Barry Island (Ynys y Barri) photos
A spring trip to the seaside.
(Photos © urban75, May 2008)
Named after 6th century Saint Baruc, Barry Island is a popular seaside resort only a few miles south west of Cardiff.
Barry Island has actually been a peninsula since the 1880s as a result of Barry town expanding and the development of Barry Docks by the Barry Railway Company.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-21.jpg) Running alongside the track into Barry Island is a short heritage line owned by the Vale of Glamorgan Railway. Here you can see a 'Thomas the Tank Engine' train puffing by.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-22.jpg) Low tide.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-23.jpg) Broken railing in the headland by Little Island.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-24.jpg) Kite flying by Whitmore Bay.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-25.jpg) Steam train heads south-east along the causeway from mainland Barry.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-26.jpg) Impressive house by Friars Point.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-27.jpg) Looking east towards Whitmore Bay.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-60.jpg) Similar view from 1900, with a long-gone bathing pool in the foreground.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-28.jpg) Gate house by the park.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-29.jpg) Welcome to Barry Island!
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-30.jpg) The sign says, 'Luxury Apartments For Sale/Let.' Shurely shome mishtake?
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-31.jpg) Donuts and Candy Floss at Rossis.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-32.jpg) Rock shop.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-33.jpg) New pirate-themed crazy golf.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-34.jpg) Two ladies heading towards Caesar's Palace.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-35.jpg) These huge numbers were painted on the promenade during the heyday of Barry Island in the 50s to help children find their parents.
The beach used to be so packed kids used to get lost all the time - and I can remember what seemed like long, long hours trying to find my Mum after forgetting where we were all sat.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-36.jpg) Apparently, we always used to set up on the beach near the shelter so we didn't have too far to run when the inevitable rain came!
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-37.jpg) The shelter and beach.
Behind it used to be Butlins Holiday camp, which closed in 1986 before reopening the following year under private ownership as Majestic Barry Island, and then Barry Island Resort.
The camp finally closed in 1996 and was redeveloped for housing between 1997-2003.
History of Barry Island Holiday Camp
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-38.jpg) Looking out across the Bristol Channel.
A lesser known fact about Barry Island is that it was the favoured hoiday haunt of the serial killer Fred West in the 1950s.
After he committed suicide in prison in 1995, he left instructions to be buried at the family plot at St Bartholomew's, Much Marcle. The villagers weren't much keen on the idea so he ended up being cremated, leaving West's unfortunate children were left with an urn full of his ashes - which they promptly despatched to the murky brown waters off Barry Island.
Read more.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-39.jpg) Abandoned building.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-40.jpg) This punk dude with the little dog was chilling out with a copy of 'Chopper'
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-41.jpg) Looking west across Whitmore Bay.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-42.jpg) Coastguard in action.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-43.jpg) Small bay to the east of Whitmore Bay, past Nell's Point.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-44.jpg) The big shelter on Whitmore Bay.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-45.jpg) Couple enjoying lunch.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-46.jpg) Entrance to Barry Island Pleasure Park. Here's some scenes from the park:
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-47.jpg)
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-48.jpg)
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-49.jpg)
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-50.jpg)
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-51.jpg) Queuing for the worryingly creaky Viper ride. We didn't fancy it.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-52.jpg)
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-53.jpg)
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-54.jpg)
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-55.jpg) The faded glory of Barry Island station, which once carried thousands of passengers on summer weekends.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-56.jpg) Old semaphore signal.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-57.jpg) The station once boasted four platforms to cope with the traffic, but just half of a platform is enough to serve passenger numbers now.
Nearby, there used to be a huge complex of sidings owned by Dai Woodham which housed hundreds of decaying steam locomotives ready to be scrapped. Many of these locomotives were subsequently bought and restored.
Ironically, the sidings area is now stuffed full of parked cars most weekends.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-58.jpg) Past the station area are sidings and goods shed owned by the Barry Island Railway. The line used to go through a tunnel from here on to a pier station.
![Barry Island pleasure park and holiday resort, Whitmore Bay near Cardiff, south Wales](images/barry-island-59.jpg) Passing 'Whites Cosy Corner' on the train back to Cardiff.
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