Porthcawl

[nwnm]

just remembered the club was the 'blue water' club. Met my first two GF's there over the hols. One older, one younger - both beautiful. Long time ago

 

[waterloowelshy]

well i live in Porthcawl - moved back from London to come home cos i missed it so much. I cant believe people that come here or those that dont have the wrong impression of it. Why does everyone go on about the arse end of Trecco Bay or the fair when anyone that lives here wouldnt go within a mile of it if their life depended on it! It truly is a great area - i mean rest bay and Pink bay is some of the best undeveloped and so far (wind farm pending!) unspoiled coast you could hope for. I love the place, but yes i guess i am biased. True it can be slightly boring and like most sea side towns has a bit of an Undercurrent of problems, but on the whole I think it’s a great place. I just wish that people would not automatically think of Trecco / the fair when they think of Porthcawl as that really is the pimple stuck on the arse of a nice place.

Rant over – as you were!

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

I lived on trecco bay for a couple of months in the early 90's
Cant understand for the life of me why anyone would choose to go on holiday there

 

[Belushi]

I just wish that people would not automatically think of Trecco / the fair when they think of Porthcawl as that really is the pimple stuck on the arse of a nice place.

For us Valley folk Porthawl will always be Trecco Bay

 

[waterloowelshy]

For us Valley folk Porthawl will always be Trecco Bay

Unfortunately thats probably the truth! such a shame though. People are just so blind to whats there - i dare say the majority of folks dont even stray out of Trecco Bay when they stay there - esp now they have the massive walls around around trying to keep everyone in there and not letting their money leak up town! - mind you its probably good as the best places are kept as they are for me and my dog to enjoy without the crowds!

 

[zog]

Trecco Bay was apparently the biggest caravan site in Europe

No. That's Swansea!

 

[nwnm]

Zog!

Rest bay is nice, I always prefered those sand dunes <you know - the former army training camp> and beach there. Took my kids there a few years back. They loved it.

 

[davesgcr]

The Rest Bay side was apprently the favoured place in the 1930s for people who did a runner with the entire Christmas club kitty from the valleys to enjoy a couple of days of the high life before being locked up for their "small transgression or unfortunate lapse" (Wynford Vaughan - Thomas)

Didnt get far did they !

Nothing wrong with Porthcawl - something for everyone -

I also recall the Autumn Firework displays - some sort of arena - good night out when you are 7 or 8.

 

[suzee blue cheese]

We moved from Port Talbot to Porthcawl when I was 13. It was like moving to another planet in some ways. Pink Bay and Sker were among my favourite places to hang out. What a difference to Aberavon..

My first job was down the fairground when I was 14. £1 a day back in the 70s. Long shifts but the rides were free. Yep, I can see the Blackpool reference if you only know the Trecco area, but Trecco is just one part of it.

I used to get shipped away for Miners fortnight - as well as the largest caravan site in Europe, Porthcawl was supposed to have the the largest number of unmarried mothers. A fate worse than death in those days..

Then there was the Stoneleigh for teenage Friday nights, and later on the Apollo - lord, the Apollo..! Well, you just got to go with what you got - lol..!!

Surfing been a big thing there for years, certainly since the 70s. Though there's far more surfers these days.

I left when I was 17. My folks are still there. I go back two/three times a year - it makes a welcome change from the cityscape. Good to catch up with auld mates, take a walk along the dunes at Newton Burrows or Sker. Clear out the cobwebs.

There's a lot worse places to be. I don't think I could live there full time again though.

 

[nwnm]

didn't the dancefloor at stoneleigh take on al ife of its own if too many people danced. I used to get told off for making the dodgems go into reverse (apparently your not supposed to) and smahing into others at high speeds

 

[Strumpet]

No. That's Swansea!

*pokes zog with a spoon*

 

[dynamicbaddog]

My first job was down the fairground when I was 14. £1 a day back in the 70s. Long shifts but the rides were free. .

we used to go on holiday in Porthcawl(up from the valleys) every year when i was a nipper (though we never once stayed at Trecco Bay )
I loved that fairground - is it still there?

 

[nwnm]

still there

 

[suzee blue cheese]

I loved that fairground - is it still there?

Still there indeed. Though pretty run down these days with a indeterminate future. There are murmerings regarding the redevelopment of sections of that area. Maybe move it over to the Salt Lake Car Park area. Hang on though, isn't that earmarked for the Marina? Hmmm, can't see it happening anytime soon then..

If any of the recent developments such as that bastard ugly new building that replaced the Esp. or that bastard ugly new housing estate on the front over towards Fulmar Rd are anything to go by, it looks likely that if a bad decision can be made it will be..

 

[cymrukid]

Fucking hate the place personally. If it had to have an anthem it would be Morrissey's 'Everyday is Like a Sunday,' (I choose to ignore the fact that it's commonly suggested that its lyrics actually refer to nuclear armageddon, they bring up Porthcawl in my mind)

 

[suzee blue cheese]

Fucking hate the place personally.

You speaking as someone who lives there, yearning to break free? Or as someone who's spent a desultory weekend seeking entertainment along John St?

It can be dull place to be, on a cold and rainy day certainly, but it just takes a lick of sunshine to bring out its beauty. However, it's too parochial/conventional to suit me, which is one of the reasons I moved away, but that can probably be said of many small towns.

 

[editor]

It was bloody criminal that they got rid of the railway.....

 

[davesgcr]

It was bloody criminal that they got rid of the railway.....

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Too right - would have made a great western area commuter terminal from Cardiff. Had a look a while ago when I was doing "strategic" re-opening options for various rail routes (by the industry I have to say) - but the access in is absolutely lost now due to road building etc. Had it just hung on for a bit longer , it would be making a good contribution to the wider Welsh economy today. The trouble is that the commuter catchment of Cardiff had not developed by then , and Beeching did not support routes kept open for day tripper traffics , unless there were other reasons like commuting (which is how Barry survived and Porthcawl closed) , though Barry had and still has - freight.....

I did manage to get some extra calls at Pyle with help from good Welsh railway staff , which is now the railhead for Porthcawl and does quite well.

I can certainly remember from an early age , the railway - filthy black Pannier tanks and dull maroon coaches , - not well used - whilst the bus and coach park was crammed full of what in today's world would be heritage / classic vehicles.

 

[weltweit]

Porthcawl has a great beach
I was there in January.

 

[wayward bob]

has anyone seen the elvises? it's been on my must-do list since forever...

diane who lived in our house before us moved to porthcawl with her fancy man after bringing up her kids and outliving her husband. i've always seen her as a kind of role model