Volume Twelve - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - further aspects - The Bristol Channel District Guide - selected articles - [1934 Edition] . . . .

Higher up the eastern side of Swansea Bay is Port Talbot, with its modern coal docks, and at the top of the bay on the same side as Briton Ferry, also with a small dock and large ironworks. On the opposite side of the head of the bay is the great commercial town of Swansea, with its important docks and ironworks.

Swansea is regularly served by steamers of the Campbell fleet and the daily cross-channel service to Ilfracombe - the passage taking about 1½ hours - is extremely popular.

Although Swansea in itself, like many other large manufacturing towns, has little of special interest to offer visitors, the scenery around is very attractive.

Walter Savage Landor, [1775-1864] no mean judge, once exclaimed : " Give me Swansea for scenery and climate. If ever it should be my fortune to return to England [Wales actually!], I would pass the remainder of my days between Swansea and Mumbles. " But Swansea was not the busy place then that it is now.

Mumbles holds a similar position to Swansea that Penarth does to Cardiff. Its surroundings, however, are finer, for the upper portion of Swansea Bay is very beautiful, and as seen from the Mumbles will bear comparison with any bay in the Kingdom. Indeed, it has been likened to the Bay of Naples.

The village or suburb of Mumbles is a long, straggling, irregular sweep of houses, running along the curve of the bay in the direction of Swansea, and climbing the high ridge behind. The mixture of bare grey where large patches of rock show through, and the green of the short turf clothing it elsewhere, gives the background of the place a peculiar and an agreeable character.

There is a handsome Pier, at which we call to disembark our Mumbles contingent of passengers, and take on board fresh ones for Tenby. On an island off Mumbles Head -  glorified in verse through the brave character of its women - is a lighthouse. This we round on our way to Tenby.

A succession of charming bays, Bracelet, Langland, and Caswell, opens out. Beyond come the larger bays of Oxwich and Port Eynon. All have fine stretches of sand and are bounded by the bold and well-defined headlands of Pwlldu Head, Oxwich Head and Port Eynon Head.