Sitting outside with a coffee, you’ll usually see hardy locals heading down for a dip, or families beginning a slow wander along the prom. Matt Holland and his wife Charlotte have run Willmore's 1938 at Clifftops since 2016 (Image: Matt Holland)If you’re an early riser, you can make Penarth’s cultural day start in the water. Dawnstalkers, an outdoor swimming community based on the seafront, meet at first light for sunrise swims, encouraging people to “get in the sea at Penarth seafront, at dawn” and share the joy of cold water together. Sunrise sea swim with dawnstalkers (Image: James / @halfwit0.5)Penarth’s food story around the pier is as much about long‑standing locals as newcomers. New Penarth seafront bar Kegbelly already a hit with locals (Image: Nikita Singh)As the Guardian piece notes, Penarth pier’s appeal is as much about what surrounds it as the structure itself, and that now includes new openings.