Spring Sunsets in Isolation. Pennard Cliffs March 2020.

It looks like we have a difficult time ahead, and it isn’t going to end soon. So while I have some time on my hands I am going to give the blog the attention it has long needed.

If you are looking to get your outside fix in these lockdown times maybe have a look down the rabbit hole of the adventures of my girlfriend Sharon and I as we post stuff and nonsense from Wild West Wales with our french bulldog cross Molly.

We headed out in isolation last Friday to get some final spring sunsets before holing up in the house of the foreseeable.

Three Cliffs never fails to impress. It is our favorite walk. This time we took the Pennard Cliffs route because we thought it would be the best way to ensure we didn’t meet anyone else and if we did we could easily keep a good distance between them and us.  Molly was obviously looking the other way.

So just as spring starts to spring into life we all find ourselves a bit stuck in. Hopefully this sunset will be enough to tide you over.

Please take a look back on previous blog posts. Highlights include:

The Darth Mannion Beach and Swamp Challenge.

The DimExcuses End of Summer Walk.

Or a lot of surfing with the #Mentro21 Project.

Or you can follow me (DimExcuses) on twitter or instagram. Hopefully you will find something to amuse. But for now make sure you stay in and stay safe, there will be sunsets for us to find after all this, DimExcuses.

 

Perfect end to a perfect summer. DimExcuses End of Summer Walk 2018.

It is the tenth anniversary of the DimExcuses End of Summer Walk. An epic tradition that includes over 15 miles of the South Gower Coast. Starting on the first bus out of Swansea, we commence the walk at the breathtaking Rhossili Bay.

It is then a straight line forced march up and down the limestone slades and cliffs of the South Gower Coast.

The aim of this first part is to get to Port Eynon by 11am for a full breakfast in the Captain’s Table Cafe. The weather this year was perfect, unlike last year when we nearly drowned.

From Port Eynon we took the Wales Coast Path to Oxwich Bay for a well deserved pint of Gower Gold. You can see my Strava track of the whole route here. I also made a relive video you can see here.

Not only did we have perfect weather this year, we also had a perfect low tide that made our walk on the beach to Three Cliffs Bay and Pobbles a breeze.

Our next stop was in the Southgate Club, for another Gower Gold. We always get a great welcome from the Landlady, amazed at our epic ten year tradition. We changed the route this year to make the walk more accessible.  Instead of heading on to Pwll Du Bay and then finishing in the Joiners Arms, we this year headed out to Pennard Castle.

The reason for the route change was that we could then finish in the Gower Inn. This would then enable everyone to get the bus back to where we started. This worked out much better for everyone. So a perfect end to a perfect summer. A full gallery of the walk can be seen below (just click on a thumbnail). You should join us next year, DimExcuses.

Hunting the Fen Orchid. Kenfig, June 2018.

DimExcuses Start of Spring Walk 2018.

It all started with the DimExcuses End of Summer Walk, a yearly walk in September, 19 miles in 9 hours taking in the best of the South Gower Coast. Then there was the DimExcuses Mid Winter Walk, a 10K on the rest of the South Gower coast racing the sunset from Pwll Du Bay to Mumbles.

Now we are aiming to do four DimExcuses walks every year, with each one on the equinox of each season. So this was the first DimExcuses Start of Spring Walk. Starting at Gowerton Station we took the train to Pembrey and Bury Port Station and then basically walked a half marathon back along the Wales Coast Path.

I tracked the walk in two legs, before and after lunch. You can see the Strava data for the first leg here, and also a Relive video of the first part here.

We had the DimExcues Dogs Oakley and Molly with us, but Molly only did the first walk because she is a bit small for a walk of that length.

Oakley is big enough to do the whole lot and take it in his stride.

You can see the Strava for the second leg here, and another Relive video of the second part here.

It was a great walk, and we were lucky with the weather. The only issue was that the whole 14 miles were on tarmac, so that took a hard toll on knees, hips and backs. We are used to the grass and sand of the DimExcuses End of Summer Walk.

It was a cracking day and we did it all in about six hours including lunch. A full gallery of all photos is below, just click on a thumbnail to see the larger photos. So we are now thinking about a DimExcuses Mid Summer Walk, you should come on that one, DimExcuses.

There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Three Cliffs, Pobbles, Winter 2017.

