Heading east from Llantwit Major we come to
Summerhouse Point with cliff top walks reached by a lane from the village of Boverton. There is a Seawatch Centre here with displays
of weather-forecasting equipment and radar.
Further along, Limpert
Bay marks the end of the
Glamorgan Heritage Coast Walk which started at Porthcawl.
Further along still, the village
of Rhoose nudges the southern end of Cardiff Airport.
After the quiet of the clifftops and the series of small towns and
villages, the much larger settlement of Barry represents quite a contrast with
its docks forming an alternative to the congested and expensive Cardiff Docks.
Barry Island, which is
not actually an island, being accessible from the mainland via the A4055, has
long been a family tourist destination.
There used to be a Butlins Holiday Camp here, but this closed in
1996. However, the 'island' continued to
be a magnet for tourists, and it also came to the attention of the Dr Who team
during the filming of the series 'Delta and the Bannermen', in which it played
the part of the Shangri-La Holiday Camp.
It also featured in 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances'. In the past Barry Island
has had something of an image problem, being considered down at heel by many,
however there are signs of attempts at an uplift. A recent online review described the beach as
beautiful and clean and pointed out that the dining options are no longer all
fish and chips and burgers. The main
attraction on the island is the Pleasure Park, a traditional array
of fairground rides and amusement arcades which recently changed ownership and boasts "brand new rides never seen in Barry before".
Map of the area.
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| Barry Island scene. Photo by Derek Jones, via Wikimedia Commons. |
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