• The ultimate insider's guide to Swansea for locals and experienced travelers
• Features interesting and unusual places not found in traditional travel guides
• Part of the international 111 Places series with over 650 titles and 3.8 million copies in print worldwide
• Appeals to both the local market (more than 246,000 people call Swansea home) and the tourist market (more than 4.2 million people visit Swansea every year!)
• Fully illustrated with 111 full-page color photographs
What does Swansea and Gower mean to you? Is it a place of learning? A hub of industry? A city of sporting excellence? Or perhaps, a gateway to exploration and adventure? Do you picture endless days on pristine beaches, leisurely walks along rugged clifftops or a vibrant cultural tapestry? Swansea and Gower weave all these facets together, offering a captivating mosaic of experiences. Meet sporting legends and trailblazing women who defied societal norms in an era dominated by men. Venture into the world of Ancient Egyptians, unraveling their lives – and deaths. Marvel at the grandeur of Norman lords’ ambitious creations and the fripperies of Victorian industrialists. Indulge your palate with the savory allure of lamb raised on Atlantic salt meadows. Feel the adrenaline rush as you hurtle downhill on a mountain board, crocodiles snap food from your grip, or you ride a wave. Stroll around the coast and lakes, and meander through fields of fragrant lavender or golden sunflowers. Immerse yourself in nature’s symphony, from pounding waterfalls to the serene serenades of insects. Unearth a world brimming with wonder, right on your doorstep, here in Swansea and Gower.
Aberavon Whale
Having a whale of a time | 10
Aberdarcy Public Library
Only Two Can Play | 12
Abertawe Barrage
Rising to the challenge | 14
The Admirals Tower
A birds-eye view | 16
Amy Dillwyns Grave
A man of business | 18
Arthurs Stone
David vs. Goliath? | 20
Battle of Gower
When the land ran red | 22
Beach House Restaurant
From coal to cuisine | 24
The Big Apple
A cider a day keeps the doctor away | 26
Bluepool Corner
A rock-solid day out | 28
Brangwyn Hall
Raising the roof | 30
Broad Pool Nature Reserve
Scorpions and stick insects | 32
Brynteg Petting Farm
A calming cwtch | 34
Cadle Heath
A marvellous mosaic | 36
Captain Cat
A beatific bronze | 38
Caribbean Flamingos
In the pink | 40
Caswell Bay Surfability
Surf s up for every body | 42
Central Police Station
Ello, ello, ello! | 44
Ceri Richards Grave
A brush with greatness | 46
Challenge Valley
No teddy bears picnic | 48
Chicken Corner
Birds of a feather | 50
Cinema & Co
The only independent cinema in Swansea | 52
Clydach Aqueduct
From industry to amenity | 54
Colliery Winch
Rewinding time | 56
Confucius Statue
Confucius said | 58
Crwys Community Woodland
A wheely great place | 60
Crymlyn Bog
From woodland to wetland | 62
Cu Mumbles
The legend lives on | 64
Cwmdonkin Park
Where imagination runs free | 66
Cwmllwyd Wood
Pips and pits | 68
Daniel James Tomb
A pure heart | 70
Dunvant Brickworks
Where orienteering meets industry | 72
Dylan Thomas Birthplace
From plagiarism to poetry | 74
E&R Harding Nature Reserve
Layers of time | 76
Egypt Centre
Not your average lucky dip | 78
Elysium Gallery
Paradise found? | 80
The Environment Centre
Creating a brighter future | 82
Felinfoel Baptismal Pool
A sober celebration | 84
Felinfoel Brewery
A canny business | 86
Fendrod Lake
From flooding to fitness | 88
Fishing Fleet
Changing tides from abundance to alarm | 90
The Flintstones Bus
Raising the roof | 92
Formal Cascades
Grand designs | 94
Fort Crox
