Rhossili Bay

A breathtaking three-mile sweep of west-facing sand at the tip of the Gower — which in 1956 became Britain's very first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At its southern end the tidal islet of Worm's Head snakes out to sea; you can walk out to it for only about two and a half hours either side of low water, so check the tables or risk being cut off, as a young Dylan Thomas once was. The blackened ribs of the Helvetia, a barque wrecked in 1887, still surface from the sand at low tide. Behind the beach rises Rhossili Down, the highest ground on Gower, scattered with Bronze Age cairns and huge sunset views. The National Trust car park in the village fills fast on fine days, so arrive early.

Getting there

Rhossili Bay is in Gower, near Swansea, Gower. It's roughly 4 min (0.2 miles) from Rhossili , and within reach of Port Eynon (14 min) and Swansea & Mumbles (39 min).

The nearest parking: National Trust car park at Rhossili village. Grid reference SS 414 879 — works on any OS map and doesn't need a phone signal.

Good to know

The view from the clifftop by the old coastguard cottages is the classic shot. Surf school on the beach; the walk down is steep.

On the map

View Rhossili Bay on OpenStreetMap ↗, or open it in the Explore Wales trip planner to add it to a day out with drive times and offline maps.

Staying over?

Rhossili makes a relaxed base for exploring the area — worth staying over to catch an early start or a golden-hour finish.

Browse places to stay near Rhossili ↗ opens Booking.com — needs signal