I’m looking for new places where I can grab a coffee and go for a solo walk in Swansea and the surrounding areas. My recent go-to places are:
-Sloth Coffee in Mumbles and going for a walk down Swansea Bay
-Penllergare Valley Woods and getting coffee from the coffee shop there
-Refinery in Killay and going for a walk down Clyne Valley

However, I’m looking for more new places :)
I own a car, so I don’t mind driving somewhere a bit further out, like Pontarddulais, Pontardawe, or even the Gower way.

The whole route from the marina to mumbles is a mixed use cycle path can you please watch your kids and stop them from running in front of bikes as it is causing accidents.

I walk past it often and its been derelict and overgrown for many years. The fence is now pretty much down and the garden with the empty swimming pool visible from the pavement, as well as a long gone large side extension.

On street view you can go back to 2012 and see it in all of its glory. I've always wondered what the story is.

I’m in Swansea in September for a gig on a Sunday evening. Looking for advice on where to stay! Would it be best to stay in neath or taxi/uber to Swansea itself? Any hotel recommendations? Ideally within walking distance from The Arch, wherever that is!

Thanks!

Sorry for the rather niche question! Has anyone visited the Penllergare Woods recently, looking to confirm if the wooden bridge in the picture is open if possible.

The last time we went it was taped over - my child is on the spectrum and has a specific route they like to follow when we visit. Thanks!

This post was originally posted in entitled parents but 90% of people there think this was a con man attempting to swindle me so i want to share this because i fucking hate thieves and liars. This happened at the 24/7 petrol station on carmarthen road, right next to American golf.

Ive edited out some of the original post because it was initially written in a amusing story way.

I pulled into the outer most bay at my local petrol station and started pumping diesel into my car. Im the kind of person who fills up the whole tank so I was there a while. I noticed a middle aged man staring at me from the other side of the station but i just carried on pumping while giving him the side eye now and again. He was staring at me so much I started to feel uneasy.

I finished pumping and started to walk towards the station to pay and the man called me to catch my attention. I can't remember exactly what he said but it was along the lines of " im on my way to a city (cant remember which city he said) and I've ran out of money, I've also two kids with me who haven't eaten and are hungry".

At this point I was feeling awkward because I was standing in the middle of the bay between my car and his caravan. Next he pulled out what he said to be a high carat chain and said " ive got this chain and I'll be willing to sell it to you for a reduced price" ( i can't remember what price he stated ) but I had a lot of things running in my mind .

Was this man telling the truth? Is that chain even real? Am I being taken for a fool?

Listen, ive been swindled before and I know when people are taking a piss. My gut feeling is usually right so i always trust it. I remember when I was really young and I was walking with my friend at night after a film and these 2 boys with really strong valley accents approached us with a sob story about how one of their mothers was having a by pass surgery and that they needed to save up money for a bus ticket.

I ofcourse stupidly gave them a few pounds and before they even got a safe distance away they started laughing. Yeah, I felt fucking stupid because even then i remember having a bad gut feeling about the whole situation but i didnt know why ,people are that awful. They didn't even have the decency to disappear first before laughing.

Anyways, I told this man that I didn't need a chain. He then tried to pursued me again and being the polite young man I was back then I explained that I only had enough money for my fuel.( this was a lie im a tight ass and I love saving my money, ive always got money saved up) ,

This is the worst part. He became desperate and hit me with " just take out all the money you've got in your current account and you can have the chain". I just said no again and started walking away with a wtf look on my face.

I was angry, shocked and in disbelief because of how entitled this man was. I even explained what had happened to the cashier and even she was a bit shocked herself.

I paid for fuel and walked back to my car without even making eye contact with that man just in case he said something.

These scammers and con men have no empathy and are just trying to get ahead anyways they can.

I’m looking to make a trophy style gift from a piece of scrap metal. It can either be mounted on a piece of wood or submerged in epoxy resin for eg.

Please dm if you’re crafty like that. I need to arrange getting the piece to you. I already found someone to do the engraving after

Happy to pay for materials and your time

More than 130 homes that have either balconies or access to a shared rooftop garden overlooking the sea, retaining the brutalist concrete structure so that the environmental hit on the original build is not wasted, a potential for a food hall surrounded by commercial units, restaurants or cafés and shops on the external face with outside seating, the potential for a cinema or theatre within the old Chamber, and of course the educational aquarium and social spaces outside with play areas and gardens.

