They were the days of sand in the picnic sandwiches, flasks of weak lemon squash - and a time when the beaches of Barry Island and Porthcawl could barely be glimpsed under the teeming mass of day-trippers enjoying a rare day off work or school.
As these evocative pictures from our archives show, Barry Island and Porthcawl were THE places to be back in the days before cheap package holidays and city breaks.
The smell of the fresh sea air, the obligatory bag of fish and chips and the trip to the fairground fed the memories of generations of Welsh children.
So let the waves of nostalgia from those heady far off days wash over you. If you love nostalgia, you can sign up to our Memory Lane newsletter, which is packed full of memories. Sign up here (just tick the box that says "The Nostalgia Newsletter").
More: 8 outrageously beautiful pictures of Wales that could be from the world's most famous beauty spots
More: 34 things you only know if you grew up in Barry
More: 34 reasons you should never visit the Welsh coast
More: 54 things you only know if you grew up in Porthcawl
If you love nostalgia, you can sign up to our Memory Lane newsletter, which is packed full of memories. Sign up here (just tick the box that says "The Nostalgia Newsletter").
