The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...

in the south-east of

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

to the east,

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vill ...

to the north, and the Bristol Channel to the south. With an economy based largely on agriculture and chemicals, it is the southernmost

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

in Wales. Attractions include Barry Island Pleasure Park, the Barry Tourist Railway, Medieval wall paintings in St Cadoc's Church, Llancarfan, Porthkerry Park,

St Donat's Castle St Donat's Castle ( cy, Castell Sain Dunwyd), St Donats, Wales, is a medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, about to the west of Cardiff, and about to the west of Llantwit Major. Positioned on cliffs overlooking the Bristol Channel, the si ...

Cosmeston Lakes Country Park Cosmeston Lakes Country Park is a public country park in Wales, owned and managed by Vale of Glamorgan Council. It is situated between Penarth and Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, 7.3 miles (11.7 kilometres) from Cardiff. On 1 May 2013 the country pa ...

and

Cosmeston Medieval Village Cosmeston Medieval Village is a living history medieval village near Lavernock in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Based upon remains discovered during a 1980s archaeology, archaeological dig in the grounds of Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, it is a ...

. The largest town is Barry. Other towns include Penarth, Llantwit Major, and Cowbridge. There are many villages in the county borough.

History

The area is the southernmost part of the county of Glamorgan. Between the

11th century The 11th century is the period from 1001 ( MI) through 1100 ( MC) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the 1st century of the 2nd millennium. In the history of Europe, this period is considered the early part of the High Middle Ages. ...

and 1536 the area was part of the Lordship of Glamorgan. In medieval times, the village of Cosmeston, near what is today Penarth in the south east of the county, grew up around a fortified manor house constructed sometime around the 12th century by the De Costentin family. The De Costentins, who originated on the Cotentin peninsula in northern France, were among the first Norman invaders of Wales in the early 12th century following

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

's invasion of neighbouring England in 1066. The village would have consisted of a number of small stone round houses, or crofts, with

thatched Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...

roofs. Clemenstone, to the west, was the seat of several high sheriffs of Glamorganshire, including John Curre who was known to have occupied the estate in 1712. William Curre, known to have lived in Clemenstone in 1766, was also an occupant of

Itton Court Itton Court, Itton, Devauden, Monmouthshire is a country house. The origin of the house was as an outstation for Chepstow Castle. In the 18th century, much of the medieval manor was pulled down and replaced. Further additions and alterations were m ...

in Monmouthshire. In the early 19th century, Lady Sale née Wynch, wife of Sir Robert Sale, spent much of her early life on the Clemenstone Estate. In 1974, the Vale of Glamorgan Borough was created, with a population of 103,000. The Vale of Glamorgan was a second tier

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

, part of the new county of

South Glamorgan , Government= South Glamorgan County Council , Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–) , Start= 1974 , End= 1996 , Arms= , HQ= ...

, under the Local Government Act 1972. It created several problems in local governance, between the

South Glamorgan County Council South Glamorgan County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir De Morgannwg) was the local government authority that administered the county of South Glamorgan, Wales from its creation in 1974 until its abolition in 1996. History Local government in England and ...

, Cardiff City Council and the

Vale of Glamorgan Borough Council The Vale of Glamorgan Borough Council was the local authority for the Vale of Glamorgan in South Glamorgan, Wales, created in 1974 and reconstituted in 1996 as the Vale of Glamorgan Council unitary authority. It was a second tier district authority ...

owing to their conflicting interests. It was a turbulent time for governance in the city of Cardiff, as for the first time in its history it had to share authority with the county council, which was larger and better resourced. In April 1996, the Vale of Glamorgan became a

(unitary authority) of Wales.

Geography

Located immediately to the west of Cardiff between the M4 motorway and the

Severn Estuary The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...

, the Vale of Glamorgan covers 33,097 hectares (130 square miles) and has of coastline. The largest centre of population is Barry (51,502 inhabitants). Other towns include Cowbridge (6,180), Dinas Powys (7,799), Llantwit Major (10,621) and Penarth (22,083). Much of the population inhabits villages, hamlets and individual farms. The area is low-lying, with a maximum height of above sea level at Tair Onen to the east of Cowbridge. The borough borders

to the north east,

to the north,

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...

to the north west and the Bristol Channel to the south. The yellow-grey cliffs on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast (which stretches between

Gileston Gileston ( cy, Silstwn) is a small Welsh village near West Aberthaw in ''Bro Morgannwg'' (the Vale of Glamorgan) on the coast of South Wales. Location It is located some 15 miles along the coast from Cardiff and lies between Barry and Llantwit ...

and Ogmore-by-Sea) are unique on the

Celtic Sea The Celtic Sea ; cy, Y Môr Celtaidd ; kw, An Mor Keltek ; br, Ar Mor Keltiek ; french: La mer Celtique is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of Ireland bounded to the east by Saint George's Channel; other limits includ ...

coastline (i.e.

