At the far westernmost end of Swansea Bay, Mumbles (Mwmbwls) derives its name from the French mamelles , or breasts, a reference to the twin islets off the end of Mumbles Head, and is now used as the name for all of the loose sprawl around OYSTERMOUTH (Ystumllwynarth). Here, the seafront is an unbroken curve of budget hotels, breezy pubs and cafés, leading down to the refurbished pier and the rocky plug of Mumbles Head. Around the headland, reached either by the longer, barren coast road or by a short walk over the hill, is the district of Langland Bay , whose sandy beach is fairly popular with surfers. The small tourist office (daily: June-Aug 9.30am-5.30pm; April, May, Sept & Oct 10am-4pm; tel 01792/361302) is in Oystermouth Square, near the hilltop ruins of Oystermouth Castle (April-Sept daily 11am-5.30pm; £1). Founded as a Norman watchtower, the castle was strengthened to withstand attacks by the Welsh before being converted for more amenable residential purposes during the fourteenth century. Today you can see the remains of a late thirteenth-century keep next to a more ornate three-storey ruin incorporating an impressive banqueting hall and state rooms.

 

The Mumbles is a lively and enjoyable base for the southern Gower coast, with a good clutch of typically tacky seaside entertainment on offer. Accommodation is plentiful: try Henfaes Guesthouse , 4 Rotherslade Rd (tel 01792/366003; under £40); the Victorian shorefront Tides Reach , 388 Mumbles Rd (tel 01792/404877; £50-60); the superb Alexandra House , 366 Mumbles Rd (tel 01792/406406; £50-60); or the sumptuous Osborne Hotel (tel 01792/366274; £90-110), high on a cliff top on Rotherslade Road in Langland Bay. There are several good places to eat including the inexpensive Coffee Denn , 34 Newton Rd, which is good for light lunches and imaginative ice cream sundaes. Seafront 604 , 604 Mumbles Rd, does moderately priced light meals, while the expensive, fairly formal Patricks , 636 Mumbles Rd (tel 01792/360199; closed Sun eve), serves an eclectic range of wonderful modern dishes. Castell Amare (tel 01792/368486) is a stunning new Italian eatery on the headland overlooking Bracelet Bay. The scores of pubs along the seafront constitute the Mumbles Mile , one of Wales's most notorious pub crawls. The ones to linger in are the Antelope , the Oystercatcher and the White Rose .