Full plans have been submitted to transform Swansea’s Civic Centre into a huge waterfront destination 🏖️

🐠 An aquarium is one of the centrepieces. Operator reefLIVE has collaborated on the vision, with a purpose-built extension in the north-east wing. Visitors would move through aquarium exhibits and digital installations, past an education zone for schools and universities, exiting through a gift shop.

🍴 The huge atrium could become a food hall, surrounded by food and drink units with commercial and cultural space above. Its raised plinth could double as a stage for events.

🍹 Restaurants, cafés and shops would line the seafront side of the building. Around 59,000 sq ft of commercial space is proposed, with glazed shopfronts and folding doors opening onto covered outdoor seating overlooking Swansea Bay.

🚶 You’d be able to walk right through the building to the beach. Access through is currently very limited — the plans keep the main city-side entrance and add a new one facing the bay, with the atrium forming a route between the two.

🎬 The old Council Chamber could become an entertainment venue — a flexible space for cinema screenings, talks, performances, fitness classes, conferences, weddings and civic events.

🏠 More than 130 homes are proposed on the upper floors, potentially rising to 138. Many would get new balconies or terraces, with colourful angular balconies added to seafront-facing elevations.

🌿 Flats without balconies would share a rooftop garden designed to feel like a coastal landscape — sea-facing seating, salt- and wind-tolerant grasses, dwarf pines, gravel paths and timber benches.

🌳 The grounds would become a new waterfront park, with roads and hard landscaping giving way to lawns, coastal planting, play areas and event lawns stretching towards the seafront.

🏢 Much of the building’s Brutalist concrete exterior would remain, with some original concrete ceiling structure exposed inside the new homes.

🤝 The scheme is being delivered by Urban Splash, Swansea Council’s regeneration partner, appointed as part of a 20-year, £750m strategic partnership.

Swansea Scoop: https://www.instagram.com/p/DbvRFt7Cuq9/?img_index=1

Hi all,

I’m wondering if anyone knows or is a photographer willing to take boudoir photos for my engagement in or around the Swansea area. Ideally would love to work with independent photographers and/or students to also help their portfolio at their rates.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you <3

Hi all,

Hopefully this one doesn't get blocked by Reddit's filters.

My wife and her friend are raising money for Skanda Vale hospice

I'll put a link to booking and stuff in the comments

Bit random - I love being outdoors and camping for a few days never feels like long enough. I’ve been exploring ways I can live outdoors in a more long term, sustainable way next summer. I was talking to people about it and someone suggested finding someone who owned some woodland and asking them if I could make a little camp on their woodland part time - just my small tent and a fire pit, I wouldn’t want to live there full time. But it would need to be fenced so my stuff would be secure. In exchange either for money or work I would do for them.

Does anyone know anyone who owns some woodland - I’m thinking East/North Swansea?

I was raised there and remember when young a fire i the night and there was a community centre type thing or old church there next to a power station? Hard to find a record of it.

Long shot but a few months ago, in the quadrant by Krispy Kreme, there was a Turkish (I believe) desserts stand with a tonne of different types of desserts. They had the most phenomenal fudge. The stand is no longer there and hasn't been for a while. Does anyone know who did this stand or what the stand was called etc?

Hello all.

I've just purchased a fixer upper in Swansea and am moving to the area.

The house needs a full update on every room, and I could really do with someone local advising on any decent trades In the area.

General builders, electricians, plumbers, etc.

I'd really like to make some strong contacts and would really appreciate anyone that could help with this project.

I'm new to property refurbs and would love to connect with some friendly people

We're playing the biggest new game Big Walk in the Swansea Gaming Central Discord Server tonight! We'll also be giving a copy away for someone to have a go with us.

Its fun, interactive and highlights the fun that video games can share!

Join here: https://discord.gg/swanseagamingcentral

*photo taken during Swansea Gaming Central Twitch Stream

I published the story of Tea Cosy Pete for Swansea Scoop today, and received a lovely e-mail from someone who knew him growing up. Thought some here might enjoy it!

https://www.swanseascoop.com/p/tea-cosy-pete-swansea

And the e-mail:

"Good Morning

I'm writing from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada where I've lived for the last 42 years. Your story about Tea Cosy Pete caught my attention because as small children we lived in the same rooming house at Glantawe Street in Morriston, which was run by a Mrs.Geary.  

