Kennexstone's Guides to Gower
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There are no fewer than 24 bays and sheltered coves along Gower's rugged
coastline, their scenic quality and firm, clean sands attracting tens
of thousands of tourists to the peninsula each year. From Swansea, with
its huge sweep of flat sand, the coastline becomes ever more scenic
and from Mumbles the peninsula's famous limestone cliffs begin to dominate
the landscape.
While beaches like Langland, Caswell, Oxwich and Port Eynon are beautiful
bays, their huge popularity has developed more from their ease of access
by road. Some of Gower's more picturesque beaches, like Pobbles Bay,
Three Cliffs Bay and Slade, demand abandoning the car and taking a hike
over mainly undemanding cliff land. A good example of this can be found
at Brandy Cove and Pwlldu where the remoteness of the coves has given
this area an infamous history of smuggling and skullduggery.
The coastline becomes increasingly wild as the Bristol Channel washed
beaches give way to those defined by the strength of the Atlantic Ocean
- with Rhossili Bay being one of the most breathtaking beaches in Europe.
Llangennith Sands, the northern half of Rhossili's immense tableau of
sand, is a favourite haunt for surfers and water sports enthusiasts
and, from here, several coves crowd amongst rough limesltone cliffs,
of which Bluepool Bay is the most popular.
Whiteford Sands, the most northerly of Gower's beaches, requires a moderately
long walk to reach and is often overlooked by visitors. It has, however,
an expansive stretch of beach which, even on the hottest summer afternoons,
hosts only a handful of sun worshippers.
As already noted, there is far more to Gower than its collection of
suberb beaches and the area's rich variety of environment provides the
peninsula with a bewildering number of species of both native and visiting
wildlife. So important are some of these and so delicate are their habitats
that their survival is dependent upon the protection offered by the
National Trust and other environmental groups such as the Countryside
Council for Wales and the Gower Commons initiative.
Gower is also as rich in history as it is in fertile countryside and
overwhelming visual splendour. One of the oldest human ceremonial burials
was discovered in a cave along the peninsula's magnificent limestone
coastline at Paviland. The local folklore is as varied and curious as
any other once remote corner of Europe. Packed into its landscape are
numerous Norman castles, medieval churches and fortified manors, mysterious
burial tombs and standing stones and the remains of ancient shipwrecks
whose bare bones remind us both of the peninsula's naurtical heritage
and the often treacherous nature of Gower's rugged coastline. Indeed,
Gower has literally hundreds of historic sites scattered around and
between its often rustic and picturesque villages.
Given the rural nature of Gower, many of these villages held quite distinct
histories until the motor car brought homogeneity to country life. During
these early times, people seldom travelled between villages and, left
very much to themselves, each locale developed separate and sometimes
quite contrasting identities.Even today, some distinct character remains
to each individual village.
Blessed with this fine succession of natural and historical wonders,
Gower is a place to cherish and delight in and it was with great enthusiasm
that those in love with the peninsula welcomed its designation as the
UK's first 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' in 1956. This legal
environmental protection, carried out by the National Trust, ensured
that much of the peninsula was protected from the modern-day pressures
that threatened to destroy so much of the rest of the British countryside.
Securing the future of the diverse species of wildlife in Gower and
preserving Gower's beautiful unspoilt landscapes for future generations
to enjoy, this A.O.N.B. status has also ensured the peninsula's continuing
interest to the tourist industry for many years to come.
As Gower celebrates its 50th anniversary of becoming the first established
A.O.N.B., and the tourism industry continues to broaden its demands
on the area, it is a salient time to appreciate just how much we owe
to the National Trust and all the other conservational bodies at work
on the peninsula for keeping the Gower countryside one of the morst
irreplaceable and inspiring landscapes in Britain.
Find Out More About Gower:
Gower Beaches | Gower
Castles | Historic Sites | Gower
Wildlife | Gower Sports and
Activities
Gower Villages | Gower
Churches
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