Barry Island Pleasure Park & Funfair is a must-visit if you're a huge Gavin & Stacey fan - which I…read moream. While visiting the U.K., I made sure we stopped at Barry Island so I could see all the filming locations in person, and I was not disappointed. I snapped photos of everything, played at the arcades, visited Marco's Café, and soaked in all things Gavin & Stacey. If you're not familiar with the show, you might wander through and wonder why there are photos everywhere, who "Nessa" is, and what "What's occurring?" means. But even without the TV connection, Barry Island is still a fun seaside spot. Think of it as Santa Cruz or Coney Island - arcades, deep-fried treats, ice cream cones, and a lively beachfront atmosphere. Bottom line - if you're a Gavin & Stacey fan, this is an absolute must. If not, it's still a pleasant place to spend a sunny afternoon, though I wouldn't travel far out of my way just for it!

the park is located in a gorgeous, picturesque location. however, most of the attractions are…read moreextremely dated, rundown, and dirty. id recommend checking out the surrounding areas instead. walking along the water and grabbing a bite to eat at finnegans inn would be a much better way to spend your time here.

The station serves the suburb and popular tourist destination of Barry Island, 10 miles from…read moreCardiff, but is currently in a very sorry state - a clear case of fallen grandeur. Barry Island grew up in the late 19th and early 20th Century as a seaside destination for workers from the South Wales Valleys north of Cardiff, complete with funfair and (later in the 20th century) a holiday camp. The railway was opened at the start of the August Bank Holiday in 1896 (the buildings have the date of construction as 1895 on them) as an extension of the Barry Railway, and Barry Island quickly became a very busy excursion station, handling 150,000 passengers in one weekend at its peak. It was provided with a large station building, three platforms and traditional large canopies. The line continued through the station to a terminus at Barry Pier, but since closure of that line in 1976, Barry Island has been the terminus. The trains now terminate at one end of the platform, with the buildings and the far platform having become part of the Barry Island Railway heritage line, but the site currently looks very sorry, with weeds everywhere, and a general air of dereliction. It is well located, however, close to the beach, cafes and the funfair. A new canopy has been provided for the terminating trains, but it provides meagre shelter from the winter Atlantic winds. The station still gets three trains an hour off peak from Cardiff and the valleys north of Pontypridd, and is busy with commuters and summer visitors (over half a million passengers a year, in total). It could just do with a lot of tidying up.

Lately, this is disappointing as it is really looking tired and dishevelled at the moment but this…read moreplace can be fantastic! I've hundreds of fantastic childhood memories of the Pleasure Park and I am sure that with some much needed investment and attention, this can be restored to its former glory. (Hence the two stars) It is in a fantastic location with coffee shops, cafe's, bars and the beach and promenade - and right next to a train station (also in need of a facelift). Quite often I've got off the train and seen disappointed prospective fairground customers - they've usually travelled far to come for a day out at the fairground - only to see it shut. I couldn't tell you when it's open - so if you are coming to Barry Island to visit the Pleasure park then don't expect it to be open - if it is, it's a bonus!

Very lovely for a day out a lot of variety to do very exciting and has everything to offer like…read moreentertainment food has alot to offer definitely recommend

It seems now you can't mention Barry Island without mentioning the popular T.V sitcom 'Gavin and…read moreStacey'. I'm not saying this is a bad thing because Barry Island got the recognition it deserves, as it has been a wonderful leisure park and beach that I grew up in for many years. Where do you start with Barry Island? There are so many choices! Lets start with the main attraction in the summer; the beach. Believe it or not the beach is huge, plenty of space to build those sandcastle and then kick a ball to destroy it. I'm not going to like but the ocean doesn't look like the most appealing water to enter in mainly because it's brown. But that still doesn't bother anyone because it's Barry Island and we wouldn't have it any other way. There is an amusement park which was under construction the last time I visited, I wasn't sure if it was being torn down or being rejuvenated. Some of the rides did include a ghost train and a log flume, which is great fun. Now of course I can't forget the arcades down the island because they are such a big part of it. You have a wide choice of arcades. My favourite was always 'The Carousel'. Finally, I need to talk about the crazy golf course they have there. This was knocked down and then rebuilt into a pirate themed course, which I had a lot of fun playing with friends. Barry Island has now gone down as a famous tourist attraction due to Gavin and Stacey but that is irrelevant as the people who go there still have a fun day and I'm sure they would consider visiting again.

Lately, this is disapponting as it is really looking tired and dishevelled at the moment but this…read moreplace can be fantastic! I've hundreds of fantastic childhood memories of the Pleasure Park and i am sure that with some much needed investment and attention, this can be restored to it's former glory. It is in a fantastic location with coffee shops, cafe's, bars and the beach and promenade - and right next to a train station (also in need of a facelift). Quite often i've got off the train and seen disappointed prospective fairground customers - they've usually travelled far to come for a day out at the fairground - only to see it shut. I couldnt tell you when it's open - so if you are coming to Barry Island to visit the Pleasure park then dont expect it to be open - if it is, it's a bonus!