Llantwit Major is a small seaside town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the Bristol Channel coast. It is one of 4 towns in the Vale of Glamorgan and the third largest by population (13,366 (2001) after Barry and Penarth. The town's name in Welsh, Llanilltud Fawr, stemmed from the name of Saint Illtud, who arrived at the region from Brittany, Gaul. He established the abbey of Illtud and the college connected to it, Cor Tewdws, which would come to be one of the most prestigious Christian colleges of the times. At peak it drew in over 2000 students, featuring princes and multiple noteworthy clergymen, some now revered as saints. The modern-day town of Llantwit established rapidly in the 20th century to accommodate Royal Air Force personnel from the base constructed at nearby St Athan, but it maintains its medieval cobbled streets and buildings of the 15th and 16th centuries. Collugh Beach is a popular surfing location 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 kilometre)-long shoreline safeguarded under the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, which extends from Gileston in the east to Newton Point beyond Southerndown in the west. Llantwit Major is largely reliant on regional retail and incomes from more afield. Most of the residents commute to work elsewhere, especially Cardiff or Bridgend. During the summer months tourism is very important to the town which has "The Precinct", Rainbow Plaza and many clubs and restaurants. 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 refurbishments, make certain to identify dependable experts in Llantwit Major to make certain of quality.