Locality

Features of Porthcawl

Porthcawl basks in the summer sunshine on the golden coast, boasting some of the cleanest beaches in South Wales. Rest Bay has been awarded the coveted European Blue Flag plus a Tidy Britain Seaside Award.

Rest Bay is a surfer’s paradise.

During the summer months the steam vessel, Balmoral, leaves Porthcawl’s harbour for cruises along the Bristol Channel and over to Lundy Island.

Whilst visiting Porthcawl, it's worth exploring Newton and Nottage, two picturesque coastal villages, which flank the town. Newton boasts an impressive church, an historic village well and a traditional village green.

Harbour

The picturesque harbour is delightful,for thosea stroll and has an old fashioned lighthouse, watchtower, a historic harbour side warehouse and a new lifeboat station.

Newton

The parish church of St John the Baptist, dominates this beautiful serene village. Built over 800 years ago this magestic church sits proudly over looking the splendid village green. well used in the summer by all.

Nottage

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Margam Park

Set in 1000 acres of glorious parklands, Margam Country Park offers natural beauty, history, wildlife and a wide range of fun activities and facilities to make it one of the best days out in Wales for all the family.

It has surprises around every corner, from the magnificent 18th Century Orangery, an impressive and picturesque Tudor-Gothic style Victorian Mansion House, a 12th Century Chapter House, ornamental gardens and the best deer herd in Wales.

Kenfig National Nature Reserve

One of the few untouched parts of the sand dune system, which previously stretched all the way to the Gower Peninsula. Kenfig is a tranquil nature reserve featuring a 70 acre freshwater pool, which is a magnet for all manner of wildfowl.

The turbulent sand dunes hold a secret here. After a series of violent storms in the later medieval times, the old Kenfig Castle and town were swamped by the sands of Kenfig Burrows. The original settlement was laid to rest and abandoned to nature. Now only the Castle Keep remains visible above the restless sands.

Methyr Mawr

A tiny unspoilt thatched village teeters on the brink of vast sand dunes, accessible via barely sign-posted country lanes. You’ll know that you’re getting near when you pass over a couple of narrow hunchback bridges. Dating back to the 1400s, the New Inn Bridge has intriguing holes cut into the parapet- these were apparently used by farmers for pushing sheep into the river for their annual dip.

Just a little way from the village is Merthyr Mawr Warren, the biggest range of sand dunes in Britain, sitting romantically within the dunes is Candleston Castle, a ruined 15th century fortified manor house.

Golf Course

Adjacent to The Rest hotel is the world famous Royal Porthcawl 18 hole championship links course.

Other local golf courses include the Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club and the Grove Golf Club. Below is a table listing the nearby golf courses and the distances that they are from The Rest:

Transport Details

Regular local rail services are run from Bridgend station and there are also hourly services to London Paddington from Bridgend.

There is an efficient bus and coach service. They operate regular services to and from Cardiff and Swansea from Porthcawl.

The town of Porthcawl is within easy reach, there is a local bus service from the front door of The Rest daily, or

our now famous road train, which runs hourly to and from the hotel.

Map of Porthcawl

Click here or on the small map to the right to view a large map of Porthcawl town centre in relation to The Rest Hotel.