Rhossili Bay and Rhossili Down seen from Gower’s coastal hills, in South Wales

Fiona Barltrop strides over the coastal hills, on South Wales’ beautiful Gower peninsula

ON MY LAST (AND FIRST) visit to Gower, so captivated was I by the glorious coastline, I paid scant attention to the inland scenery. Back for a second visit, it was time to rectify that omission. Having walked from beautiful Three Cliffs Bay to Rhossili Bay along the south coast last time, I decided I would link the two again but by a route over the hills inland instead.

In fact, there is a section of a waymarked inland route, the Gower Way, that does (almost) connect them, but other than the initial stretch along the ridge called Cefn Bryn – the backbone of Gower, as it’s known – it avoids the hills. Like joining up the dots (albeit rather big ones), I had in mind to thread together Cefn Bryn, Ryer’s Down, Llanmadoc Hill and Rhossili Down, with Hardings Down an optional extra if time allowed. All are areas of common land (and Open Access, too), and looked like promising walking….

Ridge-top walk

The day dawned dry and cloudy but calm – a relief after the gales and torrential rain of previous days. A ten minute stroll down the lane from my base at lovely Great Lunnon Farm and I was at Parkmill and the start of the path down the east side of Pennard Pill to Three Cliffs Bay. It would have been tempting to dawdle at the delectable bay but I crossed the stepping stones and headed on uphill and inland, somewhat reluctantly bidding farewell to the coast for the time being.

Yet there were compensations aplenty to come, for the ridge-top walk along Cefn Bryn was exhilarating and the views excellent: looking back to the south-east, Three Cliffs Bay, and to the south the great sweep of Oxwich beach and the Oxwich Point headland. Once at the topograph, I turned off down to the nearby road and continued on the other side along the path that loops round past Arthur’s Stone, an impressive Neolithic burial tomb with a huge capstone supported on smaller stones. And a good view north over the Loughor Estuary from here.

“The ridge-top walk along Cefn Bryn was exhilarating and the views excellent: looking back to the south-east, Three Cliffs Bay, and to the south the great sweep of Oxwich beach and the Oxwich Point headland.“

Ridges, downs and hills

Once at the topograph, I turned off down to the nearby road and continued on the other side along the path that loops round past Arthur’s Stone, an impressive Neolithic burial tomb with a huge capstone supported on smaller stones. And a good view north over the Loughor Estuary from here.

Back on the main ridge, I followed it down to its end, then after a short stretch along quiet lanes climbed over Ryer’s Down, and thence up onto Llanmadoc Hill, past the impressive defences of The Bulwark Iron Age hill fort. The views from on top were, once again, superb, whetting my appetite to explore this unfamiliar north-west corner of Gower further in future.

Down at Llangennith, I decided to head straight on to Rhossili Down; Hardings Down would wait for another time (which I’d set my heart on being when the heather was out, and these lovely little hills looking their most colourful). Though the light was disappointingly dull by now and the hoped-for sunset not to be, Rhossili Down didn’t disappoint – wonderful views again, fittingly so for the highest point in Gower. And so down to Rhossili and its splendid beach below for which I just had time to set foot upon before the bus back.