There is barely a day goes by when I don’t just stand there and stare. Sometimes I actually say to myself something like ‘Isn’t that awesome’ or look to the skies and say, ‘Now you’re just showing off’. I have been known to stand there and give the view a round of applause. You would think after all this time I would have seen it all, that I should have become bored and moved on but no…when it comes to Swansea Bay I’m still a fan.
As I look at the collection of photographs on my phone I’m reminded of meeting the wonderful guitarist Eric Weissberg. Eric had had massive success around the world with the record ‘Duellin’ Banjos’ from the film Deliverance. We were on tour in Europe with Art Garfunkel and one night at dinner he arrived wearing a jacket sporting a massive Bentley Owners badge on the pocket. ‘So you like your cars Eric’, I said.
Eric’s record success had allowed him to fulfil just about every dream he had had as a boy. With my one question Eric took that to be an invitation to show me photos of all the cars he had owned….and there were lots.
A strange twist to this story is that one of the cars was a 1928 Bentley that he had, ‘sold to a guy from Swansea named Layton Roberts’. I told him I knew Layton. He then went on to tell me that Layton had seen the car advertised in an American magazine, brought Eric and a friend over with the car in the hold of the QE2 and then flown them back on Concorde after spending a week in Swansea.
All that is by the by, what struck me was that for Eric the photographs he carried were of things in life he loved more than anything else.
I currently have over 20,000 photos on my phone. More than half are of the family and kids…the other half must be of Swansea Bay.
This week the bay is the setting for a number of community events. Last Sunday it seemed as if the whole world had descended on Mumbles for the annual raft race. If I’m honest it was a little crowded but part of the fun of the Raft Race is walking along the beautiful new prom and, literally, bumping into people you haven’t seen in ages.
And while I’m on the subject of the prom, can we stop for a second and give a little round of applause to all those involved in making it happen. From Big diggers lost in the waves to weeks of diversions and men in hard hats it sometimes seemed like a distant dream but this year it really has come into its own. As I walk along the prom I’m forever hearing people say, ’well, it’s like being abroad’.
Over the past few months the Bay has hosted a lot of sporting events everything from The Swansea Half Marathon to numerous Iron Man type events. It’s the perfect setting. I was talking to one of the organisers of the Swansea Half. It’s growing year on year and people love the setting. And it’s not just the locals who love it, half of the entrants come from outside the area. That’s got to be good for the whole region’s economy.
This weekend it’s expected that up to 250,000 people will head to Swansea Bay for the Wales Air Show. The Air Show has become a regular in the Swansea Events Calendar and I really hope we don’t take it for granted. I remember after 5 or 6 years in the Premier League people started being a bit blasé about going to see Swansea City. You only realise how good those days were when they have gone.
One of the things that always takes me by surprise is there are so many great views of Swansea Bay. My dad always took new visitors to Swansea up to Pant Y Celyn Road in Townhill. From there you can see from the docks right around to Mumbles Head. I’ve been back recently filming some scenes for the video to a song I’m hoping to release later in the year all about Swansea.
But there are other roads and other parts of Swansea that have different views that are equally wonderful. If you come down Llwyn Mawr Road through Tycoch or down through West Cross on Fairwood Road somehow it’s the Mumbles…in your mind you think that can’t be right but there she is again.
The great thing about the Air Show in Swansea Bay is that there are so many places to stop and see what’s going on. Over the past few years I have had the chance to see the show from all different vantage points along the bay. Mumbles gives a good distant overview and means you can get an ice cream in Joe’s or Ripples to keep you cool.
The main viewing location around the Guildhall, or what used to be called the slip, gives you all the fly pasts as well as informed commentary. You also get all of the exhibitor stalls and stands to visit.
One year I had to get to Cardiff for an afternoon radio show, so I parked up somewhere in the docks. I was right underneath the flight path of the Red Arrows as they made their way in to perform some amazing, death defying tricks to wow the crowds.
Wherever you head to for this weekend’s Wales Air Show make sure you have enough water and sun tan lotion because they say the good weather is going to continue for a little while yet.
And if you haven’t been to Swansea Bay for a while…what are you waiting for.