Click on a city, town or village on the map to view holiday accommodation in that place
and the surrounding area. Or to view all listed places in this area, click
here.
County Population: 120,000 (estimate)
The
Vale of Glamorgan used to be part of the much larger county of Glamorganshire,
and now covers an area of 337 sq km (130 sq miles). Although called a
'vale', the county is actually a fertile plateau area that varies in height
from 60 to 120 m (200 to 400 feet). The landscape comprises of rolling
farmland with many small villages centred around churches. The Vale of
Glamorgan abruptly ends at the coast in cliffs averaging 30 m (100 feet)
high.
First
settled in prehistoric times, Glamorgan was later occupied by the Romans
who built the Via Julia Maritima, a military road from Gloucester in England
to St David's in Pembrokeshire, with a way station within the Vale of
Glamorgan. The area was later invaded by the Normans in the 11th century,
when many castles were built throughout South Wales. The Vale of Glamorgan
was largely an agricultural county, but recently manufacturing and service
industries have grown rapidly.
Some
6 km (4 miles) north of Barry, and not far from the 20 hectare (50 acre)
Dyffryn Gardens, is St Lythans, where there are two Neolithic burial sites,
believed to be 2,500 years old. Porthkerry Country Park, a short distance
west of Barry, is a valley with wooded hills and cliffs. At Llantwit Major
a church with a 1,000-year-old font stands on the site of an earlier monastery.
By clicking on an icon below, you can return to the home page, request help or move to the top of this page respectively.
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
