Three Cliffs Bay Walk
This Three Cliffs Bay walk begins at Penmaen church. It’s a lovely simple walk taking you down to the bay, wherefrom you can explore the beach further (tide permitting), or head inland to explore Three Cliffs valley and the imposing Pennard castle.
Distance covered: 0.5 miles
Average time: 20 minutes
Terrain: Easy, but a good climb back up if you go down to the beach.
Directions:
From the top of our track, turn left for 1.6 miles as you approach Burry Green, turn right for 0.3 miles, take a slight left past the water works, keeping going past the post office. At the T-junction turn left and then immediate right. Keep following the road through Reynoldston until a t junction, turn left onto the A4118 for 4.9 miles. You will see the St John the Baptist Penmaen church on your left, turn right and continue over the cattle grid 150m there’s a car park on your right.
Once you are parked up, walk back to the main road past the church, cross over the main road and head straight down North Hills Lane opposite.
The church you see today was built to replace an abandoned church located on Penmaen Burrows which was besanded in the early 14th Century. The new church is dedicated to John the Baptist, look out for the fine stained glass window depicting the saint in the north wall and a second depicting St. Paul . Also in the north wall is a grave stone dated 1623 which was discovered beneath the church altar during extensive restoration work In 1854. it reads:
“Here resteth the body of David the son of David the sonne of Richard the sonne of Nicholas the sonne of Rys teh sonne of Leison teh sonne of Rys the sonne of Morgan Ychan the sonne of Morgan the son of Cradocke the sonne of Iustin ap Gwrgan Sometime Lord of Glamorgan interred the 21 day of August in the year of our blessed redemption 1623”
Continue for 200m down the lane, take the first and only right turn. Follow the lane downhill.
Pass through the galvanised gate at the end of the road – this takes you onto a rough track which leads straight down to the stepping stones over Three Cliffs river. If you want to get to the Pobbles side of the bay, or walk up the valley to the castle, you will need to cross the river – for the main beach stay on the Penmaen side and follow the river to the right.
At the top of the track make sure you stop to enjoy the views from the vantage point, the most popular place for taking photos of the bay.
If you look south to the opposite headland you should just make out the grassy banks of the Iron age hill fort on the headland. The fort was replaced by the more substantial stone built Norman castle which lies just out of sight further up the valley.
Rhossili Headland Walk
A pleasant stroll on the wide gravel cliff top paths that overlook Rhossili bay and Worms Head – Famous for its spectacular sunsets! If you’re only in Gower for one day, this is one place you should definitely make the effort to get to.
Distance covered: 0.75 miles
Average time: 20 minutes
Terrain: Easy underfoot, almost flat, and suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.
Directions:
From the top of our track, turn left for 1.6 miles as you approach Burry Green, turn right for 0.3 miles follow this lane until a triangle junction and turn right onto the south Gower road (A4118) to the village of Scurlage and turn right onto the B4247 for Rhossili. Follow the road through the village and park in the large car park next to the Worms Head hotel . You can’t miss it.
Walk to the seaward side of the car park and pass through one of the gaps in the wall onto the lane on the other side. Turn left and follow the lane out through the gates towards Worms Head.
The view of Rhossili bay over the three miles to Burry Holms at the Llangennith end of the beach is breath-taking. If you have sharp eyes you should just make out the wreck of the Helvetia, an oak barque wrecked here on the 1st November 1887 and now reduced to a series of heavy wooden spars stretching from the sand a little way down the beach. The Helvetia was sheltering in the bay during a gale but as nightfall approached she dragged anchor and had to be abandoned. By morning the ship was wrecked and her cargo of 500 tons of timber was strewn along the beach.
Follow the path until you reach the old coast guard lookout above the Worms Head causeway.
The name ‘Worms Head’ is a corruption of the Old Norse word for Dragon – apparently what this headland looked like to the invading Norsemen as they arrived at Gower from the sea.
Walking on The Worm itself:
If you feel tempted to walk out to Worms Head itself, bear in mind it is very easy to get cut off by the tide. The causeway is exposed for a maximum of 2.5 hours either side of low tide and the worm is about 1 mile long, so it will take you well over an hour to walk directly out and back without stopping. If you do find yourself trapped on the island don’t attempt to swim or even wade back across the causeway – strong swimmers have lost their lives doing just that because the tide and currents are exceptionally powerful here. The only safe thing to do is to wait for tide to drop again. If that gives rise to other concerns, use your mobile to speak to the coast guard.
Having given the necessary warning, I have to say that walking out on the head is an unforgettable experience and well worth planning. Also remember that the outer head is closed at the beginning of the summer to protect the breeding sea birds.
Rhosssili Church:
When you get back to the village, the local church (St Mary’s) set next to the car park is worth a visit.
St Mary’s dates back to 12th Century, replacing an earlier church which is thought to have been in existence from the 6th century that was set at the bottom of Rhossili Downs. It reportedly fell foul to the ravages of powerful storms during the 13th century and resulted in the new church and village being constructed at its present location away from the encroaching sea and sand. The church is entered through a beautifully ornate carved archway very typically Norman. On the left hand pillar there is a rare scratch sun dial. There is good evidence to suggest that the archway was scavenged from the original church. In the chancel you will find an original 14th Century window, known as the “leper’s window” – it is set low so as to allow the feared lepers to hear the word of the scriptures from outside! Also have a look at the memorials in the nave – they include one to Petty Officer Edgar Evans, a Rhossili man who died with Captain Scott in the Antarctic in 1912.