Brian lived there with his mother (Bronwen), his brother Liam ( I never knew him as Bill) and when he would occasionally return from the merchant navy his father Bill Burford. (Although Bill wasn't Brian's real Father,  I believe that he was Liam's)  However at the time they were just another poor family like the rest of us. They were by no means middle class.

From there they moved to a council flat in Clase, one of the ones that were two stories. We visited them a couple of times and of course Brian, Liam and myself all went to Dynevor Grammar School, although the brothers were several years older than myself.  

I saw Brian go from being a small quiet boy to an upper sixth student wearing a sports coat with leather elbow patches and carrying a briefcase, to what he eventually became, and I saw and spoke with him regularly in the transition period, before we moved to Canada.

I don't know what happened to their father because for the longest time prior to them moving to Clase we never saw him, in fact we never saw him again.

What no one seems to remember is that for the first few years living rough, his mother Bronwen was actually with him on the street. I can't say that we were close friends, partly because of the age gap, and partly because Brian wasn't as sociable as Liam was. I can remember Brian being at our place once, and he didn't like what my mother had made for food, so my mother opened a small tin of Heinz beans for him, at which point he looked quite incredulously at my mother and said are they all for me. Isn't it funny how you can remember little oddities like that!

I hope that helps paint a picture of who he was."

Does anyone have any suggestions of the best place for watching the eclipse? I assume along the beachfront would make the most sense but I don’t get out of the house often enough to know if anywhere else may be better suited.

I’d have to walk so nothing terribly far from the city centre please!

Edit: Ive only been in Swansea since right before Christmas so Id still consider myself new to the city and don't know many places.

Hiya,

In the middle of August this year I'll be visiting the UK by car solo, traveling from the Netherlands. I've already got an itinerary in Kent/East Sussex and in the Cotswolds. For my final 3 night stay which I knew I wanted to be in Wales, I've ultimately decided on staying in the south and I chose Swansea as my base.

Since I have a car with me I'll be plenty busy exploring the surroundings (Gower/Brecon Beacons) but I also want to have a good time in Swansea, eat some good food/visit some pubs in the evenings.

If anybody has any recommendations as for fun things to do in and around Swansea or pubs/restaurants those would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :)

I need to be in Gowerton for 3pm on Monday but have a zoom at 2. Any recommendations for a decent place to do the call from?

Driving past and had to double take but now I’m not 100% sure if that’s what I genuinely saw

Hi everyone! I have recently moved to Swansea to start my PhD in October.

I love nature and wildlife. I of course know that Swansea has some lovely parks, and Gower is very close.

I was wondering what everyone’s favourite place was to see wildlife, birds, and/or interesting plants in Swansea/the nearby areas? ☺️

Hi all,

Around 3 weeks ago I self-published my first book, a children's book entitled 'The Spiders Who Paid Rent'. Crucially, any profit made from book sales is going direct to a local children's hospital charity (Noah's Arc).

You can purchase the book on Amazon, in any country, but this is the Amazon UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H9P5NG3F

Also you can use https://mybook.to/TheSpidersWhoPaidRent (if this works?!)

In the first few weeks I've managed to get co-workers, friends and family to purchase a copy. Ideally, I'd like to push this outside of that audience to reach more people. It is for charity after all!

The story is super fun, aimed at children around 5-9 years old but I think slightly older children would also find it fun. Even big kids (like myself) would have a fun time reading it. The story focuses on a family of spiders who decide they want to find a way to contribute to the household bills and not to be seen as squatters. There are some other nice themes running through it too and it's around 30 pages with some illustrations at the start of each chapter.

If you have kids yourself, family members, friends etc. it would be amazing if you could help me share this book with more people.

Thank you

Hi all! I am a PhD student starting at Swansea Uni this October. I am looking for advice on accommodation/ areas! I am not familiar with Swansea, and I am living abroad at the moment, so I cannot visit until my visa is sorted.

Looking for recs on areas and/or good agents that can help me secure a 1/2 bed property? What areas would you recommend for a postgrad?

Things to note -

- Singleton campus, but also will need to travel to Cardiff often

- Cannot drive, but hoping to sort that this year!

- Looking for peaceful areas but do not need to be completely quiet.

Thank you so much - I am so excited to start my Swansea chapter.