gower's about that then

As it was my birthday last weekend we decided to head off for an impromptu weekend away - fortunately we are within relatively easy reach of the UK's first Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Gower peninsula. We booked into the surprisingly extensive and luxurious accommodation at the King's Head in Llangennith - surprising because rather than being attached to the pub the accommodation is based in a couple of purpose-built blocks out the back which I had no idea were there. It's all very nice, anyway, and the pub is as great as when I first went there 20-odd years ago. Usually when we visited Gower back in the day we'd stay at the Hillend campsite over at the northern end of Rhossili beach, and it's very much still there should you fancy something more rustic (and only a mile and a bit from Llangennith village, so you can walk to the pub if you like).

Apart from my epic solo walk on the Friday (of which more in a minute) we had a relatively leisurely weekend, though we did slot in a quick look round the ruined delights of Weobley Castle and the obligatory trip to the Worm's Head Hotel for a pint and a bowl of soup while looking at one of the best views in Britain.

Anyway, while Hazel was off in Penarth on a photographic assignment on the Friday I took myself off for a walk. A couple of constraints: I didn't have the car with me, so I'd have to start from the pub, and one thing Gower doesn't really have is major heights - the highest point being the trig point on The Beacon on top of Rhossili Down at 193 metres (633 feet). So I cooked up a plan whereby I'd walk over to Burry Green, then up onto the Cefn Bryn ridge - the most extensive bit of high ground in the area, and only a smidgen lower than Rhossili Down at 186m (610ft), down into Oxwich, over to Port Eynon, and then along the clifftop path to Rhossili village and then back along the beach to Llangennith.

As I've said before, when I'm off the leash in terms of having to wait for people to catch up with me I tend to go a bit mental, and Friday was no exception - my GPS track log reckons that the whole circuit was 20.4 miles, which explains my fairly ravenous need for a pint by the end. Fortunately the King's Head had some excellent local ale brewed by the Gower Brewery, which turns out to be just down the road at the Greyhound Inn. Anyway, here's the route map - if clicking on it doesn't provide the detail you're after then try here instead.


I did take a few photos as well - link to follow. [STOP PRESS: here they are.]