This year we decided to explore Wales – off to the beautiful coastline of the Gower. The Gower Peninsula is located in the south of Wales and is about an hour and a half drive from Cardiff. The drive from Swansea onwards is very scenic, but it can be a rather hair raising as cars squeeze past each other on the country lanes, and in some cases come face-to-face before deciding who has to reverse first. (I think we lost the stare down every time and our little Corsa got very used to moving backwards!)
Our base for the weekend was the most southerly point of the Gower at Port Eynon. It is a quaint town full of character and offering some great cliff walks where the views are just spectacular. The beach is a little bit rocky but that did not stop us from having a game of rounders before exploring the rock pools in search of starfish. The weather remained dry and sunny and we all enjoyed our first camping braai with some tasty local Gower potatoes.
As much as I liked Port Eynon, it would be a waste of a weekend not venturing around the other parts of this dramatic limestone coastline. We hopped in the car and drove to Rhossili Bay – an area which is largely owned by the Natural Trust to preserve its beauty. You can see why with its three mile sandy beach and the prominent Worm’s Head. Access to the causeway to reach Worms Head is only possible two and a half hours either side of low tide though. As we arrived in the morning, we decided to attempt what we thought would be an easy walk across it, but it turned out to be a bit of rock scrambling. It was worth all the effort in the end, just for the incredible views.
I never did get to the very tip of Worms Head as it was ‘bird nesting’ season. I was happy enough to sit near a bird watcher and let him tell me what birds he could spot through his binoculars. It was a real shame that hundreds of other people ignored the sign and went marching on.
After having enough of the crowds we went searching for a quieter spot to have our lunch. We chose Llangennith beach, a surfing beach and apparently a frequent haunt by young party people – so the locals would say it is far from quiet – but if you find a spot among the dunes everything becomes still and you can watch all that is happening from a place unseen.
When I eventually caught my Ј5 Megabus back to London, I reflected on how lovely my weekend was and what beautiful scenery Wales has to offer. I was also grinning to myself thinking Wales without the wellies was a good experience and it just goes to show that contrary to everyone’s belief the sun does shine in the UK.
Useful Websites
Wales Tourist site: www.visitwales.co.uk
Gower camping: www.thegowercoast.com
Wales surfing: www.gowerlive.co.uk
South African born Nicole Boys is an avid traveller and marketer who has lived in London for the past nine years. Nicole’s love of travelling has sent her on many adventures around the world – the above weekend break has been nominated in the Wales Blog competition and is just one of the many stories she has chosen to share with us.
