1 week Ago By [email protected] (Joanne Ridout)
Every birthday I am indulged by having complete control of the day - I can dictate to the family where we are going and what we are doing. In the past I have demanded we visit castles and country pubs, which were both met with vague but positive reactions from everyone, but also museums and art galleries, which had a range of reactions from stunned silence to mutterings and moans. But this year was different.
Even though it's in July it is surprising how many years there has been appalling weather on my special day, so this year when the sun was scheduled to make an appearance and yet another storm was way off from landing in Wales, there was only one choice - the beach. We are so blessed in Wales to have a myriad of cosy coves, sweeping sandy shores, and utterly breathtaking beaches and bays, so for many people the challenge is to choose which one to visit, but for me there's one that will always be my favourite, although spending the day at any Welsh beach is truly a life-affirming and spirit uplifting joy. For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here .
READ MORE: I stayed at a hidden holiday destination that is one of Wales' best kept secrets - until now YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: I stayed at Charlotte Church's life-changing wellbeing rural retreat and I am desperate to go back I've been so lucky to have travelled to some of the most famous beaches in the world and they have all been memorable and have their own unique beauty but in my heart there's only one beach that will ever win, so Byron Bay and Bondi beach can both bog off, Waikiki can walk away, and Surfrider beach is California stunner for sure but for me there's no contest - my Welsh gem beats them all. Meandering through the lanes of Gower Peninsula west of Swansea on my birthday there were a number of unique and gorgeous beaches to try and tempt us to divert from our final destination, but Rhossili was always calling and we were only going to answer that one location. When you arrive Rhossili itself is just a small village with a sprinkling of homes, a church and a few local shops but then the lane comes to an end at the National Trust car park and the first incredible aspect of this mesmerising location comes into view - Worm's Head - a headland that juts out into the Atlantic ocean with the most distinctive of rock formations.
It's heartening to know that, according to website Visit Swansea Bay, the National Trust own much of the land in this area, including the beach, Worm's Head and also Rhossili Down, so the future of this largely unspoilt corner of Wales is assured. The conservation charity's website states that the area called 'The Worm' comes from the Norse word 'Wurme', meaning dragon or serpent. Vikings believed the island was a sleeping dragon because of its shape, rising from the sea like a mythical beast.
We parked the car for the day for £8, or free to Trust members, in the Trust's fields found behind their visitor centre and made our way to the coastal path which can take you on a hike along Worm's Head that takes up to an hour going one way. But if you're planning to cross to the tip of the worm beware - the cliffs are steep and when the tide comes in you could get stranded. Almost every year we write about people being stranded on the worm and having to be rescued - find out more about that here .
This day the sun was out and the sky was blue, so in the battle of what to do the waves beat the worm, so we headed towards the beach entrance. It is always worth stopping and becoming completely immersed in the staggering, panoramic view of the beach that stretches out before you at the well-placed bench on the cliff-top. From here the interrupted view treats you to towering mountains sweeping down to the coast and dramatically halting when they reach the golden sand.
The three mile stretch of sand is so vast it's only when you see people on the beach looking like tiny ants you realise just how colossal the landscape is, and how unspoilt it is too; no shops, no toilets, no car park right next to the beach - just the power of nature reminding us of how beautiful and dramatic it can be. I love this captivating visual welcome to the beach - it's burnt into my soul and brings me so much pleasure. Anytime and anywhere in the world, if I'm feeling homesick for Wales and hiraeth is raging, I just close my eyes and recall the fresh sea breeze on my face flavoured with ocean droplets and the roar of the waves as they gallop up the beach to meet the mountains.
Truly breathtaking. It's not a surprise to anyone who has ever visited, or even just seen photos, of Rhossili Beach and bay to find out that it is regularly on the list of best beaches in the UK, Europe and the world. In 2024, it was named among Lonely Planet's 100 best beaches in the world, while TripAdvisor users voted it the world's 10th best beach in the world in 2013.
