There is one Roman Catholic comprehensive school in the county - Bishop Vaughan Roman Catholic Comprehensive. The Welsh medium schools are Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Gŵyr and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe. Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe opened in 2003, and is one of the leading schools in Britain in all aspects of education with its advanced technology.

Independent schools in Swansea include Ffynone House School, Oakleigh House School, Stella Maris and Craig-y-Nos School.

Local media

The local newspaper is the South Wales Evening Post. There is also a local free newspaper called the Swansea Herald. Swansea is one of the few regions in Wales with reasonable digital radio coverage: this was improved in January 2005 with the launch of the Swansea DAB multiplex which is located on the top of Kilvey Hill. The local papur bro (Welsh-language news) is Wilia. Swansea is served by three local radio stations, the recently launched Swansea Bay Radio on 102.1 FM, The Wave (96.4 FM) and Swansea Sound (1170 AM). Both the Wave and Swansea Sound are also available on the local DAB multiplex.

Swansea plays host to the BeyondTV International Film Festival. BeyondTV is annual event organised by independent filmmakers Undercurrents to showcase the best of activism filmmakers. Independent filmmakers Undercurrents and Studio8 are based in Swansea.

Public order

View of Swansea Bay from the Townhill. The Mumbles can be seen in the distance. The Uplands suburb can be seen in the foreground.

Swansea is policed by the South Wales Police. Their regional headquarters for the Swansea area is Cockett Police station.

There was a high rate of car crime during the 1990s. The BBC has described Swansea as a "black spot for car crime" , for example. However, over the past few years, there seems to have been a decline in car crime, possibly due to national media awareness or economic trends. Car crime is a central theme in the film Twin Town, which is set in and around Swansea.

Swansea experiences relatively little football violence. It has occurred only occasionally and mainly between Swansea City supporters and Cardiff City supporters. Many matches between these sides have ended in violent clashes between supporters both in Swansea and in Cardiff. These two clubs have a long history of intense rivalry, being described in the media as tribal.

Swansea is also experiencing a growing drug problem, with teenage heroin use on the rise.

Transport

See also: Transport in Wales, History of Swansea, and Wikitravel:Swansea

Swansea is close to the M4 motorway (junctions 44 to 47 inclusive). The A48 trunk road passes through the north of the city, through Llansamlet and past Morriston. Park and Ride services are operated from car parks at Landore, Fabian Way and Fforestfach. During busy periods of the year, additional Park and Ride services are operated from the Brynmill recreation ground.

Bus routes within the county are predominately by First and Veolia Transport Cymru out of Swansea Bus Station. First, however, intends to introduce a service of 110-seater hybrid buses on one set route, which will supposedly speed up journeys and minimise delays by having passengers pay for their tickets at bus stops before boarding. First also operates a shuttle bus (Service 100) to Cardiff Central bus station. Swansea is also on the X40 Cardiff to Aberystwyth TrawsCambria bus route connecting the north and south of Wales. Nationally, services calling at Swansea are operated by National Express eastbound to Heathrow Airport, London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bristol, and to Llanelli, Carmarthen and Haverfordwest.

There are four dedicated cycle routes in the county area:

• Swansea Bay: The Maritime Quarter to the Knab Rock near the Mumbles Pier.
• Clyne Valley Country Park: Blackpill to Gowerton forming part of National Cycle Route 4.
• Along the east bank of the River Tawe forming the start of National Cycle Route 43, which continues northwards to Builth Wells.
• Adjacent to the Fabian Way: Forming part of National Cycle Route 4 and extending as the Celtic Trail to Chepstow and (eventually) London.

A new bridge currently under construction over Fabian Way will carry a new express bus-only lane incorporating a shared-use pedestrian and cycle way.

Swansea railway station

There are only 4 stations in the county. One in Swansea itself, one in Gowerton, one in Llansamlet and one in Pontarddulais. Swansea railway station is located 10 minutes from Swansea Bus Station by foot. Services calling at Swansea operate to Llanelli, Carmarthen, Milford Haven and Haverfordwest in West Wales, Shrewsbury to the north, and Cardiff Central (for national connections), Newport High Street and London Paddington to the east.

The nearest airport to Swansea offering scheduled domestic and international flights is Cardiff International Airport in the Vale of Glamorgan, which is approximately 45 minutes away by road or 50 minutes by rail. Swansea Airport is situated on Fairwood Common on the Gower peninsula providing small chartered flights only. It is a domestic airport, first built during World War II when there was no need for an inquiry.

Leisure and tourism

Another shot of the marina from Trawler Road

The wide sandy beaches at Langland, Caswell and Limeslade are the most popular with swimmers and tourists with children, whereas the wide and calm waters of Swansea Bay tend to attract the water-sport enthusiast. Coastal paths connect most of the Gower bays and Swansea Bay itself, and hikers can enjoy countryside views throughout the year. Although little known on the tourist map, the North of Swansea has some of the most outstanding countryside in the country, with panoramas of the Welsh mountains. One of the most popular tourist destinations in the county, the former fishing village of Mumbles (located on the western edge of Swansea Bay) has a variety restaurants and coffee shops. The promenade at Mumbles offers a panoramic view of the Swansea Bay vista.

