Gower Accommodation

Oxwich Bay, Gower Peninsular

Oxwich Bay, Gower

Oxwich Castle, Gower

Rhossili Bay, Gower Peninsula

Worm's Head, Gower Peninsula

Port Eynon Beach, Gower

Walking around the Gower Peninsula, here at Worm's Head

Hang Gliding at Rhossili

Gower Peninsula Tourist Information

The Gower really is a truly stunning area of the South Wales coast. Many have pointed to its resemblance to an island. As due homage to its beauty the Gower Peninsula has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (as of 2006). Only 19 miles long, but with a stunning 34 miles of coastline and 70 bays and beaches no less, you've a choice of idyllic sandy beaches including Oxwich Bay (the biggest), and Rhossili (the longest). The majority of the North coast of Gower is actually salt march making for superb birdwatching on the coast of the Burry Inlet. A choice of ancient caves, castles and myth (see Arthur's Stone and Giants Grave) also give the area a real boost and appeal!

The National Trust (weblink right) owns a large chunk of the Gower Peninsula coast, which is good news for its longterm preservation and a key factor in its unspoilt edge! Standing stones and ancient sites, stunning coastal cliff walking, superb surfing beaches and numerous outdoor leisure activities are all here on the Gower Peninsula.

The Gower Peninsula - Surfing, Walking Holidays & Birdwatching Holidays

Ready for rugged cliff top coastal walking? Ready for stunning beach bays with some of the best surfing conditions in Wales? Ready for the dunes of Whiteford burrows, part of a stunning nature reserve? Yes to any of these? You're ready for the practically untouched and hidden secret - the Gower Peninsula! Pretty villages, woodlands, dunes, marshland, gentle countryside and challenging surfing beaches all jostle for attention on Gower. Accommodation here urrs towards the luxury side and is best booked well in advance. You'll also find it a little more expensive than Swansea. However, if you're on a tight family holiday budget, the Gower Peninsula has a number of caravan parks and campsites around the coast particularly. A choice of sports are waiting to tempt on the Gower, including horse riding along one of it's many beaches, watersports, surfing, and climbing.

Some of the best dramatic coastal walking in Wales is here on the Gower, particularly around the Rhossili and Worm's Head area. Starting just south of the Mumbles you can walk the three delightful small bays of Langland, Caswell and pretty Pwlldu, then on to Three Cliffs Bay, noting striking rock formations here. Walking just the one mile stretch of Three Cliffs is definitely recommended as the cliffs are particularly striking here.

Another popular area on the Gower Peninsula for coastal walking is the Rhossili stretch with its local National Trust visitor centre packed with leaflets, maps and guides on local wildlife, particularly birds. Rhossili Bay itself stretches for 3 miles, looked on by off shore Worm's Head. If you're planning to take the walk across the causeway to Worm's Head (which can only be done in a two hour low tide timespan!!), make sure you check the tidal times and take advice from the nearby National Trust Visitor Centre (weblink right). Many a walker has been stranded and rescued, including Dylan Thomas, so beware. This spot is a favourite with numerous seabirds including razorbills, guillemots, fulmars, puffins and oystercatchers so it's a great area for Gower Birdwatching Holidays!

Rhossili, Worm's Head & Visitor Centre, Gower Coastguard Cottages, Rhossili, Gower SA3 1PR. Telephone: 01792 390707. (National Trust Visitor Centre/weblink right). You can now download a choice of walks in the Rhossili Bay area and elsewhere, including Whiteford Burrows, from the National Trust website!

Gower Wales Beaches and the Gower Peninsula Coast

The stunning beauty of the Gower Peninsula's many beaches are renowned. Dramatically framed often by limestone cliffs, a feature of the area, a choice of caravan parks are dotted around the Gower coastline. Windsurfing, surfing and now kitesurfing are all popular watersports too on many of Gower's beaches. For surfing Langland Bay, Caswell Bay and the northern end of Rhossili Bay are particularly favoured surf spots (see A1 surfing weblink right).

Top of the tree on the Gower for holiday bases is Oxwich Bay which not only benefits from a glorious sandy beach with great windsurfing and surfing conditions, but also the adjacent Oxwich Nature Reserve - unusual because it's a freshwater reserve with some sale marches situated very close to the sea. Other features in Oxwich Nature Reserve include woodlands, dunes and a stunning variety of birds. Oxwich beach benefits from an adjacent car park. Its popularity has a little to do with its excellent accessibility, direct by road. Oxwich Castle, essentially a tudor mansion, sits on the Oxwich Point headland. (see Wales Castles weblink right).

Moving round Oxwich Point towards Port Eynon and Port Eynon Bay, you'll find yourself in excellent Wales family holiday territory. The beach is accessible by car, and holiday shops run along the beach. Smuggling was rather popular along this stretch of the Gower coast, note Culver Hole behind Port Eynon, which is basically gashes and smuggling storage areas carved into the cliffs. From Port Eynon up towards Rhossili is some of the best, and wild, coastal walking on the Gower. Archeologically speaking there's a rather important Welsh cave along this stretch - Paviland Cave, where in 1823 the Rev. William Buckland discovered a human skeleton. Buckland meshed religion, myth and science, however modern archaeologists set the record straight, the remains were a young man who lived around 29,000 years ago, thought to be a tribal chief. A mammoth's skull was also discovered here.

Rhossili Bay is perhaps the most epic coast stretch on the Gower, you're facing the Atlantic full on here as opposed to the Britstal Bay beaches of the south. The 3 mile sandy beach here is sublime, offering dramatic coastal walking, superb surfing and sports such as hang-gliding are popular. Note the Helvetical shipwreck off the coast which ran aground in 1887. To the north edge of Rhossili at Llangennith discover the best surfing beaches (see PJ's Surfshop weblink right - the shop is in Llangennith). The village of Llangennith is attractive too, with a bohemian surfer scene edge.

The Gower Heritage Centre, Gower Peninsula Wales

The fascinating Gower Heritage Centre, a rural life museum and tourist information point, is conveniently situated at a gateway point to the Gower just 8 miles west of Swansea on the A4118 (South Gower Road). This heritage centre serves several purposes. It's a craft centre situated on the site of a 12th century water powered saw mill. There's a rural life museum on-site focusing on the rural history of the Gower area and it's also a good starting point for branching out along the nearby coast towards Three Cliffs Bay.

The museum and information centre is a good starting point at the beginning of your holiday, as it's a comprehensive journey into the agricultural history of the region. Group tours are welcome, and on the crafts side several crafts artists are in residence and you can purchase their wares which include stained glass mirrors, jewellery and so forth. The Pineneedles shop sells delightful wooden gifts. A range of family workshops are also offered throughout the year, plus for the kids there's an adventure play area and small animal farm on-site.

Gower Heritage Centre, Parkmill, Gower, Swansea, SA3 2EH. Tel: +44 (0) 1792 371206. See Gower Heritage Centre website right for details.

King Arthur's Stone and Cefn Bryn, The Gower Interior

The interior of the Gower Peninsula offers up some fascinating ancient sites, and geological wonders with the obligatory Arthur myth attached! Amazing how the Arthur myths have sustained themselves into our present day, still heavily promoted by tourism! The Gower's King Arthur myth pertains to the 25 ton Quartz boulder situated just above the little pretty village of Reynoldston. The boulder is known as Coeten Arthur or Arthur's Stone, so called because Arthur is supposed to have removed it from his boot (must have been a pretty big boot!) and flung it across the Burry Islet where it landed here.

It's a climb up to view the stone, but well worth it as the views on a clear day up here are panoramic, across all of the Gower Peninsula!

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