In the last week of September, we travelled to Ogmore-by-Sea for a one-night stay at a friendly B&B - Rockleigh, run by Christina and Colin. On the way to Rockleigh, we stopped for Sunday lunch at the fabulous Pelican in Her Piety pub in Ogmore, just across the road from the ruins of Ogmore Castle and the stepping-stones across the river to Merthyr Mawr. After a fabulous Sunday lunch (the beef, lamb and the Yorkshire puddings are sensational), we drove to the beach at Southerndown. Known as part of the Heritage Coast, this part of South Wales boasts sandy beaches and 200 million year old liassic limestone cliffs, and offers fabulous walking, surfing and beaches that are particularly quiet out-of-season.

That evening, we spent a pleasant hour or two at the Sea Lawns hotel before returning to our guest house for the night. After a hearty Welsh breakfast, we moved further along the coast to the Gower peninsula. Not far from Oxwich is the holiday resort of Porthcawl, with the favoured Rest Bay being one of the places that the Tovey family enjoyed many picnics and days out when we were children. We're delighted to say that it hasn't changed a bit! After a bracing walk along the beach, the short drive to Swansea (wow, what a change since the 70s!) and Mumbles brought us to Bracelet Bay for lunch. From there, it was a short drive (via the old holiday favourites of Caswell Bay and Langland Bay) to our hotel for two nights - the Oxwich Bay Hotel.

Situated at on end of the sweeping beach at Oxwich bay, the hotel is ideally situated for walkers, beachcombers, bird watchers and (in late season) is perfect for a quiet break away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. The hotel has a number of rooms, chalets and caravans and boasts an excellent restaurant. Part of the charm of the hotel is the Fawlty Towers approach to customers from the (largely) eastern-European staff. Both of our meals in the restaurant were of high quality (the pork medallions on apple and calvados mash was absolutely sensational), and the entertainment provided by "Basil" and his crew was priceless. Having said that, kudos to Joe (the restaurant manager whilst we were there) for sorting out the chaos and keeping everyone happy.

On our only full day's holiday without travelling, we decided to explore the Gower in full, visiting Port Eynon, the (even more deserted) beach at Rhosilli, and Worm's Head. The weather was good for September, starting off a bit murky but quickly turning to bright, warm sunshine. Given the weather, we decided to visit the Welsh Wildfowl and Wetland Centre near Llanelli. Not really sure what to expect, we were really impressed by the centre and the large variety (and number) of birds to be seen. The following photographs show just a few different varieties - many of which are so tame that they feed from your hands, so the centre is a fantastic resource where Welsh children can learn about nature.

All in all, although we only had three day's holiday, the South Wales coast, and in particular the Gower Peninsula, is a wonderful place to visit. Even if the wind blows and the sun is reluctant to appear, there is so much to do and see that the days seem to pass far too quickly. Next time, we'll stay for longer.