Whitford, Gower...not really a trip report...

[susiej]

....more of an afternoon bimble report.

I have spent a lot of the last 12 years since I moved to Swansea on the Gower, but I almost always go to the South coast, it is pretty and dramatic with high cliffs and sweeping views over to Devon and there are plenty of coffee and cake opportunities. Just recently though I have discovered bits of the North Gower coast which is characterised by salt marshes and pine woods looking out onto the Loughor Estuary so today MrJ and myself found ourselves childless and off we went with our two trusty hounds and headed off to the very quaint village of Llanmadoc and the Beach at Whitford Burrows.

From the car park there is a brief walk down to the edge of the woods which border the National trust nature reserve along this bit of the coast. It was a beautiful day and almost no-one about (benefit of living in Rugby obsessed area)




THE pine woods were deserted and the day was proving quite warm (if a little soggy underfoot from the week's torrential rain)







There are a couple of little cottages tucked away in the woods and this sculpture, carved from wood and about 4 foot tall-no explanation.


After a short while we cleared the trees and made our way over the dunes towards the sea. The tide was out which was exactly what I'd hoped for as we wanted to do some dog training in a big space where we could see who was coming (there's a long story attached to this but suffice to say one of our dogs is rather anti-social where other dogs are concerned)







We found ourselves on a massive expanse of beach with no-one to share it (this is the northen part of the beach at the end of this http://www.walkingforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,10100.0.html)
A perfect venue for chucking sticks around for naughty dogs who may want to chase the odd seagull.



Never (the well-behaved one) wondering if that's a rabbit off in the distance







We made our way back over the dunes and through the woods  and up the little hill to the carpark
There isnt actually a lot else to say about this except it was lovely and quiet and probably only a couple of miles. It took 2 hours because of all the photos and dog playing. This wasnt one of those dramatic outings with dizzying cliffs and gut wrenching scrambles but it was proper tidy.

[alewife]

Looks like a really nice bimble - lucky for the nice weather to coincide with the weekend, esp after the week we've had. Thanks for sharing.

[mad max]

Nice photo's susie and boss weather,was it windy?

[susiej]

Nice photo's susie and boss weather,was it windy?

no there was barely a breeze, the wind must have blown itself out last night, it was VERY windy then and there was lots of evidence of broken tree branches in the woods too

[PistonPete]

Occasionally it is nice to have a bimble 

[Tryfan75]

Nice Susie - very nice.  Thanks for sharing.

[sunnydale]

Some lovely pics there Susie! Glad you enjoyed yourself 

[Exit5man]

but it was proper tidy.

There's nice now .....Looks similar to Newborough Warren on Anglesey.
You could'nt have picked a better day for it .Beach all to yourself and sunny weather .
Thanks for sharing these images of a beautiful area .

[docpaul]

Lovely to see these, SJ - we really enjoyed Llanmadoc and Whiteford area when we stayed in Gower in Sept 09. You're right it feels really wild and away from it all.

[susiej]

Thanks all 

[angry climber]

Nice report Susie, This may sound strange at first but do you wear walking boots on the beach or do you tend to wear wellies. I have been walking in a near by country park with loads of wet fallen leaves and I wondered about buying some wellies. When we go to the coast for a walk on the beach the kids wear wellies but I have never bothered until now.

[susiej]

I usually wear walking boots as my feet get too cold in wellies, but if I'm going to be wading through loads of water, wellies it is. I know that you can get insulated wellies but I haven't got any and I cant bring myself to shell out for more. I am having such foot trouble at the moment though I may resort to more wellie useage with thick socks...

[Wandering]

susiej
Where exactly does the new section of the Wales Coast Path (which was opened in September) start in Llanmadoc?
Do you know whether there is a regular bus service from Rhosilli or Llangennith back to Llanmadoc?

[susiej]

Do you know Llanmadoc? it is a really tiny village, you start from the National Trust gate into the nature Reserve and then follow it down to the beach, from there I'm not sure if you actually go onto the beach or if there is a path (I think there is a path) it is easy to walk the beach as the tide doesnt come right in.
http://www.thebmc.co.uk/News.aspx?id=3935
 Reading this I think you walk the beach although there is definitely a path over Rhossili Down and lower down following the line of the beach (the whole area is criss-crossed with paths)
Re the bus; there is a bus that goes from Llanmadoc to Llangennith  and on to Rhossili but you need to change at Scurlage (there is a connection) if you're going all the way to Rhossili.(The Llanmadoc/Llangenith end is much simpler to negotiate than the Rhossili end as, although they are close as the crow flies or the walker plods) it takes ages by road (relatively).

You sound as if you know the area pretty well, are you a frequent visitor or a local?

[Wandering]

I know someone who lives in Llanmadoc although I live about 35 minutes away.
Myself and a few friends walked from Llangenith (we parked the cars outside the Kings Head!) over Rhossili Down, across the causeway and eat our lunch on the Outer Head of the Worm early in the Summer (the weather was superb).
We have also walked from Three Cliffs Bay to Port Eynon recently and we wanted to walk from Llanmadoc to Rhossili and then use public transport to return to Llanmadoc. Do you know who actually runs the service so that I can take a look at their website for the times?
Thanks for the help.