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

) as they are formed of a combination of liassic

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, shale and carboniferous

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

/limestone. They were formed 200 million years ago when the whole area lay underneath a warm, shallow, equatorial sea at the start of the Jurassic Era. Thus today the cliffs contain traces of Jurassic sea creatures, such as ammonites. The stratification of overlapping shale, sandstone and limestone was caused by a geological upheaval known as the

Variscan orogeny The Variscan or Hercynian orogeny was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea. Nomenclature The name ''Variscan'', comes f ...

, which pushed the cliffs out of the sea, contorting them as they did so. This stratification can also be found on other parts of the Celtic seaboard, such as

Bude Bude (; kw, Porthbud) is a seaside town in north east Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Bude-Stratton and at the mouth of the River Neet (also known locally as the River Strat). It was sometimes formerly known as Bude Haven.''Corn ...

in Cornwall, across the Bristol Channel. The calcium carbonate (

) in the soil allows crops to be grown which would be difficult elsewhere in Wales or the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glo ...

: most of the West Country has poor quality and mainly acidic Devonian soils). The liassic limestone and carboniferous sandstone are also used in the Vale as building materials; in previous centuries it was taken by sloops across the Bristol Channel to North Cornish ports such as Bude,

Boscastle Boscastle ( kw, Kastel Boterel) is a village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Forrabury and Minster (where the 2011 Census population was included) . It is south of Bude and northeast of Tin ...

and

Port Isaac Port Isaac ( kw, Porthysek) is a small fishing village on the Atlantic coast of north Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. The nearest towns are Wadebridge and Camelford, each ten miles (16 km) away. A nearby hamlet, Port Gaverne, is ...

to fertilise Cornwall's poor slate soils; the hard Devonian slate was brought back from Cornwall as a roofing material for houses in the Vale. As the Glamorgan Heritage Coast faces westwards out to the Atlantic, it bears the brunt of onshore (westerly and south-westerly) winds: ideal for surfing, but a nuisance for ships sailing up the Bristol Channel to

. As in North Cornwall and South-West Ireland, the fierce Atlantic gales created ideal conditions for deliberate shipwrecking, which until 100 years ago was very common along the coast (although shipwrecking was common across all the Celtic Sea).

Nash Point Nash Point ( cy, Trwyn yr As) is a headland and beach in the Monknash Coast of the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales, about a mile from Marcross. It is a popular location for ramblers and hiking along the cliffs to Llantwit Major beach. The l ...

, Southerndown and Ogmore-by-Sea have some of the highest shipwreck victims on the coast of Wales; as recently as 1962 an oil tanker, the BP Driver, crashed into Nash Point during a violent westerly storm, was torn to shreds by the reefs and eventually sank, although the crew were saved by various Bristol Channel lifeboats and helicopters.

Economy

The Vale of Glamorgan was determined to be the wealthiest area in Wales in a 2003 survey conducted by Barclays Bank that measured

disposable income Disposable income is total personal income minus current income taxes. In national accounts definitions, personal income minus personal current taxes equals disposable personal income. Subtracting personal outlays (which includes the major ...

. Chemical industries are located to the east of the port of Barry while further inland the main activity is agriculture, especially beef and dairy cattle, with marketing facilities at Cowbridge.

Government

The Vale of Glamorgan

UK parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

and Senedd constituencies (which do not include Penarth and Sully which are in the constituency of Cardiff South and Penarth) sway between Labour control and Conservative Party control in both the Senedd and Westminster. The UK parliament constituency was created in 1983 and the Welsh Assembly (later Senedd) constituency in 1999. There is substantial Labour support in the east of the constituency and in the town of Barry, and substantial Conservative support in the agricultural area in the west. Since 1996 local government is led by

Vale of Glamorgan Council The Vale of Glamorgan Council is the governing body for the Vale of Glamorgan, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It was run by the Conservative Party after the 2008 United Kingdom local elections, taking over the council from no overall contr ...

. The Labour Party had a large majority initially, though between 1999 and 2012 the Conservatives were the largest group. Since 2017, there has been no overall political majority on council.