Winter is upon us.  Temperatures are barely above zero and snow is hitting the UK with a vengeance.  Gower may have eascaped the worst of the snow but it is bitter cold with biting winds.  Yet as Ranulph Fiennes is so famously quoted as saying “there is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing”.

I am permanently wearing a baselayer, I have some cracking Skins thermal ones and I have broken out my snowboarding clothing. My dog Molly is a hardy little french bulldog cross but even she can’t go out without a coat on at the moment.

Molly as a great waterproof coat with a fake fur collar that almost covers her big ears.  It is fleeced too. She cuts quite the dash in it.

It is hard to fit beach walks in at this time of year, as well as the tough weather, there is little light in the day.  So when we do get a chance we just stick to our Three Cliffs Bay loop.

It is the most popular walk on this blog, and probably our favourite walk too. It is the “go to” walk when we want to show visitors around. It is 5km and takes in Pennard Castle, Three Cliffs Bay and Pobbles Bay.

I track my walks using Strava, you can see this walk here. I also use an app called Relive that makes 3D aerial videos of your mapped Strava activities. You can see a Relive video of this walk here. It is really useful to plan out walking this yourself if you have never been there before.

Molly and I were lucky, the wind dropped and the whole walk was undertaken in a lovely stillness that is rare on the exposed Gower Coast.

One of the benefits of this time of year is that you do get the beach to yourself.

Though Molly is really only interested in sticks.

There is a rugged beauty to Gower in the winter.  I think it is the light and the dramatic skies.

The sand levels change from storm to storm in the winter. This is most noticeable when trying to walk through the cave within Three Cliffs to get to Pobbles Bay. it can vary from a sandy walk, rocky scramble or a couple of jumps over sea water filled pools.

None of which is a bother to Molly, she is an all terrain dog, who takes it all in her stride.

She is happy on the rocks and in the rock pools.

That winter storm sand movement has created some spectacular pools.

But there are still huge expanses of sand on the lower tides, plenty of room for a small dog.

As we walked back up from Pobbles Bay to Pennard we noticed warning signs up about Portuguese Man O War strandings. These aren’t technically jellyfish, but a colony organism that is very similar. Their long tentacles can cause a very painful sting. There have been loads washed up in South West UK this autumn and winter. I know a lot people still out there surfing and I haven’t heard of any incidents, but it can’t harm to be wary of them. As they tend to be on the shoreline, they are more of a hazard to dogs, so keep an eye out for them.

It is always worth getting out and blowing the cobwebs away at this time of year. Here is Molly having one last look at the sea before making our way back to the warm indoors.

It is still a long way to spring, but there are plenty of reasons to get out walking down the beach. Just make sure you wear the right clothes, DimExcuses.

Luck runs out. DimExcuses End of Summer Walk 2017.

The DimExcuses End of Summer Walk is in its ninth year, and this is my 6th time on this epic big Gower walk. We have always been lucky. This 19 mile, 9 hour end of summer ritual has generally been great weather, and our irresponsible approach to never checking the tide times has never stung us too badly…

The start of this years walk was no exception. It hasn’t been the best summer, but as we waited by the bus stop in Killay, to get the first Gower bus to Rhossili, the sun was starting to sneak out.

There were eleven of us on the bus, and we got over the first hurdle of getting the driver to let our massive wolf on! Technically a Husky, German Shepard cross, Oakley is definitely quite dire wolf in appearance.

Arriving at Rhossili we were met with End of Summer Walk first timer Lauren, bringing us up to twelve walkers. Lauren wasn’t the only new feet, we were also joined by Ellie, Ben, Ian, Ffion and Harry, all who had never undertaken this epic effort before. A quick team picture with the famous Rhossili Bay in the background and we were off!

A forced march cross-country taking in the amazing South Gower cliffs and we were soon in Port Eynon.

The fantastic staff at the Captains Table had reserved us a table and bent the breakfast deadline to sort us out with breakfasts of varying size. Obviously I had a big breakfast as it was a big walk. After thoroughly enjoying our breakfasts, it was team photo two, before making the sheltered coastal walk to Oxwich. The weather was fantastic, we couldn’t believe how lucky we were (at this point).

We were soon sitting at the Oxwich Bay Hotel enjoying a pint in the sunshine. At that point friends and relatives were ringing us to say the rain was coming down in sheets in Swansea and heading our way.