Its visually dramatic landscape means that the beach and coast have appeared on TV and not just travel shows and Welsh-based programmes, with arguably the most famous being BBC Cymru Wales' Doctor Who, with the Tardis memorably perched on the top of the cliff. The icing on this visually yummy cake is the existence of a single building at the base of the mountains that punctures the landscape with one reminder that humans are part of this beach's history. The well-placed property is the National Trust owned Old Rectory, it was built in the 1800s and has an intriguing past that includes its role as a base for radar workers during the Second World War as well as appearing in the hit TV series Torchwood.
You can now stay in the four-bedroom house but booking early is recommended as you can imagine it is very popular, and it has even welcomed some famous guests, including The One Show presenter Alex Jones - find out more about that here . But we were here just for the day and after visiting the National Trust shop and relaxing on a bench with, in my view, the best view in Wales, we went in search of lunch and had a lovely lunch at The View Rhossili Kitchen, Café and Bar, although there are a number of choices in the village including The Worms Head hotel, The Lookout and The Causeway. The view from the table was enough to distract you from the food and the sun shone so strongly we needed to open the table parasol.
The owner told us that the meal might not be the cheapest - we had the Chef's Gower Beer Battered Fish and Chips at £17.95 each - but they strived to serve the best quality and we certainly thoroughly enjoyed it. Then it was beach time, so we trekked down the sometimes steep, sometimes tarmacked path down to the immense sandy beach that stretches for miles, especially when the tide is out.
It's a route that takes some time, especially if you are a bit nervous about tripping, but there's no rush - just enjoy strolling and descending down to the shoreline to become a part of its immense landscape. It's not until you get onto the beach you can truly take onboard just how vast it is, how far away your nearest beach visitor is located even on a busy July day in the school summer holidays. We jumped into the sea with battle hardened skin borne out of freezing water in Cornwall but even we weren't prepared for how frosty the sea was that day.
But the white foam-crowned waves happily provided entertainment with a good swell that had us jumping and laughing and completely forgetting to check that maybe one of our frozen toes had actually fallen off. Growing up with a wonderful mum who had worry as her default setting, it was in my genes to be a little nervous about swimming in the sea with no lifeguard but, as a group, we kept near the shore and were mindful to look out for any rip currents. There were other people enjoying the water but such is the size and scale of the bay that there was no issue with being mowed down by a child on an out of control body board, unlike so many beaches.
The bay is popular for surfing too, as it offers consistent waves all year round, although the larger swell is found at the far end of the bay which is known as Llangennith. As if the beach couldn't get more enchanting it also reveals the remains of a shipwreck when the tide goes out - the spine of the Helvetia that ran aground on the beach in 1887 and now protrudes from the soft sand like a fallen and ancient dinosaur skeleton. The surprise find for new visitors to the beach was a source of intrigue and consistently being visited by children and adults.
We played games on the beach and wished we had brought our kite because the wind was perfect for catching it and making it soar through the sky. We weren't the only ones thinking the wind was perfect that day, but on a larger scale, as we looked up and saw three people paragliding. No thanks to that - no engine, no parachute, just skill and gusts of wind.
They waved, we waved back, and then felt thankful to be on the ground. It is inevitable that at some point, okay multiple points, during the day the call of a cup of tea for me becomes too strong to ignore, so we slowly climbed the path back up to the cliff-top. I stopped multiple times to admire the view of the beach and Worm's Head from different angles, it was definitely nothing to do with being out of breath at all.
The location is understandably designated as part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, now renamed Gower National Landscape, and an additional part of its uniqueness and attraction to visitors are its eight acres of sunflower and lavender fields which you can visit during the summer, find out more about that here . But we had run out of time so, as evening began to rush up to greet us, we headed into the Worm's Head hotel's bar for a drink, yes that mug of tea was ordered, and enjoyed the view from a different angle that included the sun slowly setting over the water and the whole of the family agreeing that we are all in love with Rhossili..