Communities

All except one (Rhoose) of the Vale's communities elects a community (or town) council, the lowest tier of local government. * Barry (town) * Colwinston *

Cowbridge with Llanblethian Cowbridge with Llanblethian is a community (civil parish) in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, which incorporates Llanblethian and the town of Cowbridge. It also covers the village of Aberthin to the northeast of Cowbridge. The population was 4,063 ...

(town) * Dinas Powys * Ewenny * Llanmaes * Llancarfan * Llandough * Llandow * Llanfair *

Llangan Llangan ( cy, Llanganna) is a small village and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is located approximately outside the market town of Cowbridge. As a community it contains the settlements of St Mary Hill, Treoes and Llangan itself. I ...

* Llantwit Major (town) *

Michaelston-le-Pit and Leckwith Michaelston-le-Pit and Leckwith is a Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is located immediately southwest of the city of Cardiff (bounded by the A4232 road) and to the north of the Vale of Glamorgan villages of Llandou ...

* Penarth (town) *

Pendoylan Pendoylan ( cy, Pendeulwyn meaning 'head of two groves') is a rural village and community (parish) in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The village has won many awards in Best Kept Village competitions and contains 27 entries in the Council's County ...

* Penllyn * Peterston-super-Ely *

Rhoose Rhoose ( , cy, Y Rhws from "the moor") is a village and community near the sea (the Bristol Channel) in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, near Barry. The wider community includes villages and settlements such as Font-y-Gary, Penmark, East Abert ...

St Athan St Athan ( cy, Sain Tathan) is a village and community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales. The village and its parish church are dedicated to Saint Tathan. The church dates to the 13th–14th century, though an earlier ch ...

* St Bride's Major * St Donats * St Georges-super-Ely *

St Nicholas and Bonvilston St Nicholas and Bonvilston is a community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Formed in 1982, it includes the villages of St Nicholas, Bonvilston, and four properties in Dyffryn. In August 2020, St Nicholas had 294 dwellings and 451 electors. B ...

Sully and Lavernock Sully and Lavernock ( cy, Sili a Larnog) is a Community (Wales), community on the coast of the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, stretching from Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, Sully to Lavernock. Description The community includes the village of Sully, Vale of ...

* Welsh St Donats *

Wenvoe Wenvoe ( cy, Gwenfô) is a village, community and electoral ward between Barry and Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Nearby are the Wenvoe Transmitter near Twyn-yr-Odyn and the site of the former HTV Wales Television Centre at Culverhouse ...

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placename ...

Villages and hamlets

* Aberthaw * Aberthin * Broughton *

Bonvilston Bonvilston ( cy, Tresimwn) is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The village is situated on the A48 about four miles east of Cowbridge and near the Welsh capital city of Cardiff. The population in 2011 was 392. History It is named af ...

* Boverton * Clawdd Coch * Clemenstone * Colwinston *

Corntown Corntown () is a small village in the Vale of Glamorgan. It lies along the B4524 road, just outside Bridgend, 21.6 miles west of the centre of Cardiff. It has grown around Corntown Farm. Chapel Wood frames part of its western side. The Golden M ...

* Culverhouse Cross * Dinas Powys * Downs * Drope * Dyffryn *

Eglwys Brewis Eglwys Brewis is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales. It is located just to the north of the village of St Athan, south of Flemingston and northeast of Llantwit Major. Greenlands, Vale of Glamorgan, Greenlands and St Mary Church, Val ...

* Ewenny *

Flemingston Flemingston (also Lanmihangel y Twyn, or Treffelemin, or Michaelston Le Mont, or Flimstone) is a small village in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales. It is located northwest by road from the town centre of Barry. It contains the Church of St. ...

* Fonmon *

Font-y-Gary Font-y-Gary, also Fontygary, Fontegary or Fontygari ( cy, Ffont-y-gari), is a village adjacent to Rhoose, 3 miles south-west of Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, on the coast of south Wales. To the north is Fonmon and Fonmon Castle. The origin of ...

* Frampton *

* Goldsland * Graig Penllyn * Great Hamston * Gwern-y-Steeple * Kenson *

Lavernock Lavernock ( cy, Larnog) is a hamlet in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, lying on the coast south of Cardiff between Penarth and Sully, and overlooking the Bristol Channel. Marconi and the first radio messages across open sea Following over ...

* Lidmore * Llampha * Llanmaes * Llanbethery * Llancadle * Llancarfan * Llandough (near Cowbridge) * Llandough (near Penarth) * Llandow *

* Llanmihangel * Llansannor *

Llantrithyd Llantrithyd (also Llantriddyd) is a rural village and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The Aubrey Baronets were lords of the manor of Llantrithyd for centuries: the family died out in the 1850s. St Illtyd's Church The church of St Il ...