See You Later, Alligator | 96
Gower Brewery Tap
Finding Gold | 98
Gower Castaway Adventure
Into the wild | 100
Gower Fresh Lavender
Purple Haze | 102
Gower Salt Marsh
Feasting on the fringe | 104
The Gravity Centre
Thrills and spills for everyone | 106
Hafod-Morfa Copperworks
A tarnished legacy | 108
Hardings Down Hill Forts
Three for the price of one | 110
Helwick Lightship
A smashing rescue | 112
Ivor Allchurch Statue
The golden boy of Welsh football | 114
Joes Ice Cream Parlour
A cool legacy | 116
Kardomah Café
Doctor Who? | 118
Kenfig Castle
A foolish man builds his house on sand | 120
Kenfig Dunes
Blooming sand-sational | 122
Kenfig Town Hall
A not-so-new house | 124
Labyrinth
A community pilgrimage | 126
Llanelli North Dock
From mud flats to Blue Tits | 128
Llanelly House
Wales Finest Georgian Building | 130
Lliw Reservoirs
Accessible adventure | 132
Loughor Castle
A bargain unleashed | 134
Machynys Monks Island
Greener greens | 136
Mad Mouse Roller Coaster
A wild ride | 138
Meridian Tower
Its lonely at the top | 140
Millennium Coastal Path
Birds, beaches and sunsets | 142
Mission Gallery
Prayer, punk and paintings | 144
Môr Hapus
Happy Sea, Happy Me | 146
Mumbles Lighthouse
A solar-powered sentinel | 148
Mumbles Pier
The heroines of 1883 | 150
Neath Abbey
The great land-grab | 152
Neath Abbey Ironworks
Dragons breath forging history | 154
Neath Abbey Waterfall
A powerful force in a peaceful valley | 156
North Dock Engine House
A head for heights? | 158
Oystermouth Castle
A ghost of angels | 160
Park Cwm Long Cairn
Meat off the bone | 162
Parc Howard Museum
Potty about Llanelly | 164
Parkmill Watermill
Flour power | 166
Penderyn Distillery
Bringing whisky home | 168
Penllergare Observatory
Pioneering photography | 170
Penllergare Waterfalls
A polymaths paradise | 172
Pennard Castle
Surrendered to sand | 174
Phil Bennett Statue
A giant statue for a giant of a man | 176
Rhossili Sunflowers
Nothing is quite as it seems | 178
Roman Bridge
A tale of two halves | 180
Sauna on the Beach
A portal to relaxation | 182
Singleton Boating Lake
Leonardos pedaloes | 184
Singleton Botanical Gardens
Hothouse Flowers | 186
Sjømanns Kirken
From pit props to pulpit | 188
St Helens Ground
First, fastest, finest | 190
St Mary Virgin, Rhossili
The coolest stained-glass window | 192
Stradey Park Memorial
Who beat the All Blacks? | 194
Swansea Arena Roof Garden
A dazzling display | 196
Swansea Castle
Quay to the citys success | 198
Swansea Community Farm
The only city farm in Wales | 200
Swansea Footgolf
Bend it like Woosnam | 202
Swansea Jack Memorial
Celebrating the Dog of the Century | 204
Swansea Little Theatre
Small in name, grand in stature | 206
Swansea Museum Façade
Keeping things in perspective | 208
Swansea Observatory
Ready for blast-off | 210
Swiss Cottage
Live so that you may live again | 212
Swiss Valley Reservoir
Quenching Llanellis thirst | 214
Townhill Jewish Cemetery
A congregations journey | 216
Tyn-yr-Heol Depot
Where locks came to life | 218
Vernon Watkins Workplace
Bank clerk, code-breaker and poet | 220
Volcano Theatre
An eruption of creativity | 222
Votes for Women
No Persons Here | 224
Weobley Castle
A stewards stronghold | 226
Whitford Point Lighthouse
On the rocks | 228
Woodland Burial Ground
A peaceful corner in Oystermouth Cemetery | 230
Julia Goodfellow-Smith loved her life in the Midlands, but it was missing one important thing; the sea. On arriving in Llanelli, she and her husband started exploring and found unexpected treasures. In this book, she shares her love of the area and some of the best things she found.
