extensive intertidal rocky reefs and exposed and sheltered beaches.
Ilston Cwm (Walk 6)
The limestone cliffs, up to 70m high, of the south Gower coast are a classic botanical habitat, supporting large numbers of plant species that are nationally rare. A combination of geological, climatic and historical factors has contributed to this diversity. The limestone bedrock is a controlling factor in the creation of nutrient-poor thin soils and a varied geomorphology from vertical rock faces to incised clefts creates a variety of specialist niches. These habitats are influenced by the mild winters and cool summers, giving rise to a prolonged growing season.
Historic and present-day land use has left a surviving belt of semi-natural vegetation along the cliffs, unlike much of the UK where coastal areas have been ploughed right up to the cliff edge. Many species found here are unique to limestone grasslands as they are able to grow in the lime-rich thin soils. In turn, these plants attract a variety of insects which feed and lay eggs on them. Plants such as hoary rock-rose, spring cinquefoil, bloody cranesbill, viper’s bugloss and greater knapweed along with insects like the silky wave moth occur here.
The south Gower cliff slopes are covered with numerous cracks and fissures created where rainwater has dissolved the limestone. Thin soils build up in the cracks, supporting specialised plants that are tolerant of the constant salty spray, such as sea plantain, thrift, rock samphire and sea beet. The cliffs all along south Gower contain some of the best examples of this habitat anywhere in the UK.
Sea campion
Tree mallow is found on the cliffs between Mewslade and Fall Bay, and the cliffs between Thurba and Deborah’s Hole are a stronghold for yellow whitlowgrass, an alpine flower that blooms as early as the first week in March. It can also be found in narrow crevices in the upper cliffs between Pwlldu Head and Rhossili and on walls and rocks around Pennard Castle, but it occurs nowhere else in the UK.
Salt-tolerant plants grow on the lower part of the cliffs and include spring squill, golden samphire, rock sea-lavender, buck’s horn plantain, sea campion, scurvygrass and the only maritime fern, sea spleenwort. Juniper, one of the most striking of the late-glacial relict species on Gower, can be found in places protected from cliff-top fires as it cannot regenerate, unlike gorse which then tends to replace it.
Maritime heath is found on the headlands and is a typical feature of the exposed Atlantic coast of Wales. Heather and western gorse grow together to form a dense habitat that turns purple and yellow with summer flowers. Patches of bare rock, grassland and bracken combine to make this a diverse habitat and a suitable home for many species of insects and scrub-nesting birds such as linnet, whitethroat, stonechat and yellowhammer. Stonechats are resident all year round and are frequent companions, darting from perch to perch from where they give their distinctive call. Other notable species include skylark, raven, chough, kestrel and peregrine falcon. About 200 to 300 guillemot and razorbill breed on Worms Head together with fulmar, shag and cormorant. Kittiwakes have decreased on the Worm but have populated Mumbles Pier.
Rhossili Bay and Worms Head from Spaniard Rocks (Walks 20 and 23)
Chough were absent for many years but returned to breed here in 1991 and are now a common sight, often announcing their presence by their call before they are in view. They like to feed on the closely cropped cliff-top turf, as do green woodpeckers. In 2001 a pair of Dartford warblers were discovered breeding near Port Eynon Point and they can now be found on the coastal cliff slope along south Gower. It is unusual among British warblers in that it is resident all year round; it is particularly fond of young gorse bushes as these contain an abundance of insects on which they feed.
The Loughor Estuary and Burry Inlet have the fourth largest salt marsh in Britain bounded by a number of limestone bluffs which were next to the sea 5000 years ago. The marsh developed in the shelter of Whiteford Burrows from east to west. The only major area of salt marsh to be enclosed is Cwm Ivy Marsh when an earthen sea wall was built in 1638 which was later given a drystone facing.
Salt marsh, Pennard Pill (Walks 7 and 9)
The greatest number of plant species can be found along the upper fringes where the marsh merges with sand dunes, water meadows and freshwater marsh. Areas that are covered daily by the tides have a relatively small number of salt-tolerant species with areas nearest to low water dominated by glasswort, annual sea-blite and common cord-grass. The mid-marsh community comprises a closely grazed sward of common saltmarsh-grass with sea-purslane growing along the creek sides. This grades into the upper zone where the common saltmarsh-grass is mixed with red fescue, thrift and sea milkwort.
The highest part has a belt of tall sea rush which is some several hundred metres wide at Llanrhidian which has been traditionally cut by the farmers for bedding for their animals. Two plants worth searching out at the highest part of the grazed salt-marsh are the striking marsh mallow which has attractive pale pink flowers in July, and sea wormwood. Cwm Ivy Marsh is of particular interest as a lowland fen meadow and has tall stands of yellow flag iris.
Skylark
The whole southern shore of the Burry Inlet is an extremely important wintering area for shorebirds, geese and duck. The area is best in winter with regular birds including black-tailed and bar-tailed godwits, snipe, jack snipe, lapwing, golden, grey and ringed plover, dunlin, knot, sanderling, redshank, spotted redshank, curlew and oystercatchers. Ducks such as eider, wigeon, teal, pintail and long-tailed duck can be seen as well as red-breasted merganser, common and velvet Scoter, red-throated and great northern divers, shelduck, Brent geese and Slavonian and black-necked grebes.
Passerines are relatively few and far between, although there are plenty of meadow pipits and thrushes in winter, and a good range of woodland birds near Cwm Ivy. Raptors include hen harrier, peregrine, merlin, kestrel, buzzard and short-eared owl.
Transport to and around Gower
Gower is well served by the M4 motorway from the east and the west. There is a direct Intercity 125 train from Cardiff, Bristol and London, and regular buses from Swansea to the main villages. Contact Traveline Cymru on 0870 608 2 608 for more information or visit their website www.traveline-cymru.org.uk.
There are two main roads that run east–west along the peninsula with a number of minor routes linking them north–south. Both the north and south Gower roads become severely congested during peak times in the summer school holidays.
Staying in Gower
Gower is a mature tourist destination and is well served with all types of accommodation including hotels, bed and breakfast, self-catering, caravan parks and campsites. These often book up early, especially the best located campsites such as the one overlooking Three Cliffs Bay.
For up-to-date information contact the local tourist information centres in Swansea (tel. 01792 468321, www.visitswanseabay.com) or The Mumbles (tel. 01792 361302, www.mumblestic.co.uk).
Using this guide
