5 fab walks in the glorious Gower peninsula
Many of the guests who make their base in our luxury holiday accommodation at Bayview Oxwich are walking enthusiasts. They tell us that Bayview Oxwich is a great base for exploring the Gower peninsula on foot, and a great base of guaranteed comfort to return to at the end of a day of foot-slog!
We recently discovered a wonderful article in Country File magazine (published 16 08 2023) written by award-winning outdoors and travel writer, Sian Anna Lewis. She is famous for writing “beginner-friendly adventures in the wildest corners of Britain” and she has selected 5 of her favourites in the Gower peninsula, which she describes as:
A small but perfectly-formed peninsula, just 70 square miles, bound by the Loughor Estuary to the north and Swansea Bay to the east. Yet, between its shores are cliffs and sweeping beaches, fairytale woods and sleepy moorland villages.
So, with such variation of landscape in such a compact area, it’s the perfect place to lace up your boots and get walking! Here is a snapshot of the five Anna has highlighted, which you can read about in more detail on www.countryfile.com
1.Three Cliffs Bay
6 miles/3 hours/moderate
A truly special place, with its 3 iconic triangle limestone cliffs (which we feature on the Bayview Oxwich logo as it’s visible from our properties). This walk has it all – cliffs, caves, a river, and a magnitude of soft sand.
2. Rhossili Bay
7.8 miles/5 hours/moderate/return
A bracing and beautiful walk up close to the wild Atlantic. Take in the mystical tidal islands of Worm’s Head and Burry Holms which bookend this bay, as well as surf, shipwrecks, and sheep. Choose to walk along the 3-mile stretch of beach or take the cliff walk, either way you will get the spectacle of Nature at its best.
3. Pwll Du Bay
3.8 miles/2.5 hours/moderate/return
If you like to walk through shady woods, a secret valley, follow a river bank past a waterfall, to emerge at a secluded atmospheric beach where history and mystery are palpable, this one is for you. (It’s also a favourite with our two girls who love a gallop there on horseback).
4. Cathole Cave
5.7 miles/3.5 hours/ moderate
Cathole Cave, Gower has yielded finds from The Ice Age, Bronze Age tools, and even Palaeolithic bones of mammoth, woolly rhino and giant deer. This walk through time takes you from the Gower Heritage Centre in Parkmill to the rock cave through the lovely village of Ilston and the wooded valley of Ilston Cwm.
5. Cefn Bryn
8 miles/5 hours/ moderate
Cefn Bryn is the spine of Gower, a spectacular ridge allowing 360 degree views of the Gower peninsula and beyond. The walk takes in prehistoric hut circles burnt mounds and cairns, including the much-famed King Arthur’s Stone, a Neolithic cromlech originally built to shelter human bones.
We’d love you to stay with us at Bayview Oxwich. We have a range of luxury holiday rental accommodation including contemporary cottages, exquisite apartments, and even an exclusive retreat to suit couples, families and groups of friends. Please contact Wanda and the Team who’ll be more than happy to talk you thorough which option might be best for your requirements and take your booking.
Imagery: © Hawlfraint y Goron / © Crown copyright (2023) Cymru Wales