Living
We think Barry is a great place to live!
Barry is a great place to live! Don't just take our word for it. Barry has consistently been at the top of a list, compiled by the Centre for Economic and Business Research, as one of the most desirable places to live in Wales. The list is ranked by work-life balance, access to good schools and green spaces. As if that wasn’t enough, Barry is also surrounded by the Vale of Glamorgan’s rolling pastures, quaint villages, historic places and market towns filled with boutique shops and delicious eateries.
Highlights
Education
Barry boasts some of the top performing schools in Wales. The town offers three English medium secondary schools – Pencoedtre High School, Whitmore High School, St Richard Gwyn Catholic School – and one Welsh medium comprehensive – Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg. Additionally, Cardiff and Vale College maintains a campus in Barry, its largest site in the Vale, offering a vast range of courses and specialist training facilities.
Sports
Barry has great sporting facilities. Jenner Park is home to Barry Town FC and a hive of athletics talent, while our YMCA is busy nurturing gymnasts for the Commonwealth Games. Barry Yacht Club located at Jackson’s Bay is the place for sailing and rowing, offering a full programme of races throughout the season. Barry Community Water Activity Centre operates facilities for local organisations. There are Tennis clubs at Romilly Park and Barry Island, where the Barry Athletic Cricket Club is located. The town has two golf clubs – Brynhill Golf Club, and St. Andrews Major Golf Club.
The leisure centre in the town centre has a 25 meter swimming pool and teaching pool, two gyms, group cycling studio, group fitness studio, 6 court sports hall, and 2 squash courts.
Well-being
There are four beaches in Barry and four good reasons why living by the sea is good for your mental health.
- Sea air helps you sleep better.
- Looking at, and listening to the sea helps you relax and de-stress.
- Living by the sea is even more calming than living in green space, according to one study.
- You’re more likely to exercise, such as long walks along the coastal path or swimming for free. Click on the image to watch Steffan Rhodri going for a swim at Jackson’s Bay and talking about the benefits of year round sea swimming.
Shopping
Barry has four distinct shopping areas which developed as a result of Barry’s rapid growth around the Docks. The High Street is at the western end of town and is well known as the UK’s fourth best independent High Street. In the town centre, Holton Road is the largest shopping area, has a multi-storey car park, and a market day on Tuesdays. To the east is Vere Street; a smaller shopping area with independent and specialist shops. Additionally there is also Park Crescent, which is the furthest west and has a handy mix of shops within walking distance for many residents.
Barry has a Shop Local campaign supported by the traders and Town Council.
Travel
Barry offers excellent road and rail links, an international airport and a working port on the doorstep. Cardiff, Wales’s capital city is under 20 minutes away by train, London just over 2 hours, while cities including Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin are even less by plane!
With four train stations across the town, Barry already scores well on sustainable transport infrastructure. But watch this space for more initiatives as we move towards making Barry a greener town.