Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major is a small seaside town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the Bristol Channel coastline. It is among four 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 came to the area from Brittany, Gaul. He founded the abbey of Illtud and the college linked to it, Cor Tewdws, which would become one of the most renowned Christian schools of the times. At peak it brought in over 2000 students, including princes and various eminent clergymen, some now revered as saints. The modern-day town of Llantwit developed rather quickly in the 20th century to accommodate Royal Air Force workers from the base established at neighboring St Athan, but it holds on to its medieval cobbled streets and structures of the 15th and 16th centuries. Collugh Beach is a popular surfing site 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 local retail and earnings from more afield. The bulk of the residents commute to work elsewhere, primarily Cardiff or Bridgend. During the course of the summer months tourism is essential to the town which has "The Precinct", Rainbow Plaza and numerous bars 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 improvements, make certain to identify credible experts in Llantwit Major to make certain of quality.