Countryside

The countryside by contrast is lush and green and really offers an escape from urban life. Cefn Bryn has great views of the area and boasts the legend of King Arthur. The salt marshes of Penclawdd are home to the wild ponies and lay claim to some of the best cockles in the area. To the north of the county you can discover the Lliw Valley reservoirs and deep in the valley you can still see the remains of the old mining industry.

Events and Festivals

The area is big on events and traditional festivals and there is something for all the family. The key programme runs from May to September and includes Oystermouth Castle with its Medieval Tournament and Outdoor Shakespeare plays, Swansea Marina and its Maritime and Sea Shanty Festival and the Swansea Bay Festival Rally which takes top drivers on stages from the sea to the lush vales of Afan and Neath and back again.

Concerts and music festivals are hosted at Singleton Park, Morfa Stadium and Margam Country Park. Plus this year a key time to come is October to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the death of Dylan Thomas.

Beautiful Gardens

The green and pleasant land of Wales can certainly be admired at home in Swansea and the surrounding areas. In the heart of the city is Singleton Park with its beautiful botanical gardens. Clyne Gardens offers a kaleidoscope of colour in the summer months and creates a fabulous backdrop for prize winning photographs. Plantasia borders on the positively tropical, housed in an enormous class pyramid in the heart of the city centre. All the gardens are open all year round and can be enjoyed whatever the weather.