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Before reading all this
local information, it is helpful to remember the following: Cilybebyll
is a small hamlet which is 1 mile away from our farm cottages. Rhos
is a small village which is also 1 mile away from the cottages.
Pontardawe is a small town which is 2 miles away. Neath is a large
town which is 5 miles away and Swansea is a major city which is
10 miles down the valley from our holiday cottages.
BANKS
Lloyds TSB and Barclays both have branches in the village
of Pontardawe, some two miles from our farm cottages. The nearest
branch of HSBC is in Clydach, approximately four miles away. For
other banks including Abbey National, Nat West, Halifax and Woolwich
you will need to travel to the market town of Neath which is 5 miles
from our holiday cottages. Neath also has branches of Barclays,
Lloyds TSB, HSBC and Woolwich. The city of Swansea, which is 10
miles away, has all of the main high street banks and building societies
including Bank of Scotland, Alliance & Leicester, Bristol &
West, Bradford & Bingley, Cheltenham & Gloucester, Leeds
& Holbeck, Nationwide, Principality, Britannia, Yorkshire and
The Royal Bank of Scotland.
BUSES
The nearest bus stop is a mile away, opposite Rhos Stores convenience
store and post office. Simply turn left at the end of the farm drive
and keep walking for about 10 minutes (downhill) to reach the stop.
There are hourly services that run between Neath and Swansea via
Pontardawe (Mon-Sat). They take about 20 minutes to get to Neath
and an hour to get to Swansea (due to lots of other stops on its
way down the valley). For more information see www.first-cymru.co.uk.
From Swansea, buses may be caught to the Gower beaches and other
parts of the UK (see www.megabus.com
or www.nationalexpress.com).
BUTCHERS
Subject to availability, there are local farmers who will deliver
Welsh Mountain Lamb and Welsh Black Beef to our cottages. Pontardawe
is home to a good butchers selling good quality local meat and also
worth a mention is Neath Indoor Market which is famous for its award
winning butchers who sell excellent local produce.
CAR BOOT SALES
If car-booting for bargains is your thing then go to Singleton Hospital
Car Park, Swansea on a Saturday morning (14 miles from our holiday
cottages). Weather permitting, the sale starts at 5:30am and ends
around midday. With stunning views of Swansea Bay, it can get quite
busy in the summer. Other local car boot sales include Clydach Market,
Garngoch Superstore in Gorseinon and Station Road, Port Talbot.
For a list of all local car boot sales see www.carboots.tk
or the local newspaper.
CASHPOINT
The nearest cashpoint is less than two miles away at Tescos, just
off the A4067 in Pontardawe.
CINEMAS
Pontardawe Arts Centre, some two miles from our holiday cottages,
is home to an excellent art-house cinema. The residential Pontardawe
Film Society provide art house movies as well as the latest blockbusters.
To see what's on during your stay at Swansea Valley Holiday Cottages,
see the Pontardawe
Film Society website.
If you fancy a trip to the multiplex, then Swansea
a ten screen UCI
Multiplex cinema in Parc Tawe and Port Talbot has the six screen
Apollo
cinema which is situated in Hollywood Park, on the sandy beachfront
of Aberavon overlooking Swansea Bay. Both these cinemas are roughly
ten miles from our holiday cottages.
CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU
The Citizens Advice Bureau is a charity that helps people
to resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free
information and advice. The nearest branch is in Neath which is
5 miles from our self catering cottages. For more information link
to the official Citizens
Advice Bureau website.
DRY CLEANERS
All our holiday cottages are fitted with washing machines.
Should you be unlucky enough to need to visit the dry cleaners cleaners
during your holiday, there is one nearby in Pontardawe.
EMAIL & INTERNET
ACCESS
All our self catering holiday cottages are equipped with
wireless broadband which is beamed from the farm office 24-hours
a day. If your laptop does not have a wireless card, we have a spare
USB adapter that you can borrow. If you do not have a laptop computer,
the nearest internet access point is Pontardawe
Library which has 6 PCs providing free internet access with
word processing, scanning, printing, photocopying and webcam services.
You may need to book a session on the computers before visiting.
For opening hours, please see the Pontardawe
Library website.
FAX & PHOTOCOPYING
Should you wish to send a fax or make some photocopies during your
stay, please ask at the farmhouse. We have a fax/photocopying machine
in the office and would be happy to help you out. Alternatively,
the Cross Community Centre in Pontardawe offers a faxing service
between 8:30am and 9:00pm Mon-Fri. Staples in Parc Tawe, Swansea
also offers a photocopying and faxing service, and is open at weekends.
FLOWERS
Fresh flowers are available from local garages, supermarkets and
a specialist flower shop in Pontardawe who can also deliver. If
you do not want to leave the comfort of your cottage, there's always
Interflora.
