Walks And Walking in Swansea, South Wales

Walks And Walking in Swansea, South Wales

If you are looking for beautiful and breathtaking scenery that is very easily accessible to get to then I can’t recommend Swansea enough! Swansea is in South Wales and although it is, and has been, known mainly as an industrial area it is a brilliant location for walks and walking, at all levels.

I stayed there for a week with the family and certainly had some great experiences out in the Welsh Mountains, Coastal Walking along the Gower Peninsula, exploring Welsh Waterfalls, tasting Welsh Whisky and riding the well preserved Welsh Mountain Railway Line in a steam engine.

Sunset over Swansea Bay

Our first full day was spent walking from the Brecon Mountain Railway to the Taf Fechan Reservoir which is about 5 1/2 miles of quite easy walking. The railway journey itself was also an enjoyable experience. We finished our visit with a quick trip to the Penderyn Distillery to sample some Welsh Whisky!

Other walks included the Gower Peninsula to visit the Pennaid Pill Castle and a lovely coastal walk back to the Mumbles. A very hard going walk up to Table Mountain to see the views from Pen Cerrig-calch. Much easier walks through forestry to see plenty of Welsh Waterfalls, including the Sgwd yr Eira Waterfall and Henrhyd Falls, the highest in South Wales.

So, all in all, a very enjoyable trip to Swansea!

 

Walks and Walking – Walking from Oxwich to the Mumbles

Walks and Walking: Walking from Oxwich to the Mumbles, 10 Miles Hard Walking in the Gower Peninsula.

The weather was cold but the sky was clear blue, so absolutely perfect weather for a 10 mile walk along the beautiful Gower Peninsula’s unspoilt coastline. I wrapped up warm for this one with some sensible layers and a windproof jacket. Sturdy walking boots are also recommended as the terrain is quite interchangeable. Although most guides say you only need lightweight boots, you definitely need ones with good ankle support…. so with sturdy boots you can’t go wrong!

There were loads of people orienteering today and also a large group mountain biking.

So, back in to the Vito Sport for the 30 minute journey to Oxwich, where I decided to put my gaiters on as there was quite a lot of gorse and the tracks didn’t look too well defined.

The idea was for me to get dropped off in Oxwich and then meet the rest of the family at the Mumbles 3 hours later, and then all walk back to Swansea. However, I rather underestimated the journey time as I didn’t actually get to the Mumbles until 4 ½ hours later! We then decided to get the bus back to Swansea (£13.20 for 4 adults – scandalous!).

The general route was to follow the Coastal Path all the way and if you keep the sea on your right and don’t lose the sound of the waves then you should get to the Mumbles sooner or later. On the whole it was a very easy walk to navigate and with some great experiences and scenery.

I started off at Oxwich and crossed Oxwich Marshes until I reached Three Cliffs Bay. You can then see Pennaid Pill by the Pennard Golf Course. I got a little distracted here and went to have a look at the remains of the castle and then walked across the golf course and wandered off the path… If you do and have a look at it then take the path to Southgate afterwards and you can then get straight back on the coastal path.

After Southgate it’s a just a case of following the path, as close to the cliffs as you can, to Caswell Bay. So far it has been fairly unspoilt coastline but from Caswell to the Mumbles you reach the more traditional seaside bays with plenty of refreshments and facilities. Resisting the urge to stop for chips I carried on until I reached Langland Golf Course and then Langland Cliff where the pathway is all concreted until you reach sight of the Mumbles. When I arrived, I had a quick look at the lighthouse and pier and then met the family at The Pilot of Mumbles for a very welcome pint of the local ale.

Here’s a few photos from my walk: