When you could take on the Mumbles Mile or just dance the night away...
IF you grew up in a certain era in Swansea, you’ll know there was once a night out to be had in the city that now simply is the stuff of legend.
While the city centre boasted a booming nightlife scene along the Kingsway with its three super clubs and surrounding bars being the staple of any self-respecting Jack’s weekend, there was also a completely different option with a picture perfect backdrop set amongst one of the city’s prime beauty spots.
Four and a half miles from its more urban and commercial counterpart, at the furthest extremities of Mumbles Road was the start of a night out that some will never forget, and many could never remember.
People would venture to the tourist attraction each and every week, not to get a Joe’s ice cream and have a leisurely walk along the promenade, but in the hope of achieving a Swansea resident’s equivalent of the Holy Grail - successfully attempting, and surviving, the Mumbles Mile.
The concept of the Mumbles Mile was exactly as the name suggests calling in for a drink in every bar for roughly - a mile, in arguably the most famous bar crawl south Wales ever knew.
Success? If you were still standing at the end of it. There was once around 26 pubs, including the likes of Admiral Benbow, the Bear and the Antelope, and even the most hardened of drinkers would have had to take the half pint tactic to have stood a chance.
But the reward for those who did was something very special indeed. Whilst each and every pub along the route had its own charm, and everyone would have their particular favourites, the star attraction of what was once the Mumbles drinking scene was always its nightclubs - Cinderella’s, Neptunes and Bentley’s.
Neptunes overlooked Bracelet Bay and was perhaps the most scenic of the three.
Not that it mattered when you were seeing double after taking advantage of the club’s happy hour.
Many would line up the drinks during the time the promotion was on, then they’d be set for the rest of the evening, even if it meant they were limited to moving around until all the drinks had been drunk, and then they could barely move around at all.
The building was the scene of far more memorable occasions for others.
It was an education in life for many, who snuck in to celebrate GCSE results, and had to be carried back to the car park near the Big Apple afterwards after realising their drinking threshold at a tender young age wasn’t anywhere near what their inner bravado led them to believe.
Directly outside the building is a steep bank, and the scene of much drunken tomfoolery, where some would feel an unsuspecting shove to their backs and go tumbling, to a chorus of laughter from the rest of their friends.
A first kiss was shared by many young would-be couples in the famous old building on fateful evenings which have led to long and happy marriages. In fact, it was so important to some that it was the venue they chose for their wedding receptions.
In the years that followed its closure, its reincarnation as Castellamare became an even more iconic landmark that was known far and wide.
A new chapter has just begun there, with The Secret Group recently rebranding the old nightclub as The Lighthouse.
Tucked away down Castleton Walk, off Newton Road, was somewhere just as synonymous with that era to many.
After entering the bar beneath its famous sign which almost looked handwritten, the building, which had an arched ceiling, would host nights to suit all different customers, depending on when you decided to go.
In the late 1990s, Thursdays would be known for its ‘sound as a pound’ night, primarily designed with students in mind. In return for a £1 entry charge for members of the National Union of Students, there would be a mix of indie, house, trance and dance chart music - along with “silly” requests all night, meaning you could essentially dance away to whatever type of music you wanted to.
You wouldn’t have to break the bank on a Friday night either. It was named ‘Simply the Best’, and it was easy to see why - as they sold selected draught beers and bottles for £1 all night, with just £1 entry before 10pm.
The routine would see locals leave the White Rose opposite and spend the rest of their night there.
Saturdays were mainly for the over 25s, with seventies and eighties classics, chart and pop playing all evening.
The old Bentley’s building itself has recently been given a brand new lease of life, thanks to the arrival of Cu Mumbles, a new independent bar and entertainment venue which plans to host live music performances, comedy shows and offer a place for people to drink, dance and socialise.
Although many were tribal over which nightclub they preferred, perhaps the most famous club Mumbles ever knew was Cinderella’s.
Situated a stone’s throw from the famous boardwalk pier, it was the place many had their first taste of a proper night out. That’s because they tried their luck at getting in with fake IDS or a fictional date of birth they had ready to reel off, despite being underage.
It more often than not worked, and it was straight to the bar to grab a Blue Bols, a K-cider, a Smirnoff Black Ice or a Castlemaine XXXX lager whilst the going was good.
The nightclub was dark, smokefilled, and had blue sparkly walls and submarine-style windows.
There was a large, open dance floor, where it would be a common sight to see people falling over on a surface made slippery by booze spillages. There was a spacious seating area to the left and a bar to the rear, just opposite the toilets, which for men at least, would see them tiptoe around a sometimes urine-drenched floor.
To its exterior, out the back, was a sheer cliff face next to an outdoor area which would be a stunning, if not freezing, sight in the evenings.
In fact, some of those who couldn’t get in, or had missed their bus, would attempt to sneak in for free by climbing down it.
The club closed in late 2005, early 2006. It became a community room to the front of the building, where a whole range of activities such as painting took place, and the rear of the building was used as a store room.
On August 31, a fire wiped out Cinderella’s for good, which at its height, saw seven fire engines on the scene with crews battling the blaze for several hours.
Its neighbouring Copperfish restaurant was also badly damaged by the fire. Images of those famous submarine-style windows charred and surrounded by rubble were tough to take for many who created precious memories there.
Nowadays, Mumbles has re-shaped itself as a culinary and shopping centre. It boasts the stunning Oyster Wharf development, which is filled with some of the finest dining and shopping options around, including Le Bistrot Pierre, Prezzo, Gin and Juice, and Croeso Lounge.
But many still speak enthusiastically about the ‘best days’ they spent going to those famous old clubs, and immediately age themselves in the process when in earshot of the younger generation who never experienced it.
But it is a small price to pay, as they were special memories which will always be everlasting, at least if you were sober enough to remember, 26 pubs later.