Vale of Glamorgan

The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough on the south coast of Wales, bordering the city of Cardiff to the east and facing the Bristol Channel. The district includes coastal towns such as Barry, Penarth and Llantwit Major, inland market towns including Cowbridge, and the runway and terminals of Cardiff Airport at Rhoose. The coastline has limestone cliffs, pebble and sandy beaches and stretches of the Wales Coast Path that run past headlands such as Southerndown and Nash Point.
Inland the Vale is mostly lowland farmland crossed by lanes, hedgerows and small settlements. Built heritage ranges from parish churches to St Donat's Castle, now home to an international college. On the foreshore at Bendricks Rock near Barry, fossilised dinosaur footprints are revealed at low tide and draw geologists and fossil hunters. The local economy mixes farming, coastal tourism and airport-related services, and community life centres on market towns, village halls and seasonal events.