Exploring the Gower Peninsula

Gower’s most iconic sight is this rocky promontory that snakes out into Rhossili Bay: the name ‘worm’ comes from the Viking for ‘sea serpent’. The walk out to Worm's Head is a fabulous adventure on a sunny day, but do check the tides, which are displayed on a board near the causeway – it’s only reachable for two hours either side of low tide. Even locals get it wrong: as a boy, the poet Dylan Thomas was marooned until midnight.

Rhossili regularly makes lists of the world’s best beaches, for very good reason: its three-mile (4.8km) golden sands feature towering cliffs and Worm’s Head at one end, dunes at the other, and a genuine shipwreck in between. In summer, you can watch paragliders ridge-soaring the updrafts on Rhossili Downs. This spectacular beach has long been a star of the small screen, featuring in a number of high-profile TV productions including BBC drama series such as Doctor Who and The Guest. You can explore more about Doctor Who filming locations in Wales and discover other TV and film locations across Wales.

For sheer natural beauty, Three Cliffs Bay is just as good: the Pennard Pill river cuts a deep cleft into the wooded hillside before emptying into a gorgeous bay, overlooked by the ruins of Pennard Castle and the eponymous three jagged cliffs. Strong currents mean that Three Cliffs isn’t ideal for swimming, and it’s a bit of a walk to reach it – but that makes it quieter, and even more special.

The first two beaches you hit on the way out of Mumbles onto Gower are also the easiest with small children. Caswell and Langland have all the trimmings you need – parking, ice cream, toilets, shops – as well as Blue Flag Awards. The clifftop walk between the beaches is also a good introduction to coastal walking. Further along the peninsula, Port Eynon has all the same facilities but feels a little less urban.

Pretty Pobbles Bay is tucked behind the iconic Three Cliffs at the end of a long-ish walk over cliffs and dunes, so it’s often overlooked. The same goes for Mewslade Bay, which is overshadowed by neighbouring Worm’s Head and Rhossili. But the least visited of all is Blue Pool Bay, accessible only after a yomp over dunes from Broughton Bay on the remote northwest corner.

Gower has been a surfing hotspot for decades. When surfing here you can expect company from world class professionals like Patrick Langdon-Dark and Alys Barton, among others. The favourite break of two-time European professional surfing champion, Chris 'Guts' Griffiths is at Langland, while Llangennith, on the northwest tip, is considered to be one of the best surf spots in Wales for seasoned surfers due to it's reliable waves. For newbies wanting to give it a go, Rhossili and Caswell Bay are usually more suitable surf spots for beginners and there are several operators offering surf lessons along the coast to help you learn to surf safely.

Gower is deservedly known for its beaches so in addition to surfing there are plenty of other coastal activities on offer, such as coasteering and standup paddleboarding, but there are also adventures to be had on dry land. You can horse ride on the beaches or up on the moorland, or if you've a head for heights, rock-climb and abseil on the sea cliffs. Mountain bikers can find miles of rough track along Rhossili Down and Cefn Bryn common, while road cyclists will love the quiet lanes on the north side of the peninsula.

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For a relatively compact area, there’s a huge variety of landscapes on Gower. The Wales Coast Path runs around the coastline, taking in the dramatic cliffs and coves of the south, and the quieter saltmarshes of the north. The Gower Way cuts for 35 miles (56km) right through the middle. Visit Swansea Bay and the National Trust have come up with lists of their own favourite walks. Our own personal favourite is anything with a pub at the end. Talking of which…

A lot of walks/cycles in the Gower uplands tend to gravitate towards The King Arthur in Reynoldston, a proper roaring-log-fire country pub beneath Cefn Bryn, the highest point on Gower. Another good local is the award-winning Britannia Inn at Llanmadoc, whose beer garden has lovely views down to the Burry Inlet. And basically, anywhere that sells a pint of local brew Gower Gold. The Gower Brewery was founded in 2011. They own Kings Head in Llangennith and The Rake & Riddle at Penclawdd.

The Beach House won AA Restaurant of the Year in Wales within a year of opening in a fantastic beachfront spot in Oxwich Bay. Chef Hywel Griffith is a master of seasonal, local ingredients: the fish is landed by boats that bob in the sea just beyond the terrace, veg from local farms, and lamb from the salt marshes a few miles away. It also holds a Michelin Star.

Gower is also the spiritual home of those twin Welsh delicacies, cockles and laverbread. The laver (seaweed) is harvested from the shoreline, while cockles came (and still do) from the sandy estuary at Penclawdd on the north coast. If you see either/both on the menu anywhere on Gower, go for it.

The oldest buried human remains in Britain were found on Gower, dating back more than 30,000 years: the 'Red Lady' of Paviland (who later turned out to be a fella). The uplands are littered with Neolithic remains, most notably the burial chamber topped by the 25-ton Arthur's Stone. The Normans tried to oust the Welsh from Gower in the 11th and 12th centuries by bringing in Flemish settlers, and there’s still a noticeable difference in place-names, accent and dialect between the Welsh north and Anglicised south of the peninsula. The Gower Heritage Centre is a good place to learn about rural culture, while the Gower Festival brings high-calibre classical performers to a dozen ancient local churches each July. There’s also a strong folk tradition on Gower, best experienced at the annual Gower Folk Festival in June.