A visit to Wales starts with two nights in Swansea and a trip to the theatre. 

Combine that with seeing family, catching up with friends, local walks and sightseeing

and our short holiday starts at a pace that continues on for the best part of a week.

A road trip south from Cumbria finds us at my old home town of Swansea.

Loes and I are down here for a theatre production where my daughter in law, Rhian, plays a staring roll.

We will also catch up with family and friends whilst in town, but we'll start with a walk out to Mumbles pier.

It was getting dark by the time we had parked the car, found our accommodation and eaten. A short walk along the 'prom' this evening would do nicely.

The illuminated building on the hillside in the distance is Oystermouth Castle, sitting above the village of the same name.

We notice that they have started to re-develop the foreshore, with the secondary purpose of raising the sea wall to prevent flooding.

Perhaps that is why the parking is so difficult in the village tonight.

The Coronation was last weekend and the royal decorations are still up at the Pier buildings.

In the distance you can see Mumbles Lighthouse, which sits on the outer island, about quarter of a mile offshore.

Local knitted handicrafts adorn the railings as we look over to the pier

and to the old and new lifeboat houses which have been constructed over time at its outer end.

A popular path starts at Mumbles Head with a tarmac covered, user-friendly walkway.

In the old days it used to be a gravel track with steps and steep climbs.

The Path leads around to Rotherslade and Langland Bay, with views of the Gower Coast down to Pennard and Oxwich headlands.

[ For those wanting a challenge, there's a 38 mile long distance path all around the Gower Coast to complete, in a weekend if you wish.]

Langland Bay has the classic beach huts and a regular bus service to town.

The amount of sand on the beach varies each time I come here, but today there doesn't seem to be as much as usual.

The audience arrive, well this part of it has.

The third person in the selfie is my daughter Paula, who we met beforehand for lunch.

[The dogs are being dog-sat by my aunt and uncle in Mumbles, as it is too hot for dogs to sit in the car]

The Owens Family have arrived and sit with Gareth, Luke and ourselves.

. . . and Rhian and the cast hit the stage singing !

Without giving too many secrets away . . . Deloris was a singer working for Shanks, a shady Philadelphia gang boss

Disco-diva Deloris’s life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses Shanks murder a fellow gangster.

Placed under protective custody she is hidden in the one place she shouldn't be found – in a local Convent!

- - - o o o - - -   She naturally has difficulty fitting into the lifestyle but goes along with it as her old school friend, now a policeman had organised her secret hiding place.   Her situation gradually improves as she gets to know her fellow Nuns. However the Convent has no money and is threatened with closure.   She could be forced to move out of town and away from protection unless something dramatic happens ! - - - o o o - - -

Encouraged to help the struggling choir, she helps her fellow sisters find their true voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own.

The Convent choir moves from chanting old Hymns to singing modern Gospel songs, which boost the congregation and the funds !

	- - - o o o - - -     The park has a rather muddy stream flowing down through the woodland.   Dougal, who enjoys water at the best of times, is in the water and soaking wet in no time.   No matter, he's got all day to dry off before we have to go anywhere posh !     - - - o o o - - -

As a kid I used to climb this huge castle, made even more exciting as it was hidden deep in the woods.

In my later years it seems to be easier to find and smaller . . . I wonder why ?

Still, this is the first time Loes has been here, so she enjoys the climb, closely followed by her eager companions.

At the top of the park is an ornamental Japanese garden	. . . with a lovely bridge and the waterfall flowing out of a lake.

On the other side, a lady stops to read about the Handkerchief Tree	. . . so called because of the large white flowers that waft in the breeze.