Gower, South Wales Holiday July 2008 - page 1
Setting the tone for the week, we started off our Gower
holiday in South Wales with a strenuous walk from Kittle along the
Bishopstone Valley and a picnic at Pwlldu Bay. Then, suitably
refreshed, we continued past the old smuggler haunts of Brandy Cove and
Caswell Bay. Next day we toured the ruins at Oystermouth Castle
and The Mumbles, part of Swansea Bay.
This is page one of three.
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This was our gorgeous Gower holiday cottage (well, the furthermost
bit beyond the larger roofed section anyway) and was our very
comfortable base in Kittle for a week. On the first day...
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...in Gower we decided to walk from Kittle down the Bishopstone Valley
to Pwlldu Bay. This proved to be hard going as the route snaked
along - and in! - a rough river bed much of the time.
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At one point we had to scramble across a handy fallen tree when the
river deepened and widened and it become apparent we were on the wrong
side! Doh!
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Bishopstone Valley went on and on, but as it widened out it also became
more and more scenic, so on we splodged on towards Pwlldu Bay.
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Fortunately we bought a Gower Ordnance Survey Explorer Map with us and
certainly needed it to confirm the way when many footpaths
crossed. Our handheld Sat Nav
just didn't show enough detail.
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Finally, after the rather challenging walk along Bishopstone Valley, we
arrived in Pwlldu Bay, sat on the rocks and ate our yummy picnic lunch
in this lovely scenic Gower coastal setting.
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Dunno what Belinda put in those rolls, but whatever it was it caused
Mike to exhibit some strange behaviour! Perhaps he was trying to
fly again, like on Devon's Wembury
beach some years previously!
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We carried on with our Gower walk along the coast path via Brandy Cove
to Caswell Bay. This attractive area of south Wales used to be
popular with smugglers in past times owing to all the hidden inlets.
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After a coffee in the rather uninspiring Caswell Bay café we climbed
high up the headland at Bishop's Wood and were rewarded with a
magnificent view of the bay and the coastal route we'd walked earlier.
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In fact we have quite a few coastal views on our Gower pages, we just
couldn't resist snapping the wonderful south Wales scenery! This
is a bit further along the coast path near Langland Bay.
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Next up on our Gower holiday was a visit to The Mumbles in Swansea Bay
and after a wander around we headed to Oystermouth Castle in town which
only cost £1.00 entrance...
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...hmm... then we realised why - there was no guided or audio tour,
you're just left to wander around the castle ruins. Our Gower
photos were taken with our new digital
camera which we've reviewed.
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No matter, at least we got an excellent view from Oystermouth Castle
keep of The Mumbles stretching out below, and across Swansea Bay.
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Many tourist guide books and websites rave about The
Mumbles but we have to report our wander through the town left us
somewhat underwhelmed. Still, we did enjoy a tasty Indian meal in
Chutneys in The Mumbles, even though the staff didn't smile!
Please see our tourist
resources for Gower and holiday attractions in other UK areas.
Right, our Gower holiday continues on the next page, visiting Rhossili and the Gower Heritage Centre
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