Walking on the Gower. Andrew Davies
from the caves near the beach at night.
Coming around into Pwlldu Bay there is a good view of the tilted limestone rock strata along the foreshore at low tide and the old quarry in the cliff on the western side of the bay. Turn left where the path joins a track and cross the stream using the bridge. The bay is worth exploring by turning left here for its shingle beach and past history associated with quarrying and with smuggling (see Walk 3).
PWLLDU QUARRYING
The cliffs to the west of this beautiful bay have been extensively modified by quarrying up to the beginning of the 20th century. Rights of ‘cliffage’ were awarded to farming tenants who could quarry the limestone from the slopes of Pwlldu Head, which was then shipped across the water to Devon where it was burned to make agricultural lime.
The quarried stone was piled a short way from low water and marked with a post. Ships then sailed into the cove at high tide, located the posts and remained there until the tide dropped, leaving the ship beached and ready to be loaded before the next high tide. Some of the ships may have actually been scuttled by opening the sea cocks before the tide had fully dropped. As the ship beached the sea cocks would be closed with water partially filling the hold of the ship, breaking the fall of the cargo of rock as it was loaded. The remaining water would be drained out before the tide returned.
The houses nestling at the head of the beach were once four pubs serving the thirsty workers. The large white house was the Beaufort Arms and opposite it was the Ship Inn, but the Bull and New Inn are no longer in existence.
Continue by turning right once over the bridge, following the path past the National Trust sign along the western bank of the stream. Ignore the sign to Southgate where a valley joins from the left, once used to smuggle contraband to the Highway Farms in Southgate, and follow the sign to Bishopston and Kittle.
Continue following the path in the valley signposted Kittle Church, ignoring the two bridges. Look out for where the stream divides into three and disappears underground. Shortly after, ignore the sign for Kittle and continue along the valley floor, signposted Church Lane. Notice that the stream-bed is dry but it will hold water in extreme spate conditions.
The dry stream-bed upstream of Guzzle Hole
The path crosses the stream-bed and passes over an old stone wall. Look out for some stone ruins well disguised with moss. Just beyond up to the right is an old mine adit.
Listen out for the sound of falling water which is coming from Guzzle Hole over to your left. Again, in times of spate, water gushes out of this cave, and also comes in from the right if the massive sink hole further up the valley cannot cope with the extreme flood.
Continue along the dry stream-bed, ignoring the sign for Kittle on the left up the steps. Just after this, turn right and climb the steep slope out of the valley. Once you have climbed out of the valley, ignore the footpath on the right and continue following the wall to a stile. Follow the footpath across the field and, at the dwellings, take the track straight ahead which brings you to the Joiners Arms and The Valley pub in Bishopston.
Alternatively, it is worth carrying on a little way further up the stream-bed in the valley to see the sink hole and, if conditions have been dry, you can continue to follow the stream-bed to St Teilo’s Church where you turn right and up to the Joiners Arms and The Valley pub in Bishopston.
Turn left back to the start.
WALK 3
Bishopston Valley
| Start/Finish | St Teilo’s Church, Bishopston (SS 5774 8937) |
| Distance | 6.5km (4 miles) |
| Total ascent | 180m |
| Time | 2hrs |
| Refreshments | Joiners Arms and The Valley pub in Bishopston. |
This route explores the beautiful and interesting Bishopston Valley which culminates in the remote cove of Pwlldu Bay. Good food and beer can be enjoyed at the Joiners Arms and The Valley pub near the end of the walk, the former having its own micro-brewery. Another four pubs were thriving at Pwlldu when the quarry here was active. The route follows the valley where the stream disappears and reappears depending on water levels as it crosses the Carboniferous limestone.
Start at St Teilo’s Church where there is plenty of space for car parking. Part of the route to the swallow hole is along the stream-bed; after periods of heavy rain the stream may be flowing and you will have to make a detour. If the stream-bed is dry or there is only a small flow, take the footpath on the opposite side and follow the path; this uses the stream-bed at first, after which there is a path on the other bank to the swallow hole.
Detour to avoid the stream
If the stream is flowing significantly, cross the bridge by the side of the ford, climb Old Kittle Road and turn left opposite the Beaufort Arms onto the track by the side of the green. Pass between the houses and, leaving the National Trust sign on your left, follow the track to Great Kittle Farm. Take the path to the left of the entrance and follow this to where it divides and take the one that drops down the middle of the gully.
Pass a fenced-off area where you will find a large limestone cavern. Once you’ve reached the bottom of the Bishopston Valley, which is surprisingly dry with no stream, turn right, signposted Pwlldu. If you wish to see the impressive swallow hole, turn left and walk for 250m.
The swallow hole is an impressive feature. The stream leading to it is only active during or after heavy rain, and even then the water often disappears just before it reaches the cliff edge where it would form a waterfall. Under exceptional circumstances this enormous hole fills with water and the stream overflows down the valley.
BISHOPSTON VALLEY
Entering the Bishopston Valley from Pwlldu
The underlying geology is Carboniferous limestone, resulting in classic karst features at the surface. The Bishopston Pill disappears and reappears a number of times along the length of the valley, creating caves with magical names such as Guzzle Hole.
The stream disappears underground near Barlands Quarry, leaving the stream-bed and ford below St. Teilo’s Church dry except in periods of high rainfall. There is a rock exposure of the Namurian limestone here. Just south of this is a vast pit with sheer walls and a sink hole in its bottom. A little way along from this, the stream-bed is obviously only infrequently flooded and the valley itself is narrow and gorge-like.
On the opposite side of the valley from Guzzle Hole is Long Ash Mine, an adit around 60m in length, which was abandoned in 1854. This produced lead and silver from a lode formed by mineralisation along a fault. It was never extensively worked, probably due to its tendency to flood. A short distance further up the dry floor of the valley from the mine is the entrance to Guzzle Hole where you can see the stream running underground.
Walking down the steep-sided valley, the stream-bed is very uneven, and after periods of heavy rain you will see water gradually starting to flow in the bed. When this changes character to being smoother you will see another dry stream course on your right, at the head of which is a cave called Guzzle Hole where you will be able to hear and see the underground stream. About 60m further down the valley, the path rises a little and there is a gated entrance to a mine adit, the Long Ash Mine.
The gated entrance to Long Ash Mine
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