Walking on the Gower. Andrew Davies

      Andy has been a professional photographer for over 25 years with a particular expertise in wildlife and landscape photography. He regularly takes his stills and video cameras underwater and specialises in the production of high-definition time-lapse sequences. A recent acquisition is a high-quality microscope, allowing yet another world to be explored.

      A former university lecturer, he now combines his love of photography and his passion for passing on skills to others in a series of photographic and video workshops in West Wales. These are based at a variety of venues including Skomer Island, the National Trust’s Stackpole National Nature Reserve, Dinefwr Park, St Brides Castle and the Wildfowl and Wetlands reserve at Llanelli. Further details can be found at www.andydavies.info. He is also an external tutor for Aberystwyth University in outdoor and wildlife photography. Andy works for Aqua-Firma Worldwide as a tour leader providing guidance on photography and wildlife.

      Other Cicerone guides by the author

      Walking on the Brecon Beacons (with David Whittaker)

      © Andy Davies 2015

      Second edition 2015

      ISBN: 978 1 85284 821 7

      First edition 2012

      ISBN: 978 1 85284 666 4

      Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.

       © Crown copyright 2015. OS PU100012932

      To my mother and father, and family and friends who have shared this area with me.

      Acknowledgements

      I would like to thank Stephen Parry and Chris Dale of the City and County of Swansea, for their help in clarifying Rights of Way, and Nick Edwards, Senior Reserves Manager for the Countryside Council for Wales, for providing information on the three Gower National Nature Reserves. Sean Hathaway of the City and County of Swansea kindly supplied information regarding Local Nature Reserves, and Jonathan Price, the Community Ranger for the Forestry Commission, provided valuable information and advice regarding Parkwood and Millwood. Thanks also go to Ben Evans for his help in preparing the section on geology. Thanks to my friend Dave Whittaker for his company while researching the routes.

      I would also like to thank Craig Wareham of Viewranger who very kindly supplied the digital version of the OS Explorer Map Gower Sheet 164 1:25,000. This was used in conjunction with the Viewranger app running on a GPS-enabled smartphone.

      Finally, thanks to the team at Cicerone – Clare Crooke, Dorothy Grace Lois Sparling, Jonathan Williams and Lesley Williams.

      Advice to Readers

      While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/821/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.

      Front cover: View of Rhossili Bay and the Worms Head from Rhossili Down

      CONTENTS

       Map key

       Overview map

       Introduction

       Geology

       History

       Wildlife habitats

       Transport to and around Gower

       Staying in Gower

       Using this guide

       Walk 1 The Mumbles, Langland and Caswell

       Walk 2 Caswell, Pwlldu and Bishopston Valley

       Walk 3 Bishopston Valley

       Walk 4 Pwlldu Head and Bishopston Valley

       Walk 5 Pobbles, Three Cliffs Bay and Pennard Pill and Castle

       Walk 6 Three Cliffs Bay, Pennard Pill, Ilston Cwm and Bishopston Valley

       Walk 7 Pennard Pill, Three Cliffs Bay and Parc le Breos

       Walk 8 Cefn Bryn, Broad Pool and Parc le Breos

       Walk 9 Three Cliffs Bay, Tor Bay, Nicholaston Woods and Cefn Bryn

       Walk 10 Millwood, Cefn Bryn, Reynoldston and Berry Wood

       Walk 11 Penrice Castle, Cefn Bryn, Three Cliffs Bay and Oxwich NNR

       Walk 12 Oxwich National Nature Reserve

       Walk 13 Oxwich Point

       Walk 14 Oxwich, Horton and Millwood

       Walk 15 South Gower Cliffs and Port Eynon

       Walk 16 Thurba Head and South Gower Cliffs

       Walk 17 Rhossili Down, South Gower Cliffs and Port Eynon

       Walk 18 Rhossili Down and Bay, Fall Bay and Mewslade Bay

       Walk 19 Rhossili, Fall Bay and Mewslade Bay

       Walk 20 Rhossili Down, Llanmadoc Hill and Broughton Burrows

       Walk 21 Gower Coast NNR, Rhossili Down and Hardings Down

       Walk 22 Mewslade Bay, Fall Bay, Rhossili Down and Hardings Down

       Walk 23 Llanmadoc Hill, Llangennith, Burry Holms and Broughton Bay

       Walk 24 Llanmadoc Hill, Broughton Bay and Whiteford NNR

       Walk 25 Whiteford National Nature Reserve