A great branch of The Works which is crammed full of bargains. It's wonderful for cheap books and…read moreboxed sets of DVDs (perfect for presents), and you can find children's toys and games, art materials, stationery and greetings cards. I really like browsing in here and usually find several things I want to buy!

This is in the Rhiw shopping center and is always busy. Its…read morebig and well organised with helpful staff selling books, CD's, DVD's, newspapers and all kinds of stationary items. At Christmas time there is usually some sort of entertainment outside which is fun for the children although at other times of the year you might be pounced on by the AA man.

In the Rhiw centre but is still a large department. Similar layout to all WHSmith shops but this is…read morebased over two floors. Books, stationary and accessories upstairs, DVDs and games downstairs. (DVDs and Games are easily found cheaper in other shops). Staff are friendly, sometimes too friendly as they will often keep chatting to you when you have paid and want to leave, and as youd expect a wide range of books items which are second to none, well, except Amazon.

Nickleby's Bookshop is part of a dying breed. I'm not talking about shops that close for lunch,…read moresomething wonderfully quaint unless you want to buy something on your lunch break. Nor am I talking about shops in the Poundfield Shopping District, I couldn't believe the number of business that have closed in the year or so since I moved away. I am talking about independent book sellers. Once the staple of every town, they are now disappearing thanks to the rise of Amazon and the supermarkets undercutting them. But the supermarkets don't have anywhere near the range of a little shop like Nickleby's, nor the knowledgeable staff, while shopping on Amazon simply doesn't offer the same experience, the personal touch that you get at a shop like Nickleby's. Rant over, Nickleby's has a good selection of material for young adults and children as well as separate section for the classics, which I always appreciate in a bookshop. The prices are reasonable and the lady behind the counter takes orders, so if they don't have it they can get it for you. So ignore Tesco's, bypass Amazon and support your local bookshop!

Well the shop is fab, I have loved buying books there of the author Karl-James Langford. Will be…read morevisiting there soon for his latest book. Ghosts of Glamorgan is calling me.

Despite the fact that Cowbridge has a number of charity shops, none of them are particularly good…read morefor books. This would have made life pretty darned difficult if it weren't for the fact that Cowbridge Book Shop is a brilliant little book shop, and more than made up for other deficits when I lived in the area just over a year ago! This place is a gem. They try to keep a good stock of new fiction releases in store, but will order you anything you want, phoning you the moment it arrives. They will email you if you prefer. A great service from a great shop. The people in here are lovely. Pay them a visit next time you are in this neck of the woods!

Cowbridge is one of those places I escape to for a quiet date away from the madness of city life. I…read morelike going for a good meal, and pottering about the shops. John and Kyrie MacLean run this traditional Bookshop in the ancient rural market town of Cowbridge. It is a really lovely little shop, and not just because it sells my favourite thing: BOOKS! The shop has all the intimate benefits of smaller bookshops, sells new books across topic areas from fiction and biography to history and languages. They also have new electronic technology on hand to help you find that special book. Magic.

Quaint little bit of old Porthcawl, the harbour still has a couple of fishing boats bobbing about…read morein it (or wedged on the mud flat when the tide is right out). Like the whole place, it's a bit ragged round the edges, a bit unkempt, like the disused old dockside warehouse buildings waiting, probably vainly, for a trendy arty community to go and revitalise them. But, in a funny sort of way, this is part of the charm of the place, it's seaside, but not upmarket, trendy or snooty, but down to earth (wind and sea), a place for everyone.

Porthcawl Harbour and the surrounding area are a tourist attraction in the middle of Porthcawl,…read moresituated between the the esplanade and eastern promenade. Alongside the harbour itself - which is reasonably small, holding around 50 boats is a purpose built lifeboat station, which is often open to the public to explore. 'Cosy Corner' is a green, park area, which has previously been home toa theatre, cinema, roller skating rink and ballroom. It is now quite scruffy and run-down, but is pleasant enough on a summers day. The Jennings Building, a grade II listed building which is Wales' oldest maritime warehouse, is currently home to the PADS Skate Boarding Centre, which can be visited for a few quid. There is a giant chess board area near the lifeboat station - but no pieces, so immagination is required! At the end of Porthcawl Pier there is a lighthouse, which is approximately 140 years old. The Pier and the area surrounding the harbour are popular spots for sea fishing. There is a small bait and tackle shop near the lifeboat station. A small Sidoli's cafe and ice cream shop stands near the harbour. There are one or two outside tables, but this mainly caters for take-away ice creams. You can sail on the historic ships the Waverley, the world's last sea-going paddle steamer, and the Balmoral from this area during the summer months.[3] The whole of the harbour quarter has been identified as an important area as part of the Porthcawl Regeneration Strategy. The Porthcawl Sea Festival, Summer Markets and Surf Cult Festival often focus on this area - and they are best enjoyed on busy, sunny summer days.

The only other shop in Llantwit Major's Pound Plaza alongside the mighty Filco is Rainbow Plaza…read more And what a freaking awesome shop it is. The ground floor is nothing too exciting, just newspapers, magazines, gift cards, stationery, chocolate bars, that kind of thing, but if you head up the stairs to the right, then boy does it get good. Up here you'll find a proper toy shop alongside a DVD rental operation and the only place in Llantwit Major to sell CDs and DVDs. The selection of CDs is a bit rubbish but the toy side of things is frankly brilliant. I've never seen so many box fresh board games. They've got both Cardiff and Swansea editions of Monopoly (surely they're all brown squares in Swansea? Boom! Take that Jacks!). They even have the table top cricket game that I always wanted as a kid. With an impressive array of Lego toys, huge cuddly toys, a Games Workshop section, and some toys for girls (phhmp! Whatever...), Rainbow Bargains is a cracking little shop that is very difficult to leave without whipping your wallet out.