Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE MUMBLES
(Y MWMBWLS)
Strung out along the shoreline at the southern end of Swansea Bay, Mumbles has been
Swansea's seaside retreat since 1807, when the Oystermouth Railway was opened. Built for
transporting coal, the horse-drawn carriages were soon converted for paying customers,
and the now defunct Mumbles train became the first passenger railway service in the
world.
Once again fashionable, with bars and restaurants vying for trade along the promenade,
Mumbles received a boost to its reputation when its most famous daughter, Hollywood act-
ress Catherine Zeta-Jones, built a £2 million luxury mansion at Limeslade, on the south
side of the peninsula. Singer Bonnie Tyler also has a home here.
The origin of Mumbles' unusual name is uncertain, although one theory is that it's a leg-
acy of French seamen who nicknamed the twin rounded rocks at the tip of the headland
Les
Mamelles - '
the breasts'.
Sights
Mumbles Pier
( 01792-365220;
www.mumbles-pier.co.uk
;
Mumbles Rd)
At the end of a mile-long strip of pastel-
painted houses, pubs and restaurants is a rocky headland abutted by a Victorian pier with a
sandy beach below. Built in 1898, it houses the usual amusement arcade and a once-grand
cafe festooned with chandeliers.
PIER
Oystermouth Castle
(
www.abertawe.gov.uk/oystermouthcastle
;
Castle Ave; adult/child £2.50/1.50; 11am-5pm mid-June-Sep)
It
wouldn't be Wales without a castle, hence the trendy shops and bars of Newton Rd are
guarded by a majestic ruin. Once the stronghold of the Norman lords of Gower, it's now
the focus of summer Shakespeare performances. There's a fine view over Swansea Bay
from the battlements.
CASTLE
Sleeping
