Porthcawl is a popular coastal holiday resort in South Wales and is home to Trecco Bay one of the largest caravan and camping parks in Europe.

Porthcawl has an extensive promenade and several beaches, two of which are Blue Flag beaches: a tourist-oriented beach at Trecco Bay, at the east end of the town; a sandy beach at Rest Bay, which lies to the northwest of the town; and the quiet and sandy Pink Bay leading out towards Sker point where a tarmac-covered car park serves a sandy beach.

Porthcawl is in the county borough of Bridgend, 25 miles (40 kilometres) west of Cardiff and 19 miles (30.5 kilometres) south-east of Swansea.

Situated on a low limestone headland on the South Wales coast, overlooking the Bristol Channel, Porthcawl developed as a coal port during the 19th century, but its trade was soon taken over by more rapidly developing ports such as Barry.

Northwest of the town, in the dunes known as Kenfig Burrows, are hidden the last remnants of the town and castle of Kenfig, which were overwhelmed by sand about 1400.

There are many hotels and guest houses as well as a funfair called Coney Beach . Four rocky points line the shore: Hutchwns Point, Porthcawl Point (on which a lighthouse is situated), Rhych Point and Newton Point.

Porthcawl, like many UK resorts has suffered a decline in its holiday trade over recent years, especially since most of the South Wales Valleys coal pits have closed. A major feature of the summer used to be the miners fortnight when the miners would take their annual break in large numbers.


Local attractions
Tourist attractions in the area include sandy beaches, a Grand Pavilion, a fun fair named Coney Beach (modeled after Coney Island in New York City), and 3 golf courses.

Porthcawl Promenade
Built in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee, Porthcawl's promenade runs along the seafront from Lock's Common in the west to the harbour, before joining the eastern promenade and leading to Coney Beach and Griffin Park. The promenade was restored in 1996. Many cafes, bars, restaurants and hotels are located along the promenade which offers spectacular views across the Bristol Channel.

The Promenade Princess Road Train runs along the promenade from Rest Bay to Coney Beach throughout the summer.

The Grand Pavilion, built at a cost of £25,000 in 1932, is the venue for popular shows, including the annual pantomime. The singer, actor, and civil rights activist Paul Robeson once performed 'live' at the Pavilion via a transatlantic telephone link.

Controversial luxury apartments now dominate the seafront on the site previously occupied by the Esplanade Hotel, which dated back to the late 1880s. The Royal Society of Architects in Wales awarded 'Esplanade House' a Welsh Housing Design Award in 2006, but the architecture has proved unpopular with many local residents who have nicknamed it 'the bottle bank.

Harbour Quarter
Porthcawl Lifeboat Station, purpose built in 1995 is situated near the harbour and 'Cosy Corner' a park area, which over the years has housed a theatre, cinema, roller skating rink and ballroom. The Jennings Building, built in 1832, is a grade II listed building and Wales' oldest maritime warehouse, and currently holds the PADS Skate Boarding Centre. The building has been identified as a potentially important facility as part of the Porthcawl Regeneration Strategy.