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The Association of British Counties

Gazetteer of
British Place Names

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Vale of Glamorgan, Glamorgan   (Traditional Area)

The Vale of Glamorgan (Bro Morganwg) is one of the three traditional areas (along with Blaenau Morganwg and Gower) which the county of Glamorgan comprises. Shut in between the mountains (Blaenau Morganwg) and the Bristol Channel, it forms the Glamorgan lowlands, a tract of undulating land some 10 miles broad by 25 miles long. It stretches eastwards to the Rhymney River (the border with Monmouthshire) and westwards to the vale of the Ogmore.

Type: Traditional Area
Alternative name(s): Bro Morganwg
Historic County : Glamorgan
Lat, Long: 51.470464,-3.4591649
Grid Reference: SS987756
Country: Wales
 Peruse Glamorgan on Wikishire

The term "vale" is misleading for it is in reality an undulating and hilly plateau ranging from 50 to 200 feet in altitude and rising in the centre to a table-land almost double that height. Seawards it terminates in a line of precipitous cliffs, 14 miles of which are known as the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. Away from the big towns, it is almost entirely devoted to agriculture. It has been termed the "Garden of Wales". It is an ancient landscape which abounds in antiquities.
The eastern part of the Vale of Glamorgan is entirely covered by Cardiff and its suburbs. Much of the western end of the Vale is covered by the large town of Bridgend and its suburbs. The port and resort town of Barry lies on the coast. There are several small towns including the resorts of Penarth and Porthcawl, the Roman town of Cowbridge and the former monastic town of Llantwit Major.
Since 1974 a local authority has also used the name "Vale of Glamorgan". The current council area of this name is substantially smaller than the traditional area of the Vale.

GlamorganHeritageCoast
The Glamorgan Heritage Coast


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