* Llantwithyn * Llysworney * Maendy * Marcross *

Michaelston-le-Pit Michaelston-le-Pit ( cy, Llanfihangel-y-pwll) is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, just to the west of the city of Cardiff, Wales. It is part of the Michaelston-le-Pit and Leckwith community. The community population taken at the 2011 censu ...

* Middlecross * Moulton * Newton *

Northcliff Northcliff is a wealthy residential suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. The suburb is located on Northcliff Ridge which provides views to both the north and the south. Northcliff's huge homes are nestled around a steep incline of the hill, and ...

* Nurston * Ogmore * Ogmore-by-Sea * Pancross *

Penmark Penmark ( cy, Pen-marc) is a rural village south-west of Barry near Rhoose in the Vale of Glamorgan, in South Wales. The village is a parish and is a linear village. It has a parish church along the main road running through the village. Penmar ...

* Pentre Meyrick * Peterston-super-Ely * Pen-y-Lan * Picketston * Prisk *

* Sigingstone * St. Andrews Major * St Brides Major * Southerndown *

* St Donat's *

St Georges-super Ely St Georges super Ely, also known as St Georges ( cy, Sain Siorys), is a small village and community in the western outskirts of Cardiff, in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Lying to the northwest of Culverhouse Cross, between Peterston-super-El ...

* St Hilary * St Mary Church * St Mary Hill *

St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

* St Lythans * Sully *

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a location * Sutton-in-the-Isle, Ely, Cambridgeshire * ...

* The Herberts * Tre-Aubrey * Tredodridge * Treguff * Trerhyngyll * Twyn-yr-Odyn * Walterston *

* Wrinstone * Ystradowen

Landmarks

See Listed buildings in the Vale of Glamorgan, List of Scheduled Monuments in Vale of Glamorgan.

Sport

The principal football club in the Vale is Barry Town United F.C., which play their home games at Jenner Park Stadium in Barry. The club was founded in 1912 and enjoyed success in the 1990s, when they won the League of Wales and the Welsh Cup. The club experienced declining fortunes in the following decade and were relegated to

Welsh Football League Division Two The Welsh Football League Division Two, (last known as the ''Nathanielcars.co.uk Welsh League Division Two'', for sponsorship reasons) was a football league and forms the fourth level of the Welsh football league system in South Wales. If th ...

, but were promoted to Division One after winning the league in the 2014–15 season. In 2014 it was announced that Jenner Park stadium would undergo a £350,000 plus development with the laying of a synthetic pitch. There are several other smaller football clubs in the county such as Llantwit Major F.C., established in 1962, which competes in the

Welsh Football League Division Three The Welsh Football League Division Three, (last known as the ''Nathanielcars.co.uk Welsh League Division Three'', for sponsorship reasons) was a Association football, football league. History Until the 1964–65 season the Welsh Football Leag ...

, and Penarth Town AFC. Rugby has a strong presence in the county, though none of its clubs compete in the higher leagues. As of the 2015–6 season, Penarth RFC competes in the WRU Division Three South East, Llantwit Major RFC in WRU Division Four South East, and Old Penarthians RFC and Cowbridge RFC in the WRU Division Five South East. Several of the clubs are feeders for Cardiff Blues. There are cricket grounds in Cowbridge and Sully and several golf clubs, including the

Glamorganshire , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, Southerndown and Wenvoe Castle clubs.

Transport

Road

Owing to its close proximity to Cardiff, most of the major roads in the county borough originate in the capital. Running east-west, the A48 runs through the centre portion of the Vale of Glamorgan between

and

, passing along the northern edge of Cowbridge. The M4 motorway also runs east–west along the northern edge of the Vale, linking the area to major cities such as

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, Newport, and Swansea. Junctions 33 ( Cardiff West) and 34 ( Llantrisant) provide direct access to the Vale of Glamorgan. The M4 is economically important to the county borough as it "facilitates the movements of goods and people" from the region to other areas of the UK, enabling local firms "access to domestic and international markets." The county borough benefits from its location in the M4 technology corridor, according to the Welsh Government. Other major routes include: * A4050 – Cardiff Culverhouse Cross to Barry * A4055 – Cardiff Bay to Barry * A4160 – Cardiff City Centre to Penarth * A4226 – the A48 to Barry and Cardiff Airport * B4265 – Cardiff Airport to Bridgend (coast road)

Rail

The Vale of Glamorgan Line is the county borough's principal rail connection. The line runs between Cardiff Central and

