Swansea, Wales's second city, lies forty five miles west of Cardiff. Wedged between the sea and the mountains, its bustling city centre and waterfront area is compact and easy to explore on foot, with plenty of bars, galleries, coffee shops and restaurants on offer when shopping and sight seeing begin to pall.
SA1 and the Maritime Quarter
In between the National Waterfront Museum and Swansea's LC2 (or the Leisure centre, as it used to be known) lies a public space used for assorted celebratory functions. Sometimes it'll be Art in the City, sometimes it'll be a Swansea Sound Extravaganza, sometimes it'll be a takeover by a local charitable group for a fund raising event.
This whole area used to be docklands and railway sidings. For many years, it was derelict, forgotten and unloved, but now it's part of Swansea's Maritime Quarter development, bordering on the trendy SA1 precinct and the Marina, that dreamy, watery part of town where the river Tawe meets the sea under the watchful eye of gulls, seals and cormorants.
The National Waterfront Museum, the Dylan Thomas Centre, the boats in the Marina, the glorious new library and the very tall tower with coffee bar,restaurant and spectacular views of Swansea Bay from the top all add extra dimensions of interest and make this little corner of the Welsh coastline well worth exploring. You can follow the promenade east from the library, cut up left through the Marina and turn right over the Sail Bridge into SA1 to discover parts of Swansea which are still re-inventing themselves.
Waterfront Winterland
For a few magical weeks between mid-November and early January, the public space where city centre meets Marina is taken over by Swansea's Waterfront Winterland. There's a skating rink, a ferris wheel, mulled wine, hog roast, carousels, kiddy rides and enough sparkling fairylights to satisfy even the most demanding of Christmas junkies.
Riding the ferris wheel on a clear winter's day gives the most wonderful views of Swansea's hills and seafront, whilst at night, the Christmas lights and the skating rink turn the familiar landscape into a strange exotic country that needs to be explored all over again. If it's a clear day in winter, it'll be chilly at the top of the ferris wheel, so make sure you wrap up warm!
This year, the Winterland has introduced the Scary Mouse ride – it's not very tall and doesn't look intimidating from below, but the sharp right angled bends will take your breath away.
This year's Waterfront Winterland is open now and stays open until January 8th; it's an ideal after dark treat for the festive season with all the edginess of a funfair enclosed in a small safe space with bars,restaurants and warmth close by when it's time for a rest.
