Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major is a modest seaside town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the Bristol Channel coast. It is among 4 towns in the Vale of Glamorgan and the 3rd largest by population (13,366 (2001) after Barry and Penarth. The town's name in Welsh, Llanilltud Fawr, is derived from the name of Saint Illtud, who came to the region from Brittany, Gaul. He started the monastery of Illtud and the college connected to it, Cor Tewdws, which would grow into one of the most esteemed Christian colleges of the times. At peak it attracted over 2000 students, including princes and numerous prominent clergymen, some now revered as saints. The modern town of Llantwit established rapidly in the 20th century to accommodate Royal Air Force personnel from the base constructed at nearby St Athan, however it retains its medieval cobbled streets and buildings of the 15th and 16th centuries. Collugh Beach is a popular surfing venue and has the remnants of an Iron Age fort and a few of the finest examples of Jurassic-period fossils in Wales. The pebble beach and its dramatic clifftops are part of a 14 miles (23 km)-long coastline safeguarded under the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, which stretches from Gileston in the east to Newton Point beyond Southerndown in the west. Llantwit Major is mostly reliant on regional retail and earnings from additional afield. Most of the occupants commute to work elsewhere, particularly Cardiff or Bridgend. Throughout the summer months tourism is crucial to the town which has "The Precinct", Rainbow Plaza and various bars and eateries. Of note are the Old Swan Inn, Old White Hart Inn, The Tudor Tavern, and the 17th century West House Country Hotel Heritage Restaurant. For all your home renovations, be sure to identify reliable professionals in Llantwit Major to make certain of quality.