Gower cottages are a great choice for your holidays in Wales, and Gower Edge provides comfortable self-catering accommodation for 8 people in four double bedrooms. The property provides a fantastic starting point for touring the Gower Peninsula, and wider South Wales area.
I love this photo montage by Alun Morris Jones, a local photographer. Just click reduce when the dreaded embedded advertising appears and then sit back and enjoy!
With Gower Edge as a central base for visiting the Gower Peninsula you're spoilt for choice, and so as I begin to develop this web site I have tried to keep it simple, and share the things that we enjoyed as a family when we lived here. I would welcome any ideas from visitors, either for things to be added if you've been here before, or for things you'd like to know about the area before you arrive. Our e-mail address is on our booking page, so ask away!
Gower Beaches
Are there any of you out there who are thinking of coming to the Gower and not venturing onto a beach at some point? I hope not, so this is my first port of call.
Although our property is not directly on the beach, it does have the benefit of being in a central position so you can enjoy them all. You’re also in a good spot to go further afield to Llanelli, Carmarthenshire (Laugharne, birthplace of Dylan Thomas) and Pembrokeshire (try the beautiful Barafundle Bay) if you’re really hooked!
Caswell Bay
Our nearest of the beaches on South Gower is Caswell Bay, which is about 15 minutes away by car. Caswell Bay is a Blue Flag beach, and has lifeguards on duty during the summer months. This is a popular beach, both with families and with surfers.
There is easy access to the beach, toilets, a small coffee shop where you can sit inside, and kiosks serving chips etc and selling beach equipment. On a hot summer’s day in high season the car parks can sometimes get full during the middle of the day. We have found it is not a problem parking if you arrive before 10am however, or alternatively visit in the late afternoon/evening. It is worth noting when driving, that there is a back route through Bishopston which avoids travelling down the main coast road and through Mumbles, which again can suffer a traffic build up on the busiest days. It is useful to check the tide times before you set out, as the beach can be quite small when the tide is in (although it’s massive when the tide is out!). Even on busy days there is plenty of room to spread out and have your own personal bit of beach at anything other than high tide. For the children there is also rock pooling between the bottom of the cliffs and the beach.
If you have little constructors (or big ones!)
there are plenty of streams to dam at Caswell
When you have finished on the beach, there is a walk and picnic area at the back of the car park opposite the beach, which takes you up through the woods, or you can walk along the coast path (start behind the kiosks) to Langland Bay (20-30 mins), and then on to Mumbles point (1-2hr).
Rhossili and Worms Head
The Daily Mail has included the Gower Peninsula in its 2009 list of top beaches in the world, and describes the view over Rhossili beach as “one of the most glorious costal views in Britain.” It was also voted the number one dog friendly beach in the UK by Times online, and for those who like their TV links, it has acted as a backdrop in several Dr Who and Torchwood programmes.
Rhossili Bay - ready to start the descent!
If you can’t manage the steep steps to the beach at the Rhossili end, it is also possible to park at the at Llangennith end and walk through the dunes. If you want to cross to Worms Head you will need to check the tide times as it is cut off at high tide, and you will need sensible footwear to get across easily.
Worm's Head showing off at sunset
The drive will take you about 30 minutes and parking is in a privately owned grass car park in Rhossili itself, which I have never know to be full. Here there are toilets and shops and there is also a National Trust Centre. If you are visiting in spring or autumn and don’t fancy a bracing dip in the sea, there is a nice heated pool (where our children both learned to swim) in Scurlage which is open to non-residents.
Three cliffs and Pennard
The easiest parking for Three Cliffs is at Pennard in the National Trust car park. From here you need to walk along the cliff top, and down onto the beach (about 20 mins). There is a coffee shop at Pennard which sells good quality, home made food (mainly baguettes, toasties, cakes etc), and a well stocked general store. Beautiful views as ever. This is a nice place for a picnic, or an evening stroll along the cliffs.
Oxwich Bay
The beach here goes on for ever! Most people stay by the car park entrance, but again this is another beach where with a few minutes walk you will have your own private empire.The car park is privately owned and there is a charge. The Oxwich Bay Hotel, which is right on the beach serves drinks and meals. You can get onto the far end of this beach from Nicholaston Farm (there is a charge for parking at the farm) via a trail through the woods. The farm sells fruit and vegetables, and “pick your own” fruit in the summer, with a fantastic view over the Bristol Channel. Just along the road you will find Perriswood Archery and Falconry Centre, where you can try your hand with a bow and arrows, have a cuppa and enjoy the view, or meet the birds of prey.
North Gower
If you really want the place to yourself, and walking rather than sandcastle building is your forte, then the North Gower beaches of the Loughour Estuary are for you. Sparsely populated the summer months, and often virtually empty at other times of year, you can enjoy the peace and tranquillity at your leisure. There are also numerous country pubs in the area which serve good home cooked food.
Where else?
This is just a flavour of the better known beaches on offer. Any map of the Gower will show you how many more there are to sample. If you find a favourite whilst you’re visiting that you’d like to share with others, then let us know. For other ideas for your holiday, I can recommend the following site for up to date information on activities and attractions in the local area.
Whist we welcome pets at our property all year, some of the beaches mentioned above do not allow dogs between 1st May and 30th September. The beaches you can enjoy with your dog all year round are Pobbles Bay; Pwll Du; Three Cliffs Bay; Horton Bay; Mewslade Bay; Rhossili Bay; Llangennith; Broughton Bay; Whitford Sands and most of Port Eynon.
Are there any of you out there who are thinking of coming to the Gower and not venturing onto a beach at some point? I hope not, so this is my first port of call. 
