The Vale of Glamorgan is a gentle, low-lying county of farmland and villages, with a fine stretch of coastline on the Bristol Channel. It is close to Cardiff and Swansea, and its paths are mostly easy and well signed.

The Glamorgan Heritage Coast. Around 14 miles of dramatic coastline runs west from Aberthaw, with limestone cliffs, rock platforms and fossil-rich beaches. Nash Point has twin lighthouses, Dunraven Bay at Southerndown has a sheltered beach and clifftop views, and the Wales Coast Path follows the shore throughout.

Llantwit Major and Cowbridge. Llantwit Major is an ancient town with a medieval church and a short walk down to the beach at Col-Huw. Cowbridge, in the middle of the Vale, is a market town with a stretch of its medieval wall still standing, and a base for walks across the farmland.

Barry and Penarth. Barry has Barry Island and Porthkerry Country Park, where a viaduct crosses the wooded valley above a pebble beach. Penarth has a Victorian pier and seafront, and Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, with its reconstructed medieval village, is nearby.

The coastal cliffs are unstable and the tidal range in the Bristol Channel is among the largest in the world, so check tide times before walking on the shore.