It's a classic British early-summer scene: people of all ages enjoying a day at the beach with their picnics, buckets and spades, and bats and balls. While some go for a dip in the sea others relax on deckchairs on the sand or the promenade, chatting in the sunshine.
And down at Langland Bay in Gower a beach trip would not be the same without one summer staple: a beach hut with incredible views out to sea. Every year hundreds of locals bid for a hut by applying to the council. They then have an anxious wait for several weeks to find out if their name has been drawn in the ballot. If drawn they can hire a hut for their choice of three, four, six, 10, or 12 months and can request a specific area, which will be accommodated wherever possible.
While the exterior of the Langland beach huts all have the same traditional appearance people are welcome to personalise and decorate the inside of their huts however they see fit – and bunting is certainly a popular choice, Walking along the promenade and looking up to the huts you really get a glimpse into couples' and families' lives and what they enjoy doing at the beach – whether that's sitting and relaxing with a good book or bodyboarding or surfing out at sea.
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The summer season has only just begun so many people have only just started putting their decorations up at their beach huts – but by mid-summer the huts are sure to be filled to the brim with all sorts of colourful beach paraphernalia. Typically people store their deckchairs, tables, and beach toys in the huts – often to save the trek of bringing them from home each visit – while others bring camping stoves, bodyboards, and games to pass the time.
There's more than 80 green and white beach huts at Langland and they're a regular feature on postcards, pictures and souvenirs from the area. People never tire of seeing them standing proud along Langland come rain or shine while days spent sitting on the edge of the hut looking out to the beach and spending time with family and friends is a tradition some families have been doing for decades now – that is if they've been lucky enough to be successful in their beach hut bid more than once.
The huts are so oversubscribed each year that often several members of the same family will each bid for a hut in the hope at least one of them will be lucky enough to score a hut for their whole group to use. This year hiring a hut is just shy of £2,000 for 12 months. And while they're plenty big for a couple or family to relax in and store their beach belongings – and offer unparalleled views of Langland Bay – they don't come with electricity or water.
With this in mind, we headed down to Langland on a very warm and sunny Good Friday to ask people with beach huts what it is that draws them to Langland and what they love and loathe about them. Scroll down to read what they said.
If you're interested in hiring a beach hut at Langland next year keep an eye on the Swansea Council website in early2024 to apply. The council website says: "Applications are available online in January each year. The application process closes in early February and there is a draw for huts to ensure fairness. We will email you to tell you if you have been successful and you will have 10 days to make your payment and secure your booking.
"The draw for the huts is completely random to ensure everyone has fair opportunity. However should you have any special requirements that we need to take into consideration this can be mentioned."
'We've been coming down to Langland for years'
For Sarah Haden, from Mayals, a day at a beach hut in Langland with family or friends is something of a long-running tradition. Back in the 1960s and 1970s Sarah's family had one of the original beach huts on the beach itself and then they had one over by the golf course years before the beach huts were built at their current base along the promenade.
This year three members of Sarah's family applied for a Langland beach hut and one was successful. The whole family will use the hut, she said, and they'll host friends at their hut too.
"We've all been coming down to Langland for years," she said. "We were lucky to have a hut this year – three people bid for it and one was successful. We'll all use it and we've got it for the full 12 months.
"You've really got to come down as much as possible to make it worth it – you've got to make the most of it. If we can't come down one day we get our friends and family to use it. We've got a little stove to make a cup of tea, bodyboards, towels, chairs – we keep all the beach stuff here. And we've got bunting up – it's mandatory if you've got a beach hut.
"Back in the 1960s the original beach huts were actually on the beach. They had metal frames and you had to bring your own canvas." Ultimately, aside from a lick of paint on the outside of the hut, the only other thing that would make their beach days at their Langland beach hut better would be if hut-hirers got free parking in the Langland car park, Sarah added.
'Who wouldn't want a beach hut?'
During our Good Friday visit to Langland Bay we met Sarah Welsh and Donna Clarke, two NHS nurses enjoying a rare day off. Sarah and two of her family members bid for a beach hut this year – and Sarah was the lucky one who was successful. She said she's looking forward to getting down to the beach hut as much as possible with friends and her daughter Emily, aged seven.
Asked why she applied for a beach hut this year she laughed and said: "Who wouldn't want one of these? Three of us applied and I won one – we've got it for 10 months. It's definitely worth it – we'll be here evenings, weekends, and in the holidays. And on mornings after the school run if I'm off work.
"We want to use it as much as possible – we're stressed-out NHS nurses. This is a true luxury. If I don't get a family holiday this year then I've kind of got one right here – it's like a staycation."
Asked if there was anything about the beach huts she'd change Sarah said: "I'm used to camping so not having electricity and water and things is second nature. I would love to have power here but that might encourage people to stay overnight, which we don't want and is actually against the rules."
"I do think parking should be free," Donna added. "That's one of the drawbacks – I think that if you've paid all that money for the hut then you should get the parking for free."
'A day at Langland is a holiday'
When we asked beach hut hirers what really drew them to applying for a beach hut this year the same thing was said time and time again: "A day at Langland is a holiday". For Janet Lewis there's nothing better than a day at Langland relaxing in the sunshine – it makes her feel like she's abroad. "I've been really lucky to be successful in getting a beach hut this year," she said. "I've got it for the year. It's lovely to sit here – this is my holiday, I won't go abroad. It's lovely – we use the hut as a base for the family. We keep the surfboards here for the grandchildren and we've got a lovely view." Discussing her application she added: "I didn't care where my hut was as long as I had one."
Daisy Davies, from Bishopston, shared a similar response. She and her family have always loved days out to Langland and they plan to spend as much time as possible at their beach hut this year.
"It is expensive and they're so hard to get but they're definitely worth it," Daisy said. "I love coming down here. It's my family's hut – we've got it for the summer this year and there'll be someone from the family here every day of the school holidays. We keep beach stuff here, stuff for the kids – and we'll have blankets for the evenings."
Asked if there's anything about the beach huts she'd improve Daisy said some of the huts could do with a bit of TLC. "For what they charge they could tart them up a bit more," she said. Another local family said having a beach hut at Langland was "ideal" particularly as they have young children and one member of the family is on maternity leave so they expect to be using the beach hut "every day it's sunny" for their three-month block.
'We love being able to come and sit here and relax'
For married couple Kay and Ravi from Caswell there's nothing quite like a relaxing day at their beach hut at Langland. Ravi has recently retired so has more time to enjoy days out and the sunshine, he said, and the couple have always enjoyed local walks.
"We've wanted a beach hut for years," Kay added. "We applied every year for three years running. Originally we didn't get anything but then we heard we got in on a second ballot. We've got it for three months until June – it's lovely. We spend hours walking around here so to be able to come and sit here is just lovely."
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