Limeslade, Mumbles, Swansea, South Wales, UK, SA3 4JG
Bracelet Bay is a small bay on the south of the Gower Peninsula. It is the first bay one comes to after leaving Swansea Bay and rounding Mumbles Head.
Surrounded by limestone cliffs the bay is pebbly, with some sand. It is excellent for a picnic, and affords good views of Mumbles light-house. One should bathe with caution. Above the beach is a carpark, with restaurants and a bar; while to the west the bay is separated from Limeslade Bay by Tutt Hill, which carries a coastguard look-out station.
The name 'Bracelet' is thought to be a corruption of 'Broad Slade'.
Limeslade Bay
is a small cove just to the west of Bracelet Bay in the south east corner of the
Gower Peninsula, near Swansea in south Wales. It is a sheltered, mainly rocky beach
with little sand. Bathing is possible. There is a car park in the adjacent Bracelet
Bay. From Limeslade Bay there is a cliff walk to Langland Bay, about half a mile
to the west.
Of note is an iron mine at the head of the bay, near the roadside. This is believed to have been worked from Roman times. It is now closed and sealed off. The bay has a varied and different geology from that of the neighbouring Bracelet Bay.
This is one of the many 'slades' one finds in Gower - small valleys or dells, usually opening on to the sea.
Rotherslade is a small stretch of sandy beach at the eastern end of Langland Bay
in the south Gower Peninsula, Wales. Previously known as 'Little Langland', it only
exists as a separate beach at high tide. At low tide it is continuous with Langland
Bay
Langland Bay is a popular coastal holiday resort in Gower, near Swansea in south
Wales. In the right conditions, it is one of the best surf beaches in Britain. Langland
annually wins the prestigious European Blue Flag award for water/sand quality.
Caswell Bay is a popular UK holiday resort in the south east of the Gower Peninsula, Swansea, Wales.
Access to the beach is relatively easy and inland from the sandy beach is a recreational
park. Caswell is ideal for surfing, holidays in the nearby Hotels and Chalet Park.
The beach regularly receives Blue Flag status and is close to the village of Mumbles
Brandy
Cove is a very small beach in the Gower Peninsula, south Wales, that is much less
accessible than Caswell Bay immediately to the east. It is set at the end of a valley
from Bishopston village. It is reachable by footpath from Bishopston or from Caswell
Bay over some steep cliffs. The bay gets its name from stories of smugglers using
the bay to unload their illegal tobacco and alcohol goods during the eighteenth century.
The sandy stretches of the beach are only exposed at low tide. It is a Pleistocene raised beach where the surrounding geography shows evidence that the sea level was once thirty feet higher than it is today
Pwlldu Bay (or Pwll Du Bay) is a small beach on the south Gower Peninsula coast in south Wales. It is one of the more remote beachs and is not easily accessible by car but there are three narrow footpaths leading down to the beach.
There is a nearby gully called Grave's End marked by a circle of limestone rocks. A number of people from a shipwreck that was found on the bay were buried in this gully. The ship was the Caesar which was wrecked on the beach on 28 November 1760.
Pwlldu means "Black Pool" in Welsh.
Three Cliffs Bay (grid reference SS535876), otherwise
Three Cliff Bay, is a bay on the south coast of the Gower Peninsula in the City and
County of Swansea, Wales. The bay takes its name from the three sea cliffs that jut
out into the bay. Pennard Pill, a small stream, flows into the sea in the middle
of the bay.
The beach is an important asset for locals and visitors and routinely qualifies for Blue Flag status. Dogs are allowed on the beach all year[1].
Inland about 500 yards from the main beach on high ground above Pennard pill is Pennard Castle. It was built in the early 12th century[citation needed], and is imbued with legends of fairies. It is also the only locality in Britain for Draba aizoides.
Individual beaches that make up this bay have their own names, including Pobbles Bay to the east of the Three Cliffs, and Tor Bay to the west. The beaches are separated at high tide but are accessible to each other at low tide on foot over the sands. Paths lead north to Pennard Burrows, east to Pobbles, and west to Tor Bay. Pobbles and Tor Bay are also accessible from the beach at low tide. Three Cliffs Bay is effectively part of the inlet of Oxwich Bay. At low tide, Three Cliffs Bay forms a continuous sandy beach with Oxwich Bay beach to the west. They only exist as separate beaches at high tide.
The sea cliffs are limestone, about 20 m high, and are a popular destination for rock climbers with 20 climbs in the lower grades. The largest of the Three Cliffs is easily climbed if approached from the grassy base.
In June 2006 the BBC Holidays at Home programme declared Three Cliffs Bay to be Britain's best beach.[2] In a recent programme broadcast in the UK the view over Three Cliffs bay was nominated for "Britain's Best View".
Three Cliffs Bay also appears in a music video entry for The Red Hot Chili Peppers made by Swansea film company, Studio8. It was also used in the opening titles of the 80's tv sitcom 'Me & My Girl' featuring Richard O'Sullivan and Joanne Ridley.
