Llantwit Major and Tresilian Bay

Narrow streets twist and turn in all directions and there are many interesting buildings. Two examples are the two storey medieval Town Hall, whose foundations date back to the 13th century, and the Old Swan Inn, which was where the judges, who held court in the Town Hall, used to stay.

According to legend, the first church here was founded by Eurgain, a daughter of the Celtic Chieftain, Caracticus, but it was destroyed by Irish pirates. In the 6th century, the Breton St Illtud settled here and established his mud and wattle church in a hollow, hoping that it would not be seen by the pirates who sailed up and down the Bristol Channel. He established the first Christian university in Britain, and it became famous throughout Northern Europe. Some of his more famous students included Taliesin, the Welsh Bard; St Samson, the Archbishop of Dol; St Gildas, the historian; and Saint David, patron saint of Wales. The monastery flourished until the Romans arrived when it became a cell of Tewkesbury Abbey.

The present Church of St Illtud dates back to the 13th century, and it contains some interesting inscribed stones and Celtic crosses. One of the many interesting memorials is the stone recording the death of Matthew Voss at the great age of 129 years old in 1534.

The bay and the cave of Tresilian are named after Prince Silian, who was said to be one of the earliest converts to Christianity and later became known as St Silian. A large house on the edge of the bay is reputed to stand on the site of his 4th century court. Another building that used to stand on this spot was as farmhouse, which also served as an inn frequented by smugglers and wreckers.

Tresilian cave has romantic associations. Inside the cave is a natural arch which stretches across the cavern about four feet below its roof. It is known as the 'bow of destiny'. Lovers who wish to find out how long it would be before they married used to come here. The man would try to throw a round pebble over the arch so that it fell to the other side without touching the rock arch or the roof to the cave. The number of tries he made before successful indicated the number of years the couple would have to wait before they married. Runaway marriages used to take place in the cave and at one time it became known as St Silian's, as if it were a church.

On Col-huw Point, overlooking the old harbour, are the remains of a promontory fort established with triple earthworks to defend the coast from invasion, and St Illtud may well have landed in the tiny creek of Col-huw Point, disembarking on a jetty built by Roman masons.

Col-huw Point is popular with families and surfers alike, Cwm Col-huw beach being packed with all the facilities you need for a family day out. As well as being full of great features typical of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast such as rock-pools, a sandy beach and rugged cliffs, Cwm Col-huw is also home to a number of rare and beautiful species, including the Small Blue Butterfly, Britain's smallest resident butterfly. Wildlife can also be spotted at the Cwm Col-huw Nature Reserve which runs along the cliff tops to the west and back towards the town.