, with spurs to

Barry Island Barry Island ( cy, Ynys y Barri) is a district, peninsula and seaside resort, forming part of the town of Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. It is named after the 6th century Saint Baruc. Barry's stretch of coast, on the Bristol Chan ...

and Penarth. All services on the line are operated by Transport for Wales, linking the Vale directly to other areas of the capital region, including Cardiff Queen Street,

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

, and Merthyr Tydfil. Railway stations in the Vale of Glamorgan are: The

South Wales Main Line The South Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell De Cymru), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. ...

passes through the Vale, but trains do not stop. The nearest stations on the South Wales Main Line are (from east to west): Cardiff Central;

Pontyclun Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a village and community located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Like the surrounding towns, it has seen a sharp increase in its population in the last ten years as people migrate south from the S ...

; Llanharan; Pencoed; Bridgend. Most services are operated by Transport for Wales, but Bridgend and Cardiff are additionally served by Great Western Railway services between Swansea and London Paddington. Cardiff Central is further served by Great Western Railway services to destinations in

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...

and CrossCountry services to

the Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the In ...

. The Barry Tourist Railway is a short heritage railway and museum on Barry Island.

Bus

Bus services in the Vale of Glamorgan are principally operated by New Adventure Travel (NAT) and

Cardiff Bus Cardiff Bus ( cy, Bws Caerdydd) is the dominant operator of bus services in Cardiff, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry and Penarth. The company is wholly owned by Cardiff Council and is one of the few municipal bus companies to ...

. Routes which run across the Vale include: * 95 – Barry to Cardiff (Cardiff Bus) * 303/304 – Bridgend to Cardiff, via Llantwit Major, St Athan, and Barry (NAT) * T9 – Cardiff to Cardiff Airport (

TrawsCymru TrawsCymru is the brand name for a network of regional bus services in Wales, sponsored by the Welsh Government. It was introduced as a replacement for the TrawsCambria network. History Launch plans In 2010, the Welsh Assembly ran a consultatio ...

) * X2 – Porthcawl to Cardiff, via Bridgend and Cowbridge (

First Cymru First Cymru is an operator of bus services in South West Wales. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup with its headquarters in Swansea. History In 1987, South Wales Transport was sold during the privatisation of the National Bus Company in a man ...

) The Vale of Glamorgan Council operates a community ' on-demand' transport service in rural communities called Greenlinks.

Air

Cardiff Airport is in the Vale of Glamorgan, near Rhoose. In 2019, Cardiff Airport claimed to have a £135 million direct economic benefit to the region. Destinations from Cardiff Airport include

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, and

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...

. A "Masterplan" for the airport sets out the Welsh Government's ambition to grow the airport's passenger numbers and freight operations by 2040.

MOD St Athan Ministry of Defence St Athan or MOD St Athan (Welsh: Maes awyr Sain Tathan), formerly known as RAF St Athan, is a large Ministry of Defence unit near the village of St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan, southern Wales. It was the designated site for ...

is also situated in the Vale of Glamorgan.

International links

The Vale of Glamorgan is twinned with: * Rheinfelden, Germany * Mouscron/Moeskroen,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Fécamp Fécamp () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north-western France. Geography Fécamp is situated in the valley of the river Valmont, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Alabaster Coast. It is aroun ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and has friendship agreements with: * Jurbarkas, Lithuania * Neumarkt/Egna,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Putnok Putnok is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary. It lies away from Miskolc, between the Bükk Mountains and the river Sajó. History The area has been inhabited since Neolithic times. Until 1283 it was royal property, part (l ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of the Vale of Glamorgan.

Individuals

* Sir Raymond Gower : 13 April 1977. * Sir Cennydd Traherne : 19 March 1984. * Sir Hugo Boothby : 19 March 1984. * Mrs. Susan Eva Williams : 4 March 1991.

Military Units

RAF St Athan Ministry of Defence St Athan or MOD St Athan (Welsh: Maes awyr Sain Tathan), formerly known as RAF St Athan, is a large Ministry of Defence unit near the village of St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan, southern Wales. It was the designated site for ...

: 18 May 1974. * Merchant Navy Association (Wales): 16 April 2005. * The

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...

: 16 March 2006. * The

Royal Welsh The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) ( cy, Y Cymry Brenhinol) is an armoured infantry regiment of the British Army. It was established in 2006 from the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot) and the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot). History The ...

: 21 February 2009. * 203 (Welsh) Field Hospital ( Volunteers) RAMC: 17 April 2010. * HMS Cambria, RN: 31 March 2012.

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vale of Glamorgan Principal areas of Wales County boroughs of Wales 1974 establishments in Wales