Mewslade Cave

Explorer Tom Rhossili stands above a beach so broad that the first look can make your legs volunteer for a walk your watch did not approve. Three miles of sand curve beneath the Gower headland, while Worm's Head waits offshore like a dragon having a lie-down. I cannot promise it will wake, but the view is quite capable of keeping you there anyway. The National Trust looks after much of this coast. From the village, a fairly level clifftop path leads towards the old coastguard lookout and gives wide views without requiring the steep descent to the beach. Below, the wreck of the Helvetia, lost in 1887, appears on the sand at low tide. Behind the headland lies the Vile, a surviving medieval strip-field landscape. Farmers shaped this place for centuries before anyone thought of it as a holiday picture. Worm's Head is a tidal island reached over a rocky causeway when conditions allow. Do not treat the crossing as a casual extension of the beach walk: the sea returns and can cut people off. A view from the clifftop costs no tide calculation and still lets you watch the seals and seabirds when they appear. Rhossili Down, the high ground behind the village, offers another perspective over the whole sweep of Gower. The coastline is open from dawn to dusk, with paid parking at the National Trust car park. Access to the beach uses a steep path and steps, while the short clifftop section is easier. Check tides and weather if you plan to go below the headland, and keep dogs under control near grazing animals. Rhossili offers plenty of adventure without asking you to race the sea home.