Llantwit Major

Another of the Vale of Glamorgan's coastal towns is Llantwit Major, where ancient stone buildings line tiny narrow streets just up from a beach that is perfect for surfing and joining local walking routes.

Perhaps the greatest period in the town's history occurred around 500 AD. Llantwit Major, then known as Llanilltud Fawr, established the first Christian College in Britain. Indeed, the Guiness Book of Records states that the oldest school in Britain was at Llanilltud Fawr. Legend has it that St David, St Gildas and Samson of Dol were pupils at this establishment. Even St Patrick is believed to have been educated here before he was abducted to Ireland and later became the patron saint.

During the late 16th and early 17th century, Llantwit Major became a prosperous community. Among the many buildings still to be seen that were built in that period are the Old Swan Inn and the Old White Hart.

Saint Illtud's Church, which was described by John Wesley in 1777 as "the most beautiful as well as the most spacious church in Wales", has a very long history. Christ has been worshipped here for about 1500 years, since Illtud established a church, monestary and school by the side of the Ogney Brook. It became the burial place of local kings and an important mission centre. It also contains one of the most significant collections of Celtic stones in Wales.

The town still retains its air of antiquity with its maze of little lanes and old-world shops, narrow streets, quaint stone cottages and old inns. About a mile from the town centre is a small beach - a mix of pebbles, rock pools and sand, with a cliff top scenery.

Cliff walks are all signposted with leaflets available from the Llantwit Major Vistors Centre, and the coast here is a wonderful starting point to get out and explore the Glamorgan Heritage Coast.

If you follow the coastal walk to the west it is just a short distance to St Donats Castle, which also houses St Donats Arts Centre, the Vale's largest arts venue which offers music, theatre and cinema, and also hosts the 'Beyond the Border' international storytelling festival.

Further along the coast are two lighthouses at Nash Point, which are a testament to the treacherous nature of a coast once famous for its wrecks and smugglers, while at the western edge of the Vale of Glamorgan are two more beaches at Southerndown and Ogmore.