"A Lively Seaside resort- something for... " a Porthcawl Travel Page by Myfanwe

Porthcawl is situated at the Western tip of the Heritage Coast in South Wales - about 25 miles away from Cardiff. The construction of the town began in the 19th century when the harbour was built to service the expanding coal and iron industries in the Welsh valleys. Nowadays it is a family seaside resort - a firm favourite with generations of holiday makers who bring the family along to enjoy the funfair, donkey rides and fish and chips... this is just a part of Porthcawl, which may or may not be your cup of tea!! Porthcawl has much more to offer.... miles of sandy beach from the quiet sands & rockpools at Newton, to the busier Trecco & Sandy bay then two miles down the road to the surfing beach of Rest Bay & Sker beach at Kenfig Nature reserve.

Porthcawl is the ideal place for a stroll along the promenade stopping along the way for a coffee/ice cream along one of the many al fresco cafe's along the sea front. The walk westwards along the promenade can be as long or as short as you like - it seems to go on for miles although I haven't walked further than rest bay yet... but there's plenty of time for that. Porthcawl is an excellent place for cycling mainly as there are not many hills!!

Other walks very close to Porthcawl are; Newton & the sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr & the miles of Sand dunes in the Kenfig National Nature Reserve.... Nature, sand & sea a perfect combination.

The main shopping street leads down to the promenade - John street is a pedestrianised street with a wide variety of shops including banks, chemists & grocery stores. Half way up John Street you will find the Tourist information Centre; this is situated in the old Police Station building. It is well stocked with highly informative leaflets for places of interest in the surrounding area plus you can pick up leaflets giving guided walks around the area. In the Tourist Information building you can also visit the town's small museum, consisting of two rooms it'll not be the largest museum you're ever likely to visit to but it is informative & gives an insight into the History of the town.

You'll never go hungry in Porthcawl, there a numerous restaurants/pubs offering anything from the traditional fish & chips to the ever popular pubs & hotels offering a varied menu to suit all tastes.