Gower Peninsula, South Wales

With some spare days before my next long hike I decided to go further into Wales and check out the Gower peninsula on the south coast, using Swansea as a base.

19 August I set out along the beach around the bay in Swansea and walked seven kilometres mostly on the hard sand to Mumbles and had breakfast. The tide had gone out a long way so the beach wasn't especially attractive. I continued past the pier and up onto the headland then followed the coastline. Langland Bay had the first major sandy beach

(dozens of identical beach boxes) and from there I went up onto the cliffs for much improved views. The coast was rocky and along here I saw several seals swimming just offshore. The tops were mainly gorse. I came down to busy Caswell Beach and had an ice cream. Back up onto the cliffs for views of headlands west along the coast and down to a long beach where the sand was almost completely covered by pebbles. Then up onto Pennard cliffs

and around the headland with a view of a nice sandy beach in the distance. The last part was across the grassy cliff top to Southgate. Coffee and the bus back to Swansea. 20 kms

20 August This was a much better day of coast walking. From Southgate I went back onto the cliffs and immediately had a fabulous view over Three Cliffs Bay, a deep expanse of sand interrupted by rocks, steep cliffs behind and some high dunes.

I had to walk over the dunes which were very scarred with paths and down to the beach to cross a stream on stepping stones. At the head of the valley were some castle ruins. Up on the other side I was looking down onto another huge beach and this one had a conical rock in the middle of the sand. I crossed a marshy area full of reeds and returned to the sand to walk along busier Oxwich Beach. Across the water, the Bristol Channel, was the area where I'll be next week.

Next, after looking at a little church, originally 6th c, with 13th c carvings, I climbed steeply into forest and descended steeply towards Oxwich Point, coming out onto a grassy ridge above the water and exposed rocks. I was walking beneath a line of cliffs and this part felt more remote although there were still a few other walkers.

I saw a couple of seals swimming. The path descended on the grass past sandy Slade Bay towards Port Eynon and I walked to the village along the beach. Had some chips and got the bus to Swansea. 17 kms

21 August The bus driver in Swansea told me to switch buses part way to Port Eynon and not only was I alone on the second bus but I got there quickly. The tide was far out so there was a lot of unattractive seaweed until I rounded the headland and headed northwest for Rhossili. From then on the coastline was very impressive: steep bluffs with grass on top, sharp indentations between the bluffs, narrow gullies and massive rock faces. The trail was mostly on the top but a few times I went into the gullies.

Nearer to Rhossili at Mewslade Bay there were some lovely beaches between bluffs.

Then I could see Worm Head (a grassy island which is cut off at high tide) and the wide causeway leading there was fully exposed.

I continued to Rhossili - the coast here was a series of closely connected grassy headlands - getting views of the three mile long sandy beach, backed by a hill covered in gorse and heather, which has been called Britain's best beach.

It looked very lovely in the sunshine: wide, flat and smooth, and I thought it improved as the tide came in. 

After a break I climbed up the hill behind the beach through the heather to a trig point at 200 metres and sat there to admire the beach in both directions. 

Being at the highest point on the peninsula I could also see the whole Gower, with farmland in the interior, the prominent headlands near my start, numerous white villages. Then I joined the crowd taking the bus back to Swansea. 15 kms

Total 52 kms