Attractions

File:NWM entrance CCS.jpg

One of the prime attractions is the Waterfront. Swansea Bay has a five mile sweep of coastline which features a sandy beach, a popular promenade, children's lido, leisure pool, a busy marina and maritime quarter, featuring the newest and oldest museums in Wales - the National Waterfront Museum and Swansea Museum, as well as a variety of cafes. Also situated in the maritime quarter is the Dylan Thomas Centre which celebrates the life and work of Swansea's most famous son with its permanent exhibition 'Dylan Thomas - Man and Myth'. It is also the focal point for the annual Dylan Thomas Festival (27 Oct - 09 Nov). The SA1 Waterfront area is the latest attraction, for fashionable living, fine dining, leisure and spas.

Further outside the centre is The Liberty Stadium - home to the Swans and the Ospreys, seating 20,000 people. It is also a premier venue for conferences and events in South West Wales. Another popular sporting venue is Wales National Pool, also based in Swansea, it is the only 50m pool in Wales.

File:Clyne.jpg

Swansea Bay, Mumbles and Gower are home to beautiful parks and gardens and almost 20 nature reserves. Clyne Gardens is home to a beautiful and varied collection of plants set in scenic parkland and host to 'Clyne in Bloom' in May where you'll find a dazzling display of colours. Singleton Park has acres of undulating parkland, a botanical garden, a boating lake with pedal boats, and crazy golf. If the sun isn't shining, head for Plantasia, a tropical hothouse pyramid featuring three climatic zones-tropical, arid and humid. Plantasia houses a variety of unusual plants, including several species which are extinct in the wild - the monkeys, reptiles, fish and butterfly house are also very popular. Other parks of interest include Cwmdonkin Park, where Dylan Thomas played as a child, and Victoria Park which is a stone's throw from the promenade on the seafront.

Activities

With its seaside location and varied inland geography, Swansea Bay makes a suitable destination for a range of outdoor activities like swimming, sailing, water skiing, surfing, sea angling, canoeing, rowing, and hiking.

File:Surfer CCS.jpg

Part of the Celtic Trail and the National Cycle Network, Swansea Bay provides a wonderful range of traffic-free cycle routes suitable for families, including routes along the seafront and through Clyne Country Park.[1]

Swansea Bay, Mumbles and Gower boasts an excellent selection of golf courses to suit all abilities.[2] Play coastal parkland courses with picture postcard views, courses in beautiful Gower countryside or a challenging links course complete with its own medieval castle! You can also find some of the best surfing beaches in the UK and the second greatest tidal range in the world. South, west and east facing beaches provide the perfect conditions for windsurfing, kitesurfing and kite buggying, as well as sailing, canoeing or waterskiing. Swansea Bay is also an ideal location for all types of fishing including sea, rock and coarse fishing.[3] Back on dry land, walking is a great way to experience the countryside. From dramatic cliff top scenery to beautiful wooded valleys, Swansea Bay's diverse landscape offers a complete range of walks to suit all abilities - from gentle coastal walks to more challenging countryside rambles.[4]

"The three-mile crescent of Rhossili beach is glorious walking." - The Times, 20 great British rural walks, June 2007

Beaches

With over 50 named coves, bays and beaches, the coast around Swansea, Mumbles and Gower is certainly up there with the best.

Oxwich Bay was named the most beautiful beach in the UK by travel writers who visited more than 1,000 around the world in search of the perfect sands (2007). The Travel Magazine praised Oxwich for "magnificent and unspoilt" scenery and as a "great place for adults and children to explore". It boasts over three miles of soft, golden sands, making it the ideal family getaway. Not surprisingly, The Guardian voted it one of Britain's top 10 sandy beaches (2007).

File:Rhossili Bay.jpg

The Independent newspaper hailed Rhossili Bay as the 'British supermodel of beaches' (2006) and the best beach in Britain for breathtaking cliffs (2007), whilst The Sunday Times listed it as one of the '25 best beaches in the world' (2006). Thanks to its clear air and lovely golden sand, this romantic stretch of sand was voted the best place in the UK to watch the sun set (Country Living Magazine 2005) and one the top romantic spots in the country (The Guardian 2007).

Nearby Llangennith Beach, with its soft sands, consistent beach break and great facilities, was listed as the best place to learn how to surf in Britain by The Observer (2006) and one of the 10 'classic surfing beaches' by The Guardian (2007).

Gower also claims Britain's Best Beach in the shape of lovely Three Cliffs Bay! The stunning Gower landmark topped the BBC Holiday Hit Squad nationwide competition (2006) and was voted Britain's best camping beach by The Independent thanks to its superb setting and quiet location (2007). Three Cliffs Bay also made the final of the ITV series Britain's Favourite View - the only nomination in Wales and backed by singing sensation Katherine Jenkins!

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Nearby Brandy Cove came sixth in an online poll to find the UK's top beach for the baby boomer generation (2006).

Beaches which won 2006 Blue Flag Beach Awards are: Bracelet Bay, Caswell Bay, Langland Bay, Port Eynon Bay and Swansea Marina (one of the few Blue Flag Marinas in Wales). All of these beaches also won a Seaside Award 2006. Limeslade was awarded the Rural Seaside Award and the Green Coast Award. Other Green Coast Awards went to Pwll Du, Rhossili Bay and Tor Bay.

External links

• City and County of Swansea Council
• Swansea City Centre (website run by council)
• 2006 National Eisteddfod of Wales
• BBC Swansea website
• Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts
• Template:Wikitravel
• Official tourist website for Swansea
• Food in Swansea (website run by local resident)
• Swansea.com information guide to the city

History

• Classic Encyclopedia: Gower
• Classic Encyclopedia: Swansea
• Genuki: Swansea, its Port and Trade and their Development
• Genuki: Swansea Timeline

51°37′N 3°57′W