Whilst summers are usually busy on the Island, this year saw an increased presence of visitors and locals alike from the May bank holiday and throughout the summer months.
Louis Ross runs Barrybados, a shop that is popular among Gavin and Stacey enthusiasts and those who simply love Barry.
He said that this summer was simply “consistent.”
He believes that the Whitsun bank holiday was the “busiest day [they had] ever had,” and that the “stars aligned” to create an incredibly busy day – it had rained beforehand, most people were off work or school, and the sun was shining.
He said: “It was chaos, you couldn’t see the pavement.
“We were open every single day over the summer holidays from 9am to 7.30pm.
“This summer was consistent and more spread out compared to previous years.”
This summer season, whilst consistent, saw an event that many residents didn’t see coming: a red weather warning for extreme heat.
For a few short days the Island baked as temperatures rose to the mid-30s, with schools and businesses closing in the interest of safety and wellbeing.
With hundreds of locals off work and school and temperatures casting shade on those in LA, Ibiza and Puerto Rico, many would have thought that Whitmore Bay Beach would be full of people – but this wasn’t necessarily the case.
Businesses reported a “mixed blessing” with O’Shea’s saying that “some days it was hit or miss, but we had a couple of really busy days.”
Many businesses echoed the same sentiment: that it was simply “too hot” for a lot of people to venture out.
Giovannis on the Prom believes that “for all the lovely weather we’ve had, it’s been average.”
This business has been on the Island for decades and though Giovanni believes that whilst this year saw some of the best weather, the cost of living crisis still stands in the way for many.
He said: “I’ve been on the Island for 52 years and this year’s weather was some of the best ever.
“But I’m afraid to say that any other year would have been fantastic, but the excess income is just not there.”
Elsewhere, the Island has seen a range of new businesses join the seafront.
Farnhams is one of these businesses that have finished their first summer season on Barry Island.
They said: “We’ve been so pleased with how our first summer on Barry Island has gone. We’ve received such a warm welcome from locals, visitors and fellow businesses.
“We were very lucky with the lovely weather, which made for a busy couple of months.
“It’s been great seeing so many people enjoying Barry Island, and we’re really grateful for everyone’s support.
“We look forward to many more summers.”
Despite the mixed bag of responses from businesses new and old across Barry Island, the long hard slog through winter is now upon us and one thing is for certain – it will not be as busy as this summer.