We were still in buoyant mood, we could see the rainfall in the distance but we seemed to be skirting past it.

It was at this point we realised that it was almost high tide and Tor Bay was totally cut off by the tide.  This meant we have to do a huge sandy climb over Little Tor. The view was quite spectacular back to Oxwich Bay.

It was then that that rain hit us. Right when we were most exposed on Penmaen Cliffs…

…and we still had the problem that it was high tide at Three Cliffs Bay and we had another hard sandy climb ahead of us. Our luck had well and truly run out. This was the hardest the End of Summer Walk has ever been. I even thought we would not make it to Southgate.

We made it to the Southgate Club like drowned rats. There was talk of abandoning the walk there, but that was quickly dismissed as not the DimExcuses way. The new walkers were some of the most keen to press on to the end! My girlfriend Sharon and our dog Molly came to our rescue bringing some dry clothes to the Southgate Club and taking our drenched ones. Apologies to the football crowd in the Southgate who suddenly had eleven soaking walkers changing around them in the busy pub.

As we changed the weather opened up again and we continued on to Pwll Du Bay before the final climb to Bishopston and the Joiners Arms. Sharon came to our rescue again ferrying people back to their cars in Killay.

Next year we will change the end of the walk to double back to the Gower Inn which is on the bus route back to the cars.

So our luck did finally run out, but we took it in our stride and completed the ninth DimExcuses End of Summer Walk.  A full gallery of images is below. Next year is the tenth anniversary walk, so you need to be on it with us, DimExcuses.

 

The best of South Gower in one day.

We often have visitors down over the summer. It is amazing that those from further afield tend to embrace the must see sites, while family and friends often neglect the little gems on their doorstep. So this summer we have been sharing our favorite beaches with all our visitors. At the start of the summer we took some family members on our legendary Three Cliffs Pobbles Loop, and last week we introduced some more family to the fantastic Pwll Du Bay.

Our guided trips must be popular, because this week we had more visitors wanting to see the best of South Gower in one day. So we had to start with that legendary Three Cliffs Bay, Pobbles Bay loop that goes past Pennard Castle. You can read all about the route here, or you can see our strava route here. I am also using the Relive app so here is a 3D aerial video of our route too.

The view from Pennard Castle of Three Cliffs Bay is fantastic, as you can see above. You can then walk around the golf course to the headland, or if the tide is out you can take the steep walk down into the valley. You may need a hand…

If you think that looks tricky you should checkout how the Darth Mannion Beach and Swamp Run Challenge runners descend it at speed. Once down in Three Cliffs Valley it is a much more of a gentle stroll, that then opens up into an incredible view of Three Cliffs itself. You can read my DimExcuses Three Cliffs Beach Guide here.

With the tide out you can climb through the cave in Three Cliffs and get through to Pobbles Bay. It is a massive beach at low tide.

You can read my DimExcuses Pobbles Beach Guide here. Right out on its furthest east corner is the headland of Shirecombe. You can find some serious rock gullies here full of seaweed and rock pool residents. If you know what you are doing you can look for edible crabs here too, but please respect the tide, it can come in behind you fast!

Once we had taken in both Three Cliffs Bay and Pobbles Bay we took the path out of Pobbles up to Pennard Golf Club and back to our van. We took our guests to the dog friendly Beaufort Pub in Kittle (other Gower Pubs are available) for some light bites and a pint of Gower Gold.

A standard Three Cliffs adventure that you can see many times on this website, but today was all about getting the best of South Gower in one day. So we got back in the van and headed to the furthest West point in Gower, the world famous Rhossili Bay. You can read my DimExcuses Rhossili Beach Guide here.

The National Trust have taken over the car park at Rhossili it is really well run with fantastic friendly staff. With loads of parking you have loads that you can see and do. If you are a really hardy walker you can walk down to the beach itself, or if you really want to find your epic you can surf Rhossili Bay! Both activities will require a tough climb back up the path to the headland.

For the less energetic, I would recommend staying on the headland and taking the short walk out to the Coastguard Hut by Worms Head causeway. It is here that you can take the walk to Worms Head itself, but that is a serious adventure that you will have to plan in advance taking into account the tide times. The causeway is only open at certain times of the tide. You wouldn’t want to get stuck out there!