FOOD SHOP
The nearest food shop is in the village of Rhos, one mile from the
holiday cottages. Turn left at the end of the farm drive and continue
downhill until you reach the main road (A474). The shop is at the
junction ans is open 7 days a week. A short distance further, is
a 24-hour Tescos supermarket in Pontardawe. Details of this and
other local supermarkets are in the section titled SUPERMARKETS.
FUEL
There is a Texaco and Tesco Service Station within two miles of
the holiday cottages. The Tesco fuel station is open 24 hours 7
days a week.
GENEALOGY
Please link to our Welsh
genealogy guide.
HAIRDRESSER
The nearest hairdresser is in the village of Rhos, one mile from
the holiday cottages. There are also lots of hairdressers in Pontardawe,
Neath and Swansea.
LEISURE CENTRE
There is an excellent leisure centre in Pontardawe, 2 miles from
the holiday cottages. It has has badminton courts, squash courts,
a weights room, indoor bowls centre, all-weather floodlit playing
field, wheelchair access and disabled facilities. To book a court
ring 01792 830111.
LIBRARY
There is a library in Pontardawe, some 2 miles from the farm cottages.
Facilities include free internet access, local information pack,
photocopying and children’s PCs. There are also excellent
libraries in Neath and Swansea. The local council websites of Neath
Port Talbot County Borough and Swansea
County have more information on opening times etc.
LOCAL NEWSPAPER
The local newspaper is the Swansea-based South
Wales Evening Post which offers local news, features, sport
and listings of what’s on in the Swansea/Neath/Port Talbot
and Llanelli areas. It is famed as being the paper where Dylan Thomas
cut his journalistic teeth and is usually available after lunch
every day.
Wales’s only ‘national’ English
Language daily newspaper is the Western
Mail, though it is quite south-centred. It is a mixture of local,
Welsh, and British news with a token smattering of international
news. Its Sunday stable-mate Wales
on Sunday which is great if you are interested in Z-list Welsh
celebrities or Welsh sport.
MECHANIC
Should you find yourselves in need of mechanical assistance during
your stay at our holiday cottages, don't worry - there is information
on reliable local garages in our cottages. There is a good puncture
repair centre in Pontardawe and the nearest Halfords or Motor World
is in Neath.
NEWSAGENTS
The nearest newsagent, post office and general store is
in the village of Rhos, a 15 minute walk or 2 minute drive from
your self catering cottage. Turn left at the end of the farm drive
and continue downhill until you reach the main road (A474). The
shop is at the junction.
NIGHTLIFE
Please link to our nightlife
guide.
OFF LICENCE
The nearest place to buy alcohol is Rhos Stores which is 1 mile
away (see NEWSAGENTS section) and open until 9:00pm. Alternatively,
Tescos in Pontardawe (see SUPERMARKETS) sell alcohol until 11pm.
The nearest out and out off licences are in Neath (e.g. Bargain
Booze on Windsor Road).
POLICE
In an emergency (when an immediate response is
needed) you should phone 999. Be clear about which service you need
(Police/Ambulance/Fire Brigade) and where exactly you are. The Europe-wide
emergency number, 112, can also be used.
In non-emergency situations you should contact
the local police force. The Pontardawe area is covered by South
Wales Police and their 24-hour switchboard number is 01792 456999.
The nearest police station is on the High Street in Pontardawe,
2 miles away from our self catering cottages.
POST OFFICE
There is a post office situated at the back of the general store
in the village of Rhos, 1 mile from the cottages.
POST BOXES
There are three post boxes within a mile of the cottage. For help
or advice on Post Office services, you can visit the Post
Office website.
PUBS
There are hundreds of pubs to choose from. We have our particular
favourites so here are is a quick guide: The nearest good local
pub is The Smiths Arms in Rhos, a twenty minute walk from our holiday
cottages. The Butchers Arms in Alltwen is a similar distance away
and serves good food, real ales and has an open fire. The Pontardawe
Inn is a great traditional Welsh pub with lots of character (the
pub is known to locals as the ‘Gwachel’ and hosts the
famous Pontardawe Festival). It is a fifteen minute walk from the
cottages (downhill!). The Dyffryn Arms in Bryncoch is also a great
pub for a quiet drink. It is around 3 miles away on the road between
Pontardawe and Neath. For more info on which pubs serve good food,
please see our Good Local Pub Grub
Guide.
PUB QUIZ
If you are a stickler for a pub quiz then you will be pleased to
know that there are some good quiz nights a short distance from
our self catering holiday cottages including ones at The Pontardawe
Inn in Pontardawe and The Dyffryn Arms and Bryncoch Inn, both of
which are in Bryncoch. Full details are provided in our cottages.
