Local son Dylan Thomas had something of a love-hate relationship with the place, but, perched on a glorious stretch of Welsh coastline, the city of Swansea is bouncing back after years of economic decline, writes LAURA SLATTERY
‘AN UGLY, lovely town . . . crawling, sprawling . . . by the side of a long and splendid curving shore,” wrote Dylan Thomas, Swansea’s most famous cultural export, of his home town. Six decades later it’s a description that still fits the Welsh port. It’s certainly one that its residents prefer to
Lonely Planet
’s 2004 typically harsh verdict of the city as “an ashtray of a place”.
Stepping out of Swansea’s train station on to its high street, you find a grim collision between 1950s box-shaped buildings and run-down, boarded-up shops, more than likely bathed in grey Welsh drizzle.
Wales’s second city, by turns industrial powerhouse and post-industrial wasteland, is as powerless to avoid recession now as it was to avoid the bombs that rained on its commercial centre during the second World War.
But while the city at the mouth of the River Tawe (Swansea is known as Abertawe in Welsh) may have been excavated and blitzed into near oblivion in the last century, the 21st century has seen it make strides toward rehabilitation. Its regeneration is not as showy or as obvious as that of its neighbour Cardiff, but then Swansea is too small to engage in any serious rivalry. In any case, it has an obvious advantage over the Welsh capital, one that Dylan Thomas’s reminiscences only hint at. It’s got beaches.
Located on the brink of the Gower Peninsula, home to a generous series of undeveloped beaches and wild scenery, Swansea is an ideal base for coastal walkers who don’t want to camp or submit to the two- or three-night-stay policies that often apply to the most luxurious Gower resorts during peak season.
Heavy rainfall in Wales means that staying in Swansea is a good way of hedging your bets, even if most of your plans do revolve around the more remote, picturesque areas, as the city is host to a cluster of well- curated museums and a family-friendly leisure centre – all with that vital roof over your head.
Before you get to Gower, there is the joy of Swansea Bay itself. Overlooked by hills lined with pastel-shaded Victorian houses, its “splendid curve” stretches from the city centre’s easy-going marina district along almost 10km of beachfront walking and cycle paths to the western end of the crescent bay.
Here it culminates in Mumbles, a cute seaside satellite of Swansea that manages to be both refined and lacking in pretension. Mumbles' most famous daughter, the actor Catherine Zeta-Jones, has a house nearby, although these days there's a younger blonde – Joanna Page, aka Stacey of Gavin & Stacey– snatching the headlines in the local newspaper.
As Mumbles marks the frontier between Swansea Bay and the Gower itself, it is worth considering staying in one of its seafront guest houses, from where you can commute via bus or bike to the city centre or walk around the headland to Limeslade Bay, and as far as the Gower beaches of Langland and Caswell.
Swansea’s bus centre, next to the Quadrant Shopping Centre, was busy being flattened and rebuilt while I was there, but from nearby Craddock Street non-drivers can catch buses out to the Gower (although their frequency tails off after working hours). The best views aren’t reachable by car, bus or bike but on foot, via a series of generally well-marked paths.
I started at the surfer beach of Port Eynon and rounded the wild headland into Oxwich Bay, the longest and most glorious of the Gower beaches and the only one with a natural stopover point – Oxwich Bay Hotel. Both Oxwich and Three Cliffs Bay, which lies to the east of the inlet, are marked by “pills” – fast streams that flow into the sea, forcing walkers to take off their socks and shoes or take the long way around. The wind fairly shifts it round these parts, too. As I lumbered across the orange horseshoe of Pobbles beach, the most easterly part of Three Cliffs Bay, it was swept by a mild sandstorm that unmercifully slapped into the amateur abseilers attempting to scale a craggy archway with their backs exposed to the ocean.
The Gower Peninsula was chosen as Britain’s first area of outstanding beauty back in 1956, so it would be a deep pity to go to Swansea and skip it. But, closer to civilisation, there is also much to see and do.
The touchscreen-filled National Waterfront Museum is probably the pick of the indoor visitor attractions, essential if you have even a passing interest in the history of the industrial revolution.
The overwhelming interactivity means there is the potential to spend hours staring at wall-sized video screens exploring maps of the area. Or you can let yourself be drawn into the local highlights of the landmark 1851 census, which found that more people in Wales worked in towns and factories than in the countryside – the first time this had happened in any country.
These days things are somewhat quieter in this corner of Britain. The mock-Tudor buildings on Wind Street housing the pub chains (Yates et al) may emit lurid neon flashes after dark, but the bouncers flanking the doors look bored for lack of custom.
Where once labour-intensive anthracite was hard currency, now the photovoltaic panels outside Swansea University provide the cleaner, greener alternative. The lower Tawe Valley is no longer scarred by defunct open-cast mines, and the good news for scenery- sucking visitors is that no one’s in any rush to carve up the surrounding hills. The planning objections to noise-polluting wind plants have come thick and fast, and Swansea Bay itself is interrupted by just one solitary turbine. The 28-storey Meridian Quay tower, the tallest in Wales, is far more imposing; a penthouse restaurant run by Bryony Jones, head chef at Darcy’s – see 5 places to eat, right – is due to open here soon.
