Cliffs, dunes, castles, and countryside: the Gower Peninsula – or 'Gŵyr' as it is known in Welsh – is made for holidays in the great outdoors.
Home to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the South Wales Coast, the Gower Peninsula is a small but mighty region where visitors can partake in a range of adventure activities—including watersports, paragliding, and hiking—all within easy driving distance of both Swansea city centre and Cardiff. While Gower is well-known for its coastline, caves, and beaches (especially Rhossili), the region extends inland where keen hikers will find many public rights of way and castles to explore. Campers aren’t short on options either, as the Gower Peninsula has plenty of full-service touring parks, caravanning options, and campsites with sea views.
Rated one of the best beaches in the UK, Rhossili Beach is a 3-mile expanse of sand ideal for sunbathing, strolling, or avoiding altogether in favour of sea-based watersports. You can also reach Worm’s Head from Rhossili Beach, a promontory that becomes an inaccessible island during high tide, as well as paraglide from Rhossili Downs. When it comes to camping, you’ll find plenty of places to pitch your tent along the coast.
Though the Gower Peninsula is technically situated within Swansea, Wales’ second city is also an excellent base within the region which offers proximity to wider South Wales, including the Valleys, Brecon Beacons, and Wye Valley, as well as access to several camping stores. However, given Swansea’s urban sprawl, campsites and motorhome parks with wifi access are situated on the outskirts of the city.
Mumbles, an unusually named seaside town known for the “Mumbles Mile” of pubs and its 19th-century pier, is situated on the eastern edge of the Gower Peninsula. A great place to set up camp if you love beaches, Mumbles is also a convenient spot to start the Gower Coastal Path and is situated close to a couple of family-run caravan parks and campsites, including Nicholaston.
Rhossili Beach, Oxwich Bay, and Three Cliffs Bay are all part of the Gower Peninsula Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a protected area crisscrossed by footpaths, dotted with wildlife trust reserves, and dense with protected woodland which is a haven for walking and birdwatching. The Gower Coast Path also runs the length of the AONB coastline, while caravan parks and campsites typically offer sea views, electric hook-ups, and other amenities.