Travel

Tony Clayton-Lea tells us why the must-see spots of Wales are nothing to Mumble about.

The Gower Penninsula

Swansea is Wales' second city, directly serviced by daily ferries from Cork and Rosslare. While Cardiff dominates the East of Wales, Swansea (or 'The City by the Sea', to give its catch-all tourist name) perches over the Southwest. Like Cardiff, Swansea is a city with a multitude of activities and sights for visitor and resident alike.

Unlike Cardiff, however, Swansea has the twin tourist benefits of Mumbles and Gower Peninsula - the latter of which is the first area in the UK to be designated as one of unparalleled natural beauty.

Now known as the 'Gateway to Gower', at the turn of the century Mumbles was treasured by the Victorians as their little seaside resort. We can thank the Victorians for their initial appreciation of the area, for these days Mumbles (the name, depending on whatever takes your fancy, is derived either from the Welsh Y Mynydd Moel 'the bare mountain', or a French term for breasts) is a suburban network of impressive headlands and aweinspiring bays.

Excellent views of Mumbles Head, the lighthouse and Swansea Bay can be found at the top of Mumbles Hill, itself a Local Nature Reserve. But it's down on the main Mumbles stretch of shops, pubs, restaurants, and seafront fare that gives it its appeal. Now very much directed towards the younger generation (we think those prissy Victorians might have disapproved), Mumbles could fairly and squarely be called Swansea's most stylish suburb

Mumbles, though, is also perfectly appointed for the Tony Clayton-Lea holidaymaker of any age group. The bays surrounding the area can be used during the day to relax, while the nightlife is enough to keep any party animal happy. Yet even the perennial party lover has to take a break, and what better than a drive around Gower Peninsula?

Gower runs over 15 miles from east to west and is approximately seven miles across. Of all that this writer has seen of Wales, Gower remains a microcosm of what is great and essential about its countryside. Within its spectacular frame you can find wooded valleys, ancient farmlands, heaths, hills, and - best of all – a truly astonishing 30 mile coastline backed by luxuriously verdant steep cliffs.

More than 10% of Gower is held by the National Trust for permanent preservation, this includes two-thirds of its coastline, which means no structural developments of any kind. Surely that is just what God meant for it to be?

Driving south from Mumbles along the Gower Peninsula, the first port of call is Oxwich, a tiny village on the cusp of Oxwich Bay. There are stunning vistas of unimpaired coastline here, topped by Oxwich Castle, once a fortified Manor and now a farmhouse. Narrow lanes take you to first Port-Eynon and then to the crowning glory of Gower, if not of Wales itself - Rhossili.

It's difficult to find words to describe my initial reaction to Rhossili - any descriptive adjectives denoting splendour, beauty and all the rest of it could come across as clichés. Simply put, Rhossili is over three miles of perfect sandy beach that is incomparable, an almost unreal vastness that is, in a series of slow motion sequences, both oasis and desert - the former particularly if you love walking, swimming, surfing or hang gliding. And if that isn't enough, Rhossili can boast the terrific promontory of Worms Head, which can be accessed in the few hours either side of low tide.

Gower Peninsula, then, is for anyone who cares for the preservation of countryside and the freedom to explore unhindered. It's a walker's paradise, complemented by a smattering of village pubs and the occasional restaurant for that allimportant breather.

If you're travelling to Wales, let alone the more specific locations of Swansea and Mumbles, to miss Gower would be a disservice to yourself as a tourist and as a person. Hyperbole? Experience Gower/Rhossili for yourself and you'll understand.