The Gower Peninsula

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The Gower peninsula was designated Britain’s’ first area of outstanding natural beauty in 1956 and it’s easy to see why! Measuring only around 5 miles wide and little over three times this in length, the peninsula is rife with rustic beauty and old-worldly charm. Ancient monuments are abundant on the Gower peninsula, from burial chambers such as at Parc le Breose to world war outposts & smugglers haunts nears the many bays and over 30 Iron Age forts such as that of Cil Ifor. And what ancient lands would be the same without great mythology, from tales of the Verry Volk (fairy folk) to King Arthur’s Stone to haunted wells and ghostly water horses. On Gower there is mystery and adventure at every turn!

The Gower is indeed an ancient land and was inhabited up to 30,000 years ago (although not a coastal region at this time) as is testified by the remains of the oldest anatomically modern human remains found in the United Kingdom. The mistakenly named “Red ‘Lady’ of Paviland” skeleton had been dated originally to 26,000 years old. More modern analyses of the remains estimate however that the skeleton belonged to a young man and is possibly 4,000 years older than the original estimation.

Oxwich Beach

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Oxwich was once a port used for exportation of limestone from Oxwich point and as were many of the local bays was a haven for smugglers!

Oxwich beach itself is the second largest beach on Gower vanquished only by Rhossili Bay in its length.

The two and a half or so miles of golden sands leading on to Tor Bay and Three Cliffs Bay were used for the very first airplane flight in Wales in 1911 piloted by one Mr E. Sutton. The beach was deemed suitable due to the flat surface gradient and overall length of the bay.

Today the beach is happily visited by many thousands of people annually, many of whom like the easy boat access, the charming surroundings or simply to soak up the sun when the fine weather is with us.

Within the woodlands of Oxwich point is the partially hidden Church of St. Illtyd, a site that has been recognised as a place of worship for some 1500 years.

Oxwich National Nature Reserve

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Oxwich was officially recognised as an area of national importance for flora and fauna in 1963 when the Nature Conservancy Council (now the CCW – Countryside Council for Wales) leased all 700 acres of the reserve from Penrice Estate. The area is managed today for the protection of its wildlife and geological features by the CCW. A range of management efforts help to sustain the wildlife including cutting, grazing and dredging.

The nature reserve has one of the richest varieties of coastal habitats in Britain including dunes, lakes, fresh and saltwater marshes, cliffs and woodlands. The reserve holds a diverse biological variety of many species, particularly of flowers, birds and insects. Over six hundred kinds of flowering plants alone have been discovered in the area. The reserve is easy to explore by the various footpaths and signs and reserve maps can be found en-route. Originally all salt marsh, the freshwater marsh is considered rare in Britain. In 1770, Thomas Mansel Talbot, the then owner of Penrice Estate, built an 8ft high sea-wall preventing the sea from invading on to the marshlands. He then excavated the ornamental lake running through the marsh and devised a system in order to keep fresh water entering the marsh from the various springs, streams and run-offs from the cliff-line. The drainage system however was neglected sometime prior to World War II and as a result rising water levels started to flood the land. This in turn allowed aquatic plants such as common reed, yellow iris and bulrush to overrun the area as can be seen today.