Rhossili Bay & Worms head | A locals guide to visiting
Often voted one of the best beaches in the UK, the golden sweep of sand at Rhossili Bay Beach stretches for 3 glorious miles. Backed by dunes and overlooked by 200-metre-high hills and jagged sea cliffs, it is a stunningly scenic part of the Gower Peninsula.
At high tide a thin ribbon of sand reaches along the grassy banks. As the tide retreats a 400-metre swathe of sand is revealed providing one of the most idyllic beaches in the UK. Even in the height of summer, Rhossili Bay beach never seems fully packed thanks to its sheer scale.
Key information
Postcode: SA3 1PP
Parking: Large National pay and display on site
Lifeguards: No
Dog Friendly: Year-round
Toilets: Next to the car park & open 24/7
Food: Available at the Worms Head hotel, the Causeway, and the Lookout.
Where in Wales is Rhossili Bay?
Rhossili is situated at the south western tip of the Gower, a thumb shaped peninsula located on the the South coast of Wales.
The beach is accessible via a 40 minute drive from the city of Swansea or a 100 minute drive from the Welsh capital of Cardiff. Reaching the beach involves navigating the narrow lane of the peninsula meaning journey times can increase during the busier summer months.
If you didn’t have access to a car you can catch the 118 bus for the centre of Swansea. The bus runs from Monday to Saturday and a full time table can be found here.
Is there parking at Rhossili Bay?
There is a large National Trust car park (postcode SA3 1PP) situated on the clifftop which overlooks the beach. You could argue that the car park has one of the best views in the UK as even from the car park you have stunning views over Rhossili Bay and towards Worms head.
The car park operates coin only pay & display machines and costs £3 for 2 hours or £6 for all day. National trust members park for free. You can also pay online using PayByPhone, if you are doing this I’d recommend that you download the app beforehand as mobile signal at Rhossili can be poor.
The car park is reached by driving through the narrow lanes of Rhossili village, please respect the local community and don’t park on the side of the road as it restricts access for the emergency services.
The view of Rhossili with the car park in the bottom right
The view from in front of the Car park
What to do at Rhossili Bay ?
Take a walk along the clifftop to the tip of the headland
If you’re only making a fleeting visit to Rhossili ( Shame on you) my first recommendation would be to walk along the rugged and dramatic coastal cliffs towards the old coastguard station situated at the end of the headland. You can either follow the wheelchair accessible gravel path or skirt along the edge of cliffs which drop steeply down to the coast below.
The walk is just under a mile one way and will take around 20 minutes, although I would allow for at least double this as you’ll want to stop at every 50 metres to take photos. If you’re lucky you may also have the company of several wild horses which often graze the clifftop.
Take a hike out onto Worms head
The more adventurous amongst can make the trek all the way out to the tip of the Worms head. In order to do so you need to cross the rocky causeway which is only exposed for two and a half hours before and after low tide.
Walkers have a five hour window to get there and back or risk becoming Tom Hanks in castaway for 9 hours. For more information on how to reach the worm check out my blog post below
Visit the Helvetia shipwreck
Down on the shoreline of Rhossili Bay are the remains of the Helvetia shipwreck, A Norwegian ship which run aground back in 1887. What is left of the Scandinavian vessel is mostly submerged beneath the constantly shifting sands, however even after taking a battering for over a century, the hull of the ship still protrudes from the surface.
For what is in most simplest form is a large piece of timber, its rather impressive and makes for a great photograph, especially when you have the wonderful worm in the background.
Hike up to Rhossili Downs
At 193m Rhossili Downs is the highest point on the Gower peninsula. The prominent downs forms the backdrop to Rhossili bay and stretches for over a mile from the village over to Hill-end caravan site. The trig point can be reached via a steep 1km walk from the national trust car park. The summit will not only offer terrific panoramic views over the beach and towards the worm, but also back over the peninsula.
For those who have their hiking boots on, you can carry on across the downs passing an old WW2 radar station on the way to Hill-end caravan site in Llangennith. You can then hike back across the beach for a delightful four mile round trip. A full route of the walk can be found below.
Go Surfing
Rhossili’s position on the peninsula and its westerly facing direction means it is the most consistent surf spot on the Gower.
