Wales of a Time IV - Swansea

 

      Our plan before Nan broke her ankle was to spend several more days in Wales hiking on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path before heading to London and research at the British National Library.  Needless to say with the broken ankle we had to change those plans.  Nan had visited Wales once before and talked about seeing the beaches and area around Mumbles on Wales southern coast.  Mumbles is a resort community within the boundaries of the city of Swansea, which is located east south east from Cardiff.

      On reaching Mumbles we had a snack at a waterfront cafe which overlooked Swansea Bay(scones with strawberries and welsh muffins) and then rode a tram which took us past the shops and homes of Mumbles.

     At Mumbles pier, we looked out to Mumbles Head with its lighthouse(under renovation) which was originally built in 1794.

      At the other end of town, we visited Oystermouth Castle, built originally in about 1106 as part of the Norman's efforts to extend their control into Wales. The day we visited there was an open house and we were able to take a guided tour with a very knowledgeable volunteer historian.  They were celebrating a massive restoration project which had just been completed allowing visitors to visit parts of the ruins which haven't been seen for several centuries.

     
      The view from the front gate of the castles shows why it was located at the top of this hill.  The whole coastline of Mumbles can be seen, including an 11th century Norman church.