“This sea-town was my world,” wrote Thomas (after he decamped to Manhattan). For a cultural weekend, the starting point for a hiking holiday or as a combined citybreak with nearby Cardiff, you can make it yours.
Of course, Thomas was a womanising, self-destructive alcoholic. But I’m sure that wasn’t Swansea’s fault.
Go There
The Swansea-Cork ferry stopped in 2006; Fastnet Line may reopen the route next March. In the meantime, Irish Ferries (irishferries.com) sails from Rosslare to Pembroke and Stena Line (stenaline.ie) sails to Fishguard, both two hours drive away. Aer Arann (aer arann.com) flies to Cardiff from Dublin and Cork; Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies from Dublin; take a bus to Cardiff Central station and hop on a train to Swansea.
5 places to stay
The Grand Hotel. Ivey Place, High Street, 00-44-1792-645898, thegrandhotelswansea.co.uk. A good-value, comfortable hotel that’s recently been refurbished but has kept the original ornate corridor decoration.
The White House Hotel. Nyanza Terrace, 00-44-1792-473856, thewhitehouse-hotel.com. Situated at the foot of Swansea’s leafy Uplands, this Victorian guest house has rooms (and beds) that are on the compact side, but the breakfasts are top class.
Morgans Hotel. Somerset Road, 00-44-800-9883001, morganshotel.co.uk. Stylish boutique hotel in the maritime quarter, housed in a listed building that was once home to the port authority.
The Coast House. Mumbles Road, Mumbles 00-44-1792- 368702, thecoasthouse.co.uk. This seafront BB is in a lovely spot if you prefer to base yourself at the Mumbles end of Swansea Bay, close to the Gower.
Premier Inn. Salubrious Place, Swansea, 00-44-870- 9906562, premierinn.com. The convenient location is close to the museum-laden marina district and the beach, as well as the pubs and clubs of Wind Street.
5 places to eat
No Sign Bar. Wind Street, 00-44-1792-456110. Nice armchairs make this old-school pub a relaxing place for lunch and respite from the rain. One of many joints to claim Dylan Thomas as a frequent visitor, but he was a hard drinker, so it’s probably true.
Darcy’s Restaurant. Mumbles Road, Mumbles, 00-44-1792-361616. The Mumbles end of Swansea Bay has some of the area’s best restaurants. It would be a crime against food not to try the pine-nut-stuffed braised lamb and Chocolate Nemesis dessert at this one.
Patricks with Rooms. Mumbles Road, Mumbles, 00-44-1792-360199, patrickswithrooms.com. The food at this lively upmarket restaurant is well respected by locals. As the name suggests, you can also stay here. The 16 rooms all have different colour schemes; take your pick when booking online.
The Pump House. Maritime Quarter, 00-44-1792-651080. A good post-museum lunch spot, excellent for bangers and mash made from award-winning Welsh sausages (plus a pint or two), while savouring a view of the peaceful marina.
Didier Stephanie. St Helen’s Road, 00-44-1792-655603. This intimate French restaurant (with lots of Welsh specialties on the menu) is the best option for a romantic meal in Swansea city centre. Booking is advisable – as is the duck.
5 places to go
Dylan Thomas Centre. Somerset Place, 00-44-1792-463980. Although the poet died aged 39, he left behind a legacy of work that is now a vital part of Swansea folklore, all of which is celebrated at this exhibition.
National Waterfront Museum. Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter, 00-44-1792-638950, museumwales.ac.uk/en/ swansea. An ultramodern homage to science and history, this well-funded museum, open since 2005, is easy on fusty glass cabinets and high on fascination.
Mumbles Pier. Mumbles Road, Mumbles, 00-44-1792- 365220, mumbles-pier.co.uk. There’s a 50p (55c) charge for walking to the end of this short pier at the western end of the bay, but it’s worth every penny. Complete with amusements and ice-cream vendors.
Swansea Museum. Victoria Road, Maritime Quarter, 00-44-1792-653763 swanseaheritage.net/ museums/swanmu.asp. The oldest museum in Wales, this is currently hosting an excellent exhibition on crime and punishment throughout the ages, featuring an array of knuckledusters, birches, whips, scold’s bridles and stocks.
Gower Peninsula. 00-44-1792-468321, visitswanseabay.com. In South Gower you’ll find a delightful string of unspoilt beaches with swimmable ocean, punctuated by heather-strewn headlands, nature reserves and the occasional ruins of Tudor castles.
Hot spot
Castle Square, Swansea. swanseacastlesquare.wordpress.com. This green space opposite what’s left of Swansea Castle boasts a giant screen and is a popular venue for concerts, opera, theatre and public events.
Shop spot
Lovespoon Gallery, Mumbles Road, Mumbles, 00-44-1792-360132, lovespoons.co.uk. Swansea’s pedestrianised shopping area is unremarkable, so small craft shops are the order of the day. The Lovespoon Gallery exhibits a selection of these most Welsh of souvenirs.