No better way to see bay

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, June 16, 2012, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.
   























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No better way to see bay

A big day out!

This week RICHARD THOMAS takes a ride on the Swansea Seafront Open Top Bus.

WHY? Travelling by open top bus is one of the best ways to see Swansea Bay in style. Travelling on Service 1, also called the "Beach Bus", sightseers get to feel the wind blow through their hair as they take in some spectacular views of Swansea Bay. When the the sun is out, there really is no better way to travel around Swansea. The famous pink and white buses are waved on by children wherever they go, and are a great way to get to your destination and kick start any day out.
WHAT'S THE BUZZ? Linking Swansea City Bus Station with a number of key destinations, including Blackpill Lido, the shops and pubs of Oystermouth and popular Mumbles and Bracelet Bay, the Service 1 open top "Beach Bus" offers both locals and tourists alike an ideal way to get around Swansea in the summer weather.
ANY HISTORY? The open top bus service returned on June 2, after a very successful summer last year. The service is most popular among young children, who are not old enough to remember Swansea's original open top buses that replaced the Mumbles Train in the 1960s and stopped running in the 1980s. Oddly enough, although a bit of a summertime novelty today, until the 1920s most double-decker buses were constructed with no roof on the upper deck.
LOOK OUT FOR? On the journey between the bus station in the city centre and Mumbles there's some spectacular views of Swansea Bay and the lighthouse to photograph. So don’t forget to bring a camera with you to get the perfect cover for your Facebook timeline. Check out mine at Facebook.com/RichardThomasSite.
WHAT TO TAKE? Passengers can enjoy unlimited travel on the open top bus for just £4.20 a day, using the First Day Swansea City ticket, which also allows travel on the same day in the area bounded by the following places: Jersey Marine Village, Bowen Arms, Birchgrove, Ynysforgan Roundabout, Morriston Hospital , Penllergaer Roundabout, Gorseinon Bus Station and Loughor (Ship & Castle). Once you get to Bracelet Bay, in the famous Big Apple shop there's buckets and spades and everything else children will need to keep themselves busy on the beach. There are also restaurants and bars nearby for the adults. WHEN TO GO? The Swansea Seafront Open Top Bus will be running from Swansea City Centre to Oystermouth and Bracelet Bay throughout the summer. You can take a ride on the bus every day, except for Wednesdays, until September 1. The buses run on an hourly basis, but will not be running on days when there is bad weather, so make sure you check the weather forecast before you choose a day to go.
TELL ME MORE: For more information go to www.firstgroup.com.
Visit Richard Thomas’s website at www.richardthomassite.com.