**Warning! The following post and pictures cannot do justice to the Rhossili area!**
My friends and I recently took a day trip to the Gower Peninsula, a region near Swansea. In 1956 the region was the first area to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK and I can certainly see why! Although I cannot say I have seen the world yet, in my opinion this area holds a beauty unparalleled by the Canadian Rockies, the hills of Tuscany and the snow covered forests of Finland. I spent the day in complete awe of my surroundings.
The Gower Peninsula covers a large area but we spent the day in Rhossili. The highlight of Rhossili is an island called Worm's Head which becomes accessible everyday at low tide. There is a rather long scenic walk out to the pier which eventually connects to the island. The walk offers breathtaking views from cliffs jutting out from the beach below. The beach was absolutely massive, especially when the tide went out. It is certainly the largest sand beach I have even been to.
There were a large number of people at Rohssili that day. Having now completed the walk, it is not a walk I would recommend to the young or old but it certainly seems that locals of all ages enjoy the trek! Like I previously mentioned, when the tide goes out it is possible to walk to the island. This crossing was certainly not easy. It often felt as if we were not making any progress as you constantly had to watch your feet to avoid the remaining water between mussel covered rocks. When we finally reached the island we thought the worst part of the walk was behind us. We stopped to watch the grazing sheep and enjoy the views. We continued along to the second half of the island where a surprise met us...
We were greeted by a jagged rock face which connected the halves of the island. It certainly was not the leisurely hike we had anticipated. I like to think that I'm a fairly brave person, but crossing the rocks was one of the scariest things I have ever done. Every scary step was worth it when we reached the other side. The views were spectacular!
As I'm sure many of you will agree, the wort part of a hike is that you have to go back. After crossing the rock face and land bridge again, we decided it was time for some easier exploring. Next stop: the beach!
The beach was amazing. It will be a great spot once it is warmer. Especially when the tide is out, the beach stretched for miles. The distant water also gave us access to the bottom of the cliffs which we had previously enjoyed views from. The view at the bottom of the cliff was also astonishing. I am by no means a geography major nor do I have any real knowledge about land formations, but the layers of rocks which created the cliffs were fascinating. Caves and holes were scatted throughout the cliffs providing homes for numerous birds and a great exploring opportunity for some curious university kids!
If you ever get a chance to visit Rhossili, do it! A coastal region hours from London may not top your list of places to travel, but I promise, it will be worth every penny!
Now that I've written a novel, here's some pictures!
Cliffs and beaches.
One of the many cliffs.
Me on a cliff above the beach!
Worm's Head Island
The land bridge is forming as the tide goes out.
Crossing the land bridge (notice all of the mussel shells covering the rocks!)
The unexpected rock face! (It doesn't look at all scary in this pic! Hmm..)
Me and the view from the island!
Back on solid ground. I call this picture "Stereotypical Wales".
Stone wall, sheep and village... Welcome to Wales!
Shipwrecked remains on the beach at the bottom of a cliff. 
Worm's Head at dusk.
