Llantwit Major is a modest seaside town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the Bristol Channel shore. It is among four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan and the third greatest 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 area from Brittany, Gaul. He started the abbey of Illtud and the college linked to it, Cor Tewdws, which would grow into among the most prestigious Christian schools of the times. At peak it attracted over 2000 students, including princes and many eminent clergymen, some now revered as saints. The modern-day town of Llantwit established rather quickly in the 20th century to accommodate Royal Air Force employees 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 site and has the remnants of an Iron Age fort and some of the finest examples of Jurassic-period fossils in Wales. The pebble beach and its impressive clifftops are part of a 14 miles (23 kilometre)-long coastline safeguarded under the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, which extends from Gileston in the east to Newton Point beyond Southerndown in the west. Llantwit Major is mostly reliant on local retail and profits from additional afield. Most of the inhabitants commute to work elsewhere, particularly Cardiff or Bridgend. Through the summer months tourism is very important to the town which has "The Precinct", Rainbow Plaza and numerous 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 of your home makeovers, be sure to identify trusted professionals in Llantwit Major to make certain of quality.