Three Cliffs Bay has also been used in Channel 4's skins and is currently being shown
in an ITV advert: 'The Brighter Side'.
Oxwich Bay (Welsh: Bae Oxwich) is a bay on
the south of the Gower Peninsula, Wales.
Its landscape features sand dunes, salt marshes and woodland. Oxwich Bay includes a 2.5-mile long sandy beach, accessible from the village of Oxwich. It is a popular spot for swimming and watersports including diving, sailing, water skiing and windsurfing. There is a public footpath along the cliffs from Oxwich Bay, around Oxwich Point, and to Port Eynon Bay. Buses run every couple of hours between Oxwich and Port Eynon.
A wetland site at the rear of the dunes forms Oxwich Burrows National Nature Reserve[1] The dunes are crossed by a small stream called Nicholaston Pill. The bay ends at the eastern end with the cliffs of High Tor; but at low tide, a continuous sandy beach connects with Three Cliffs Bay beyond.
Submarine cables leave the mainland of Britain from Oxwich. These include the SOLAS cable across the Irish Sea, and the TAT-11 and Gemini North transatlantic telephone cables. These latter two do not terminate here but instead continue on to France (TAT-11) and England (Gemini).
On 1 February 2007, The Travel Magazine named Oxwich beach the most beautiful in
Britain.[
Horton Beach is located in Port Eynon Bay on the south coast of the Gower
Peninsula in Wales.
It is reached from the nearby village of Horton via a steep hill, and has a car park
sited a few minutes' walk away. Despite its accessibility and its popularity with
surfers, the beach is usually very quiet and it has sand even at high tide.
Port Eynon
Bay
Port Eynon Bay is a very popular beach resort beside the village of Port Eynon. Port Eynon Point, to the south west of the bay, is the most southerly point of the Gower Peninsula. The bay is also in the area of outstanding natural beauty.
Both Port Eynon and Horton beaches have suffered from denudation of their sand cover, possibly caused by dredging activities in the Bristol Channel
Rhosilli (Welsh: Rhosili) (grid reference SS416880) is a small village and community on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula[1] near Swansea in Wales. Since the 1970s it has fallen within the boundaries of Swansea. It is within an area designated as the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom. The village has a community council and is part of the Gower parliamentary constituency, and the Gower electoral ward.
Broughton Bay is a beach of the Gower Peninsula, south Wales, located at the north western tip. The bay is backed by sand dunes further inland. Access to the adjacent Whiteford Sands beach to the west is only available at low tide.
The bay is not suitable for swimming or other water sports due to its proximity to the Loughor estuary. The waters experience very strong currents from the Loughor estuary with powerful waves along with high tides and shifting sand banks. When a strong south westerly wind is blowing, dedicated windsurfers can be seen on the waters near the bay.
Nearby villages include Llangenith, Llanmadoc and slightly farther is Llanrhidian. These villages are located near the access points to the beach via short lanes. There are caravan parks at each end of the bay but the beach tends to remain quiet even during summer periods.
Mumbles or The Mumbles (Welsh: Y Mwmbwls) is an area and community in Swansea, Wales which takes its name from the adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay. The headland is thought by some to have been named by french sailors, after the shape of the two anthropomorphic islands which comprise the headland. See numerous other similar anthropomorphic geographic features worldwide. Another possible source of the name is from the word Mamucium which is thought to derive from the Celtic language meaning breast-shaped hill. The area includes the ruin of Oystermouth Castle and the Mumbles Lighthouse, and is made up of the Mayals, Newton, Oystermouth and West Cross electoral wards, and has an elected community council.
Mumbles Lighthouse (completed in 1794) is a lighthouse located in Mumbles, near Swansea.[1] The structure, which sits on the outer of two islands off Mumbles Head, is clearly visible from any point along the five mile sweep of Swansea Bay. Along with the nearby lifeboat station, it is the most photographed landmark in the village.
Mumbles Lighthouse
The tower has two tiers and initially two open coal fire lights were displayed.[1] These open coal fire lights were difficult to maintain and were soon replaced by a single oil powered light within a cast iron lantern.[1]
In 1860, the oil powered light was upgraded to a dioptric light and the fort that
surrounds the tower was built by the War Department.[2] In 1905, an occulting mechanism,
where the light was made to flash, was fitted. This was partially automated in 1934.[2]
By 1977, the cast iron lantern had deteriorated beyond repair and was removed. A
different lantern was added in 1987.[2] In 1995, the main light was replaced and
an array of solar panels and emergency monitoring equipment were added.
Oystermouth
(a corruption of the Welsh name Ystum Llwynarth or Ystumllwynarth) is an electoral
ward and a village in the Mumbles community and also the City and County of Swansea,
Wales. The village of Oystermouth is more commonly known as the Mumbles.
The electoral ward consists of some or all of the following areas: Oystermouth, the Mumbles, Thistleboon, Limeslade, in the parliamentary constituency of Gower. The ward is bounded by Newton to the west, West Cross to the north and Swansea Bay to the south and east.