Despite being one long beach, the three mile shoreline is separated into three distinct areas for surfing. The southern end of the beach which is closest to Rhossili is the most sheltered section and usually packs the smallest waves. Access is via a short but steep walk down from the national trust car park.
Llangennith, which is the middle section of the Beach, is the most popular place to surf due to the easily accessible car park located 100m from the shore. The waves here will be bigger than Rhossili and when the surf is clean it’s not uncommon to see a couple of hundred surfers in the water.
The view above Llangennith Car park looking towards the Worm
In the smaller summer months, the sandy beach break is perfect for beginners. However when the swell size increases beyond 3-4 foot, the paddle out becomes notoriously difficult and you might not even make it out back.
If this is the case, Llangennith should be avoided by those who don’t have the adequate experience and you should head to a more beginner friendly beach such as Caswell.
Unfortunately there is no board or wetsuit rental available at Rhossili. Instead you will have to make the short drive around to Llangennith where you can rent gear from PJ’s surf shop or get lessons from either Llangennith or the Welsh Surfing Federation Surf Schools.
Watch the sunset
Rhossili is undoubtedly the best place on the Gower peninsula to watch the sunset. Not only can watch the sun drop directly below the horizon but you get the magnificent backdrop of worms head while you are there.
What I also love about this location is the sheer variety of places to watch the sunset from and the various compositions you can create.
My favourite place to watch it and the one I always gravitate towards, is from the one mile long clifftop which stretches towards the Worm. For the those who are feeling parched or not wanting to walk too far from the car park, you can watch the sunset from the Worms Head Hotel with a drink in hand. Other options include down on the shoreline or up on Rhossili downs.
Whatever place you choose you are bound to be treated to an absolute spectacle.
The view From the clifftop
See the sunflowers
In 2017 the National Trust started a five year project at Rhossili to restore the Vile. This is one of the last remnants of an ancient style of farming which can only found in a handful of places around the UK. Part of this project it included the planting of some 400,000 sunflowers to add value to the areas local wildlife.
The areas iconic backdrop has seen the Sunflowers bloom into a bit of a social media sensation over the past 4 years, with the site attracting thousands of visitors each summer.
The sunflowers usually blossom in mid August and last to late September. The fields are open between 10am and 7pm with no need to pre book. The National Trust sunflower fields are completely free to visit, but you will need to pay £2 to walk around the commercial fields, which includes a kids Gruffalo trail and sunflower arch which you can have a picture taken under.
Visit Fall Bay
Now as much as I love Rhossili Bay, it’s not a beach I would choose to spent the afternoon relaxing at. Huge tides combined with a lack of shelter, means that not only is it prone to the element but at low tide going for a dip turns into a duathlon.
If you have made the trip down and want a delightful little spot for a dip I would take the extra time and effort to reach Fall Bay.
This secluded cove is one of the most remote on the peninsula which means it is rarely ever crowded.
You can reach the beach either by cutting through the coastal fields from Rhossili Hall, or by following the coastal path from the National Trust car park along the cliff top to the old coastguard station, then around to Fall Bay. Access to the beaches shoreline is via steep rocky steps so it may not be the best option for those with young families/
Even if you didn’t want to head down onto the beach I would recommend completing a loop of Fall bay and the neighbouring Mewslade from Rhossili. The three and half mile loop takes in some of the finest sections of the Gower coastal path and can be completed in under two hours.
Where to eat and drink at Rhossili Bay
I have not been paid to promote any of these locations, I am simply listing what’s available and giving my honest two cents.
The Lookout Rhossili - This quaint little café is open from 9:30am and serves local coffee, cakes, snacks and refreshments. Keep an yeye out for their epic pizza deals in the evening
The Bay Bistro - A little café which also doubles up a gift shop. It has both an indoor and outdoor seating area which offers views over the Bay and serves wide variety of food and drink options including hearty meals, toasted sandwiches, coffee and cakes.
The Worms Head Hotel - You wont find a bar with a better view in the UK. Perched on the clifftop overlooking the beach, the hotel serves a traditional pub style menu from midday until 9pm.
So there we have it, an in-depth, locals guide to Rhossili bay. Did you find the blog useful? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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For more Gower inspiration check out my in depth Guide to the Gower Peninsula
For more travel, hiking, & photography inspiration around Wales check out my in-depth guides to each of my favourite regions below.