It was hard to tell if it felt like returning to normality (what's normal anymore?) but Barry was abuzz today with revellers enjoying beer gardens and al fresco cafes as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

Finnegans Inn on Station Approach was among the many fully booked pubs brimming with customers, a testament to the town's readiness to socialise once more.

"It's stressful but good," manager Chris Hillard told Nub News. "We pre-booked so we knew we were going to be full and it's been rammed.

"The weekend coming up is fully booked again, but to be honest outside-only is a lot easier to manage."

Before today, it had been five and a half months since Finnegans poured its last pint. In that time, they have planned a new menu and built new seating areas in order to meet Vale of Glamorgan Council requirements.

Regular customers were certainly happy to be sat on the new benches, soaking in the sun.

"It's wonderful," one said. "We're going to get [very drunk]. I am loving life, mate."

Less than 200 metres away by the seafront, Marco's Cafe was a far more serene scene. Roughly twenty people were sat in small groups enjoying the simple things in life they used to take for granted.

"It is so nice to come back to some normality," said owner Marco Zeraschi. "The amount of my regulars who have come back has been amazing.

"It's a little hub here you see, where they meet their friends, have a coffee. It feels like being on holiday now, instead of being locked up in your house.

"Running a takeaway service was good and you could of course talk with regulars in the queue, but you can't actually interact with them afterwards - and people need interaction."

"It's just great to see people back out and enjoying the sunshine and businesses open again," added a Marco's regular.