RELIGIOUS SERVICES
The nearest religious services are:
Cilybebyll Parish Church, Cilybebyll
Anglican Church in Wales - a lovely ten minute countryside walk
from our holiday cottages. Eucharist services are held in English
at 9:15am on the first Sunday of every month and 10:45am thereafter.
For other services see the Cilybebyll
Church website.
Ebenezer Rhos Independent Chapel, Neath Road, Rhos.
Non Conformist Congregational - 1 mile from holiday cottages
Bilingual services (predominantly Welsh with some translation) are
held every Sunday 10:30am.
All the major world religions have a presence
in South Wales. If you would like to find a service that’s
suitable for you, please inform us and we will help you to find
one.
RESTAURANTS
Please link to our Where
To Eat guide
SHOPPING & PARKING
Please link to our local shopping
guide.
SOUVENIR SHOPS
SPORT
Please link to our local sports
guide.
SUPERMARKETS
The nearest supermarket to our holiday cottages is the Tescos 24-hour
Supermarket in Pontardawe. Despite claiming to be 24-hour, what
this actually means is that they are open non-stop from 7am Monday
until 10pm on Saturday. They are also open on a Sunday between 10am
and 4pm. Pontardawe also has a Somerfield and a Lidl. Neath has
a Morrisons, 24hr Tescos, Marks and Spencer’s and Lidl. The
nearest Sainsburys and Asda are in Swansea.
TAXIS
Two taxi companies are based in Pontardawe.
A & M Taxis & Minibus Hire operate a 24-hour service, have
4 or 8 seat cabs and a 14 seat minibus for hire. Tel: 01792 830241
or 830552.
Pontardawe Taxis operate a 24-hour service, have 4 or 8 seat cabs
and a 16 seat minibus for hire. Tel: 01792 865560.
THEATRES
Please link to out local theatre
guide.
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES
There are two official Tourist
Information Centres nearby. Pont
Nedd Fechan TIC is 12 miles away and ideally situated for Waterfall
Country. Swansea
TIC is 10 miles away and open throughout the year Monday to
Saturday 9:30am-5:30pm. If you are unable to visit an official tourist
information centre, the Wales Tourist Board operates a Holiday Advice
Telephone Helpline 0870 8300306 which offers information on all
aspects of holidays in Wales - activities, events, places to visit,
holiday ideas etc. The line is open from 9am–9pm on weekdays
and 9am-6pm on weekends and bank holidays.
TRAINS
The nearest mainline train station is Neath which is 5 miles from
our holiday cottages. Fast and frequent First Great Western services
link Swansea to London Paddington (3hrs) via Neath, Port Talbot,
Cardiff, Bristol, Swindon and Reading. Wales and West provide direct
and convenient ‘Alphaline’ services to Swansea (which
stop at Neath) from Manchester, Birmingham, Portsmouth Harbour and
London Waterloo. In addition, Virgin Trains run a twice daily service
between the north east of England and Swansea via Birmingham. Virgin
Trains also runs a daily service from Swansea to Edinburgh, stopping
at Neath before making the journey north. Neath is a staffed station.
Tickets and information can be obtained from the booking office.
[5:30am-6:45pm Mon to Sat, 9:45am-5:45pm Sun]. There are two platforms.
For train information contact National Rail enquiries 08457 484950
or use www.thetrainline.com
VETERINARY SURGEON
Dales & Irons Veterinary Surgeons have surgeries in both Neath
and Pontardawe. Their telephone number is 01792 863280.
VIDEO & DVD
RENTAL
There are a few good video/dvd rental shops in Neath such as Talkies
on Windsor Road which has a good range of old films as well as the
latest releases and Blockbusters in the corner of Morrisons car
park. Blockbusters do not stock old films, only erm….the latest
Blockbusters. To join both of these shops you will need three forms
of ID.
WELSH
Welsh (or Cymraeg) is the language of Wales and the oldest
language in Britain. It is a Celtic Language and is closely related
to Cornish and Breton. According to the 2001 census, some 457,946
people can read, write and speak Welsh. This represents 16.3% of
the population of Wales although there are substantial variations
between the proportions of Welsh speakers in different communities,
varying from below 5% to above 85%. In general the higher proportions
are in north Wales, although pockets of Welsh speakers exist in
the south. The upper Swansea Valley is one such pocket and 42% of
the population of Pontardawe are fluent in Welsh. This compares
with 13.4% for the City of Swansea and 11% for the capital Cardiff
(2001 Census). It is highly likely that you will hear Welsh spoken
on the streets of Pontardawe, particularly among the older generation.
You needn’t worry though everyone is also fluent in English!
WELSH - ESSENTIAL PHRASES
Please link to our Welsh
phrases page
WELSH PLACE NAMES
Please link to our Welsh
Place Names page.
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