Sitting beautifully on the Gower Penninsula near Swansea in Wales is Rhossili Bay Beach, and has been voted as Britain’s best beach. From here you can see Bristol Channel and the Carmarthen Bay waters that are normally a calming blue. This long crescent beach spans some three miles and is surrounded by hills that showcase it. It’s a favorite picnic spot for locals as well.
Close by is Worm’s Head, or “The Worm”, an islet that squirms out from the main shore and is simply breathtaking. What many do is spend a day at the beach and walk around Worm’s Head to take in the panorama. Make sure you know the tides because walking out to Worm’s Head is over a rocky area that the tide submerges. This area is largely owned by the National Trust of Britain and there are maps and tourist associations in the area to help you on your visit.
Surfers love it here because Rhossili Bay faces the full Northern Atlantic. This means big waves, big surf. You may even catch a surfer while you visit. The sea here can be heavy or calm, depending on weather and tides. But know that there are no lifeguards out here. There are strong undertows reported, so stay out of the heavy surf.
I thought the wrecks here were pretty amazing. I love antiquity and seeing the wrecks along this coast just punctuate history and make you wonder what could have happened and why. Another amazing thing about Rhossili Bay is that tradition here says a pre-medieval village made the Bay its home. Legend says it was abandoned sometime in the 14th century. And in 1980, a storm moved enough sand out of the area here to expose some really cool remains (around Warren where the sand dunes are.) So the “tradition” proved true.
Parking here is about £2 and it’s a steep path to the beach from the lot.
Beach Index:
- Long expanse of yellowy sand which is medium grit
- Facilities are few; try the town first
- No lifeguards
- Bring the camera - Blue Flag beach and won 2010′s Best Beach of Britain
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