Transport options, expert advice, helpful guides and brochures and more. Everything you need to organise your visit to the Vale of Glamorgan.
Plan your stay
stay a little longer
One day creates memories. A weekend creates stories.
You could go home.
Or you could watch the evening settle over the coast, book that table for dinner and wake up with another whole day in the Vale ahead of you.
It begins with a day out...A walk along the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. A few hours on Barry Island. Lunch in Cowbridge. A wander along Penarth Pier. Then you spot another beach. Hear about a vineyard. Find another restaurant you want to try. Perhaps you should stay....
Slow the pace and discover more of the Vale. Wake up beside the coast, browse independent shops in vibrant market towns, enjoy local food and drink, relax at a spa and watch the sun set before doing it all again tomorrow.
The Vale of Glamorgan offers the perfect combination of coast, countryside, heritage, food and hospitality, making it an ideal destination for spontaneous summer days out and short breaks.
Where will you wake up?
Near the sea in Penarth? In the countryside around Cowbridge? Close to the cliffs and beaches of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast?
The Vale is full of places to make your own for a night or two.
Check into a hotel, find a cosy guest house, escape to a self-catering cottage or sleep closer to nature with a camping or glamping stay. Unpack. Switch off. You’ve got time.
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Your 2 days in the Vale.. just a suggestion
Start in Penarth with a walk along the Esplanade and a view from the pier. Stop for coffee, then follow the coast west.
Spend the afternoon exploring Barry Island or go further, towards Llantwit Major and the Glamorgan Heritage Coast.
The next day, slow things down. Wander Cowbridge’s High Street and hidden arcades, head into the rural Vale and seek out a local producer or vineyard.
Two days. Coast, countryside and plenty of stops in between.
Escape together
No complicated plans. No packed schedule.
Just time.
Walk the clifftops at Nash Point. Take a slow afternoon in Cowbridge. Book dinner in Penarth or disappear into the rural Vale for a night away from the everyday.
The Vale is close enough for a spontaneous escape and different enough to feel like you’ve properly gone away.
Stay for the evening
Day visitors miss something.
They miss the quiet after a day on the coast. Dinner without watching the time. The last light over the water and the comfort of knowing you don't have to drive home.
Stay for the evening. Order dessert. Have another drink. Then wake up ready to explore all over again.
Whether it's a boutique hotel, a cosy cottage, a spa retreat or a vineyard stay, the perfect place to stay can become part of the experience itself.
Sometimes where you stay isn't just part of the trip.
It is the trip.
🛏️ Three perfect days in the Vale 🛏️
Think you’ve seen the Vale in a day?
Stay a little longer.
Give us three days and we’ll give you Victorian seaside views, colourful coastal character, wild coastline, market town wandering and plenty of local flavours along the way.
Here’s one way to spend the perfect shortbreak in the Vale.
Day one | Seaside icons and Barry character
10am | Start beside the sea in Penarth
Your short break starts on Penarth Esplanade.
Take a walk along the seafront and out onto the town’s iconic Victorian pier. Breathe in the sea air, look across the Bristol Channel and officially switch to holiday mode.
11am | Coffee with a sea view
Find a spot overlooking the water and take your time over coffee.
No rushing.
You’ve got three whole days ahead of you.
12pm | Follow the coast to Barry
Next stop: Barry.
Head to Barry Island and take a stroll along Whitmore Bay. Walk the promenade, feel the sand between your toes or simply find a bench and watch the seaside world go by.
Bright, bold and full of character, this is one of the Vale’s most iconic coastal stops.
1pm | Lunch at Goodsheds
From seaside nostalgia to something a little different.
Head to Goodsheds, jam packed full of independent shops and food destination, created from a transformed railway goods shed.
Explore the independent businesses, choose something delicious for lunch and find a spot to settle in.
Everyone wants something different?
Perfect.
3pm | Discover another side of Barry
Take a little time to explore Barry beyond the beach.
Browse independent businesses, discover the town’s creative side or head back towards the coast for one more walk.
Barry Island might be the icon.
But there’s more to Barry.
5pm | Check in and slow down
Make your way to your Vale base and unpack for two nights.
A coastal hotel? A countryside retreat? A cosy cottage tucked away in the rural Vale?
The choice is yours.
8pm | Dinner and drinks
Head out for dinner and raise a glass to the best part of a short break.
Tomorrow, there’s no journey home.
Day two | Take the long way round
9am | Breakfast, then head west
Take your time over breakfast before making for the Glamorgan Heritage Coast.
Fourteen miles of dramatic coastline are waiting.
10.30am | Walk the coast
Head to Nash Point and follow part of the Coast and Lighthouse Walk.
Pass the lighthouse, take in the cliffs and stop whenever the view demands it.
This isn’t a race.
1pm | A well-earned lunch
Fresh air has done its job.
Find a country pub or coastal stop and settle in for lunch.
Muddy boots welcome. Big appetites encouraged.
3pm | Discover Llantwit Major
Spend the afternoon in historic Llantwit Major.
Wander through the town, discover its historic buildings and explore the stories of one of the Vale’s most characterful places.
Then? Coffee.
Obviously.
5pm | One more coastal stop
Make your way towards Dunraven Bay or Ogmore-by-Sea for another glimpse of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast.
Walk on the sand. Explore the shoreline. Or simply sit and take in the view.
8pm | Stay for sunset
Find your spot beside the sea.
Watch the evening light change over the Bristol Channel and enjoy the moment day visitors often miss.
Then head back to your accommodation.
Same bed. No packing yet.
Explore the Glamorgan Heritage Coast
Day three | Taste the rural Vale
9am | One more slow morning
Breakfast first.
Check out when you’re ready and head towards Cowbridge and the rural Vale.
Your short break isn’t over yet.
10.30am | Wander Cowbridge
Explore the Vale’s historic market town.
Browse the independent shops along the High Street, disappear into hidden alleyways and arcades and take a quiet wander through the Physic Garden.
Visiting on a Saturday? Make time for Cowbridge Farmers’ Market.
12.30pm | Lunch with a view
Head to Forage Farm Shop & Kitchen on the Penllyn Estate.
With seasonal food,local produce and views across the Thaw Valley, it’s a fitting final lunch.
Take your time.
2.30pm | Meet the makers
Before heading home, discover another taste of the Vale.
Visit a local produceror book a vineyard experience in the countryside around Cowbridge.
Explore the vines, discover what’s produced here and raise one last glass to your Vale escape.
4.30pm | One last stop
Coffee? Cake? Ice cream?
Go on.
Your journey home can wait another half an hour.
Three days well spent
A Victorian seaside pier. Barry Island and Goodsheds. Fourteen miles of Heritage Coast. Historic towns, local food and sunsets over the sea.
And you thought you were only coming for the day.
Stay a little longer.
Go on. One more night.
One more sunrise. One more coffee. One more place you didn’t know you needed to see.
Stay a little longer in the Vale of Glamorgan.
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