Uplands Mini Itinerary
Arrival
Take a bus from Swansea Bus Station to Uplands. Service No.20 will drop you into the heart of Uplands within 10 minutes.
Did you know?
Uplands in Welsh, translates to Tir Uchel, which means ‘High Ground.’ The area was originally rural, with a few scattered houses like Ffynone and Brin-y-mor (noted in the 1843 Tithe Map) and the current road layout of Walter Road, Uplands Crescent, and Glanmor Road has roots in a mid-19th-century road that ran through the area.
Arts and Culture
Just imagine... socialising, eating dinner and spending the night in arguably the most famous house in Welsh literature - the house where one of the most celebrated poets and writers of the 20th century, Dylan Thomas, was born, spent the first 23 years of his life and first put pen to paper!
Dylan’s birthplace and childhood home at 5, Cwmdonkin Drive in Uplands has been fully restored to its 1914 condition when it was bought as a new house by the Thomas family. Book your tour, lunch, Edwardian dinner, Afternoon Tea or short break here.
Take a short walk to nearby (Grade II listed) Cwmdonkin Park, where Dylan played as a child. Dylan wrote many fond descriptions of Cwmdonkin Park (most notably ‘this world within the world of the sea town’ in his memoirs), and there are lots of Dylan references throughout the park – a giant pencil tree sculpture to name just one. The park also has a play area, tennis courts, walking trails and a little tea room, aptly named Dylan’s at Cwmdonkin, where you can treat yourself to a cuppa and a slice of homemade cake. There’s a small indoor seating area and it’s dog friendly too so you can bring along your four-legged friend!
Art lover? Pop into Tides Fine Art Gallery, a small, friendly, artist-led commercial gallery. Discover ceramics, generative art, jewellery, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and textiles.
Food and drink
Uplands offers a range of places to eat and drink. By day, you can relax with a coffee and homemade cake, or by night, dine out with friends and enjoy live music, dancing and cocktails (or mocktails!). Check out Bar Saint James (an elegant bar set in an Edwardian building with art deco furnishing), Brewstone (serving freshly cooked pizzas and craft beer) and Frango (offering authentic Portugese chicken).
Parks and Gardens
Within walking distance of Uplands, you will find several of Swansea Bay’s attractive green spaces. Brynmill Park is less than a 10-minute walk and was Swansea’s first informal park (originally a reservoir, built in 1837). Today, this well-loved park has a children’s playground, a small kiosk selling refreshments and a picturesque lake where you can spot ducks and swans.
Singleton Park is also nearby, within a 20-minute walk, and is home to one of Wales' premier plant collections, with herbaceous borders, wildflower garden, three large glasshouses and ornamental gardens. Singleton Park is also very popular with families and boasts a boating lake with pedalos, children’s playground, crazy golf course and somewhere to stop for a bite to eat, at Pub on the Pond.
Don’t miss…
…Uplands Market! A vibrant monthly street market, which takes place on the last Saturday of each month and features local traders selling Welsh produce and handmade goods.
