Before I left the shores of the United Kingdom for an undetermined time I wanted to see a little bit more of the place, and see as many people as I could. Sian was the same, and as much of her family was in Swansea we decided to go to Wales for a few days to see them, and for me it was also a chance to see a corner of the UK that I had never made it to.
I packed for Welsh weather. Most of you will realise that this meant that my bag was filled almost entirely with jumpers and jackets, scarves and umbrellas. But we were lucky enough to see unprecedented warm weather whilst we were there. In fact I even got sunburnt one day! The first place we stayed in was quite central with stunning views over Swansea Bay, and from here we explored the surrounding area – walking through the barks down to the bay, and along into town for some Gower cockles, Laverbread or Joe’s Ice cream.
The first few days were spent visiting Sian’s family, going to parties and nights at the pub, and seeing a little more of Swansea. After a couple of days we decided to go for a trip along the Gower Peninsula to see some of the small towns and countryside that was on offer. The Gower was the first area within the UK to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1956. We had only a vague plan, which involved getting to Oxwich and exploring that area, and then moving on to Rhossili before it got too dark.
Oxwich had a huge flat beach by the water and hills leading away over unspoilt countryside speckled with sheep, pheasants, and churches. The countryside was lovely, and ranged from marshland to rocky outcrops. Blackberries were growing by the side of the paths and were delicious, and we wandered for several hours past huge fields, woods, a huge stately home and its immense grounds and a castle at the top of the hill. We got lost, as is obligatory when wandering around the country, and arrived back where we started after several very pleasant hours of wandering.
The next place we were heading to was Rhossili. I had hoped to get there for the sunset which was supposedly spectacular over the tidal island of Worm’s Head, so called because of its resemblance to a sleeping dragon as described by invaders approaching from the sea. But owing to our bus driving getting lost, crashing, getting stuck on a narrow road – and of course our own topographagnosia – we arrived in Rhossili to admire the sunset from a distance. There was no way we were getting to Worm’s Head in time. So after we settled in to our shepherd’s hut we were staying in round the back of a farm, we wandered in to town for a drink.
Like most of the towns on The Gower there’s not much to Rhossili. We walked for about half an hour down the small main road in to town, went to the pub for a couple of drinks, and then headed home. The shepherd’s hut was a lovely little wooden caravan with a fold-down sofa/bed and a little fold-up table, and a small log burner in one corner to keep it warm on the cold nights. I made sure I was awake for sunrise at 5:30 and lit the stove to get the place above freezing again! It was beautiful weather during the day, but overnight it was freezing! We spent a day walking along the cliff top from our farm to the town, stopping for a picnic overlooking a rock-strewn valley for breakfast, and continuing on to explore the beaches and views for the rest of the day. We eventually arrived back in the town after a long day of hiking and settled down to a big meal and a lovely beer!
After another night in the shepherd’s hut we headed off a little later in the morning having feasted on fresh fruit, cereals, sandwiches, and yogurts delivered by the famer. We decided to walk over the tallest point on The Gower, The Beacon on Rhossili Downs. It took a couple of hours to make it up and through the various obstacles, around the wild horses and sheep, and up the side of the hill – and the view from the top, along with the fierce wind – was breathtaking. We stopped for a small snack half way down the other side, and then continued on to the town for another beer.
The few days we had in The Gower were a great chance to spend a little bit of time in British countryside before we left the country again, but I was very thankful we hadn’t had a last taste of British weather. The days had been lovely and warm, and although the nights were cold – the log burner and beer blanket had kept the worst of it at bay.
And now it was time to head overseas….
Have a look at my pictures from Wales
A sunburn in Wales?? Surely that’s an urban myth…