Interesting further evidence of the presence of the Normans in Rhossili is the rare 12 century open field system known as ‘the Vile’ which stretches from the church all the way out to the headland next to Worms Head.
Oxwich Bay Walk
A lovely short walk on the sands of Oxwich Bay and the nature reserve behind. Great for an evening stroll and then a pint at the Oxwich Bay Hotel.
Distance covered: 2 miles
Average time: 1 hour
Terrain: Flat beach walk suitable for pushchairs except at high tide.
Directions:
Park your car at the large beach car park. Follow the beach to the east towards Three Cliffs Bay in the distance.
The shallow sloping beach is one of the most sheltered in Gower. It’s great for water sports and safe for swimming. Back in 1911, the beach was actually the site of the first aeroplane flight in Wales by Mr E. Sutton in a Bleriot monoplane. In fact, the sands continued to attract petrol-heads for much of the first half of the 20th century, with many motorbike races, speedway and speed trials held on the beach.
After about a mile you will meet a small river – at this point bear left into the sand dune system and follow any of the paths which double back in the direction from which you have come.
The sand dune system you are walking through is managed by the Countryside Council for Wales. Prior to the area becoming a national nature reserve, the dunes were extremely badly eroded. the northern part of the dunes was actually described by a local botanist as, “a sandy waste devoid of life.” The poor state was due in part to extensive use by the American Army and the RAF for practice manoeuvres during World War II. Since then, careful management has restored the area and its diverse habitats, which are now home to over 600 species of flowering plants, including a number of rare and endangered species.
The area behind the dunes was originally salt marsh, until, in 1770, Thomas Mansel Talbot, the then owner of Penrice estate, built an 8ft high sea wall from the north to the dunes to prevent the sea flooding the marsh. He also constructed the meandering ornamental lakes which run the length of the marsh back to Penrice castle. The habitats which exist as a result of this work have given the area one of the most diverse floras and faunas found anywhere on the peninsula.
As you follow the path back you will have the opportunity to bear to the north and explore some of the walkways and bird hides which have been constructed over the marsh and water. The paths run between the road and the beach so inevitably you will find your way back to the car without any problems.
If you have the time why not explore the village itself – it has a lot to offer! Up the hill to the west of the cross roads there is Oxwich castle, a beautiful mock-fortified manor built by the Mansel family and open to the public. The village grew up here and thrived on the industries of farming and quarrying the limestone of Oxwich point, which was exported to Devon where it was cooked into agricultural lime.
Also consider walking out towards the point to visit Oxwich church (St. Illtyd’s) built in the 1 th century occupying the site of an earlier church dating back to the 6th century. If you venture inside the church you will find a recess known locally known as ‘Doolamur’s Hole’. In the recess you will discover the effigies of a knight and his lady. There is some dispute over who the effigies represent – the most common belief is that they were two members of the De La Mere family who owned Oxwich Castle and tragically drowned in Oxwich Bay in the early 14th century. Others maintain that the style of the armour is distinctly 15 century and that they are more likely effigies of Sir John Penres and his wife Margaret Fleming, who held the manor of Oxwich during that period.
Mill Wood Walk
A short afternoon walk around a diverse broadleaf woodland with lots of watercourses, wildlife, and some interesting historic sights at the entrance to the woodland.
Distance covered: 2 miles
Average time: 1.5 hours
Terrain: Generally flat wide gravel tracks suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.
Directions:
From the top of our track, turn left for 1.6 miles as you approach Burry Green, turn right for 0.3 miles, take a slight left past the water works, keeping going past the post office. At the T-junction turn left and then immediate right. Keep following the road through Reynoldston until a t junction, turn left onto the A4118. You will notice an estate entrance on the right hand side of the road turn right just before the entrance. Follow the narrow lane down into the valley. You will see the car park on the right and the access gate to the woods. Park here and walk through the gate next to the car park and into the woodland.
The woods are a rich wildlife site – the streams and ponds are frequented by kingfishers and otters amongst many other notable species. As you begin your walk, on your left you will see an interesting quartered circular old fish, or stew, pond. Stew ponds were generally used to raise or hold fish (usually carp) and this example in Penrice is typical, having stone walls and a puddled clay base. It is in close proximity to the manor house which lies a few hundred yards away on the opposite side of the road, and for which it provided food.
The path follows the stream up into the woods. At the junction in the track, bear left, and then take the next turn right. Following the track will take you around a long circular route of the woodland. (There is one left turn which you can use to cut the distance of the walk in half.)
Stay on the wide tracks and when you have nearly completed the loop you will cross a stream – at the next junction bear left. When you arrive at the old mill pond, turn right at the end of the pond and follow the path back, tracing the route of the old mill leat back to the ruined water mill. From here you are in line of sight of the car park, which is a little way down the road.
The mill is a the 16th century corn mill from which the woods takes their name. On the road side of the ruin you will find two of its original mill stones resting against its walls.