Camping in sunshine and showers - on the Gower in Wales

After the wet weekend camping in Cornwall last August, when our tent practically blew away and we had to decamp to a friend’s holiday cottage, I’d vowed my camping days were over. Nevertheless, when my sister in law suggested a camping weekend together in South Wales, on the beautiful Gower peninsula, I took the optimistic view. In my imagination I was already basking in the sunshine with a view across the fields to the sea, nibbling on strawberries with a bottle of white wine chilling in the cool box.

The realist in me remembered to pack the cosiest sleeping bags, fleeces, wellies and waterproofs although my husband managed to leave my down pillow behind. We set off from Bristol in sunshine but by the time we passed Swansea 2 hrs later the rain was pitter pattering on the car windscreen and on arrival at the campsite we had to rush to put the tent up before the rain really set in.

The Saturday dawned a little brighter and after the morning ritual of shower, mug of tea and bacon and egg rolls with lashings of ketchup, I set off across the fields with by husband to search out the nearest beach. We followed the footpath signs, climbed several stiles, said good morning to a herd of grey and white cows and scrambled down to a rocky cove, which had once been an area for stone quarrying. I pictured smugglers landing here in secret but it was not really suitable for the sunbathing and surfing we had in mind.

Instead we drove 5 minutes up the road to Rhossili, owned by the National Trust, with a wide sweep of sand stretching into the distance in one direction and the rocky peninsula of Worm’s head in the other. After a steep climb down the path, laden with all our beach gear, we settled ourselves down for a few hours of relaxation, playing rounders and body boarding for those with wetsuits. Luckily the sun shone but the wind was deceptively cooling and later I discovered a few red patches of sunburn. The beach was so big that it never felt crowded and we found out later that many people are put off by the long walk down to the beach - all the more room for us, I thought.

By early afternoon we were feeling a little hungry so we settled ourselves on the terrace of The Bay cafe, with a great view over the beach, and ordered some big bowls of chips, baked potatoes and paninis. It was all very pleasant, so we returned for dinner there the next evening - unlike Cornwall there didn’t seem to be so many stylish places around to eat, but this was a cut above the rest. Otherwise we relied on the portable gas barbie to cook up bacon for breakfast and steaks and sausages for supper - all typical camping food.

The next day we decided to give Port Eynon beach a try, 10 minutes in the other direction, as I was keen to check out the Youth Hostel there in an old lifeboat station, thinking of possible alternatives to camping for a weekend break. The village was surrounded by several caravan parks and the beach had many rock pools which were exposed at low tide. The concensus was that it was not as nice as Rhossili, but we spent a couple of hours there sheltered in front of the sand dunes. I followed to path up on to the cliffs, through the yellow gorse to take in the stunning views over to the next bay.

On the way back, we decided to check out another nearby beach at Mewslade which had been recommended. When we parked in the nearby field it didn’t seem very promising, but we walked down a small valley with a nature reserve, scrambled over the rocks and arrived at a fabulous beach with wide sandy stretches at low tide, rockpools and steep cliffs around. This could have been a happy place to spend an afternoon, but already the rain was setting in, so we decided to return to the campsite.

Although we were due to return to Bristol the next morning, we decided that we’d pack up before dark and drive back to Bristol that evening, drawn on by the promise of a warm house and our own comfortable beds, rather than a lilo and sleeping bag. Camping in Wales and Cornwall is popular for families on a budget, but you have to be prepared for the changeable English summer and pray that you’ll enjoy some sunshine in between the showers.

If you fancy a camping break yourself, we stayed at Pitton Cross Campsite near Rhossili. The other recommended campsite which was sadly full when we tried to book is the one at Three Cliffs Bay, regularly picked as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

You can also read more about what’s going on on the Gower peninsula on the blog at Welcome to Gower.

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