A number of us from the Berkshire and Mid Thames group and others, joined Neil Barry, founder and member of the West Wales group, and other local members, for a great weekend in the Gower Peninsula, the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We were lucky with the weather and for the highlight walk on Saturday 22 May, the sun shone down throughout the day.
On the first afternoon Neil took us on a walk around Mumbles and pointed out a number of sites of interest including the former home of Sir Arthur Whitten Brown of Alcock and Brown fame who were the first pilots to fly across the Atlantic on 15 June 1919. We passed gaily painted terraced houses, climbed the hill to the Mumbles Hill Nature Reserve where we saw the remains of a former gun emplacement used in the second world. Views over Swansea Bay provided a nice back drop for the first of several group photos taken over the weekend. A well earned cuppa and the odd tipple were taken at Verdis restaurant on the Promenade bringing to a close our first day.
On Saturday we were greeted with sunshine which remained with us throughout the day and brought to life the peninsula's varied flora and fauna including wonderful sea views. We set off on what was to prove the more strenuous walk of the weekend along the cliff tops of Rhossili where we were able to see the work the National Trust has been doing to restore the local landscape by encouraging local farmers to farm in a way that encourages more wild life and improves biodiversity. Ges, from the West Wales group, works for the National Trust and provided some very interesting facts about their work in the area. We passed by Worms Head which can be accessed at low tide by foot; we saw hidden coves and sheer cliffs and bought delicious homemade Welsh cakes on sale in the front garden of a local resident. We crossed over open moorland and stopped for a picnic lunch at the the site of a former radar station last used in WW2. Our visit concluded after a longish uphill walk back to our starting point and where we were able to re-hydrate ourselves at the Worms Head hotel. Very welcome.
Sunday dawned rather grey with a slight drizzle but which cleared later in the day. This did not deter us from enjoying a fascinating walk in the Whiteford National Nature Reserve where we walked through pine woods and saw how the land has altered following a breach in the sea wall some years ago and which allowed sea water to flood the marshes. Nature is now taking its natural course without human intervention. Walking around the pebbled beaches at Whiteford Point we were able to see the cast iron lighthouse just off the Point and which was built in 1865. It was put up for sale for just £1 some years ago but there were no takers! It is accessible by foot at low tide. We walked along the vast expanse of Whiteford Sands where the tide was outgoing and the sea far away in the distance and then a final gentle ascent brought us back to the welcome tea rooms at the Cwm Ivy Cafe.
Our final Monday morning was spent walking in the Three Cliffs area in the south of the peninsula and as the name suggests we were able to view the three cliffs in their splendour. It was a pleasant walk up and down paths mostly of sand while grasses and wildflowers were abundant and added colour in contrast to the colours of the sand. We passed the ruins of Pennard Castle built in the late 13th or early 14th century. Nearby we passed an unusual viewing point encased in wood and which offered a unique photoview of the three cliffs. And again, there were great cliff top views - something we do not have in Berkshire! We ended the walk at a pleasant cafe from where we started the walk, lunched and said our farewells to our host Neil and our friends from the West Wales group.
This was the end of a very enjoyable and I believe successful weekend with our Welsh host and friends. I very much hope we will one day be able to host a similar weekend in our part of the world and I would recommend other GOC groups who have not been on a weekend away to seriously consider visiting Gower for it’s fine scenery and warm welcome. It was not difficult to arrange. In our case our host Neil Barry suggested and led the walks and I as the joint co-ordinator took responsibility for posting the events on the GOC website. Accommodation arrangements were left to individual walkers, though a number of us stayed in a local gay run B&B. I coordinated the eating arrangements. Neil lives on the Peninsula and loves sharing his detailed knowledge of the area and is happy to lead walks for other groups.
