introduction

South Wales is an area of great contrasts. To the west is the stunning scenery of the Pembrokeshire coastline and the windy country roads and sandy beaches of the Gower Peninsula (designated Area of Outstanding Beauty) and to the east the cities of Swansea and Cardiff that offer an excellent selection of stores, restaurants and entertainment opportunities. In addition, South Wales has a proud industrial heritage, with Port Talbot being a major steel processing town, while the valleys in central Glamorgan were once the center of the Welsh coal mining industry. But one thing both the east and west coastlines have in common, great surf and thriving surfing communities.

surfing

South Wales is home to some amazing reef breaks such as Crab Island and also some of the most stunning beaches for miles, Three Cliffs Bay in particular is worth a visit even if it's flat, it's featured in many postcards! But this does come at a price, Welsh line ups are becoming more and more crowded as more surfers take to the water. The Gower is becoming particularly competitive as it is within easy reach of Swansea and Cardiff. Swansea Uni has one of the biggest surf clubs in the UK. Incidents of localism are rare however, follow the usual surfing etiquette and keep your nose clean and you will have an enjoyable surf and believe me, there is some surf to be enjoyed here.

where to stay

Renting a cottage for a week or two in South Wales is a very popular and great way to accommodate yourself while you're here, there are hundreds of fine examples of old cottages you can find to hire in some great locations with a little flick around on the internet.

Swansea has a whole host of hotels to suit every budget, though it is a little way out of the surf, if you envisaged rolling out of bed and onto the beach!! Mumbles has lots of bed and breakfast options and is much closer to the surf at the root of the Gower Peninsula. The Gower also has loads of campsites very close to some of the good surf spots such as Oxwich Bay.

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