We just stayed on the headland and took in the panoramic views.

All the best of South Gower in one day! Maybe you can take your visitors on the same adventure. DimExcuses.

Summer Finally Turns Up. Pwll Du Bay. August Bank Holiday 2017.

It hasn’t been the greatest summer, but finally on the last August Bank Holiday the sun decided to put his hat on. So with some family visiting and a french bulldog looking for a good beach walk we headed to the most enigmatic Gower beach, Pwll Du.

It is not easy to find or get to, but all you need to know about Pwll Du Bay can be found in the DimExcuses Pwll Du Beach Guide.

At last some sun, sea and Gower beach fun. So warm that we all went swimming, even Molly! You can see all the pictures in the gallery below. They might tempt you to visit this secret Gower beach yourself, DimExcuses.

Take the High Road, Pobbles & Pennard Cliffs. 19th August 2017.

Sometimes you have to change your perspective on things. Usually a quick straight walk down Pobbles Bay, Gower is my go to quick walk for taking my dog Molly to the beach. But I fancied a change and a different view of Pobbles for once.

Pobbles is my favourite beach. You can read my DimExcuses Pobbles Beach Guide here. It is also a beach visited on my classic 5km Pennard Castle, Three Cliffs Bay and Pobbles circular walk. Sometimes it even gets surf!

This was one of those days when it had a surf-able swell. It has been a hit and miss summer, so we decided to make the most of this Sunny Saturday.

We did our usual walk down from Pennard, past Pennard Golf Club, but then climbed out of the bay up to the plateau of Pennard Cliffs to get a different view of the famous Three Cliffs.

Molly is as happy on the limestone rocks of Pobbles as she is on the beach.

Looking back you get a great view of the west side of Three Cliffs and Pobbles Bay in front of it. Just as to get to the top and onto Pennard Cliffs you can also see across to the greens of Pennard Golf Course. Molly stopped for a pose with course behind her…

..before a quick drop and roll.

Molly is always happiest on the Gower Coast. Total adventure french bulldog.

Once the cliffs were climbed we headed back through Southgate village to complete our Pobbles, Pennard Cliffs loop, and as we were passing the Southgate Club, it would be rude not to stop for a pint of Gower Power!

We are definitely making the most of this Gower summer, no matter what the weather, DimExcuses.

Between the showers. Pobbles Bay July 2017.

It has been a while since I posted on here and brought you some pictures of Gower beaches. It is amazing how any new activity you do steals time away from your other activities. This summer I have been really concentrating on my running, at the
expense of my walking. Molly has really missed out on our beach walks too.

I ran the INVNCBL Obstacle Course Race (OCR) at the start of July in Pembrey
Country Park. It was awesome, hard but I would recommend it. I over trained and
have picked up Planar Fasciitis which has also impacted my walking. Add to that I
fell running and have hurt one of my ribs, so no surfing. But I have now healed to the
point Molly and I can get out down Pobbles Bay, Gower between the summer
showers.

You can follow my walking and running at my Strava page, and here is a link to the
walk I have walked and photographed in this post.

I am also using a partner app to Strava, called Relive which plots my Strava activity
on 3D aerial maps. You can see a video of this walk here.

This was a quick 3km walk Molly and I do when we are pressed for time or the
weather is not looking too good. It is straight down and back up from Pobbles Bay
past Pennard Golf Club. Here is Molly checking out the new golf club sign.

This year managed grazing has been introduced in Three Cliffs Valley which is
adjacent to Pobbles Bay.

There is a herd of cows munching the vegetation around the bay. Hopefully avoiding the ragwort as it is poisonous to grazing stock.

Recently the cows have taken to grazing on the actual Three Cliffs
themselves. It is quite a strange sight to see these hill climbing cows, especially
when the tide is in.

It also means I need to keep Molly on a lead. It is best practice to always keep your
dog on a lead around livestock. The last thing I would want is to worry the herd and
them running off the cliff edge.

Mind you she still manages to stalk them even when she is still safely on the lead.

The cows stay off the beach, so it is ok for Molly to run free in the sand there.
Pobbles is a great little beach when the tide is in.

It is a really fun beach for learning bodyboarding when it gets a bit of a swell.

It is best surfed on the rising tide, but can get a little boxed in on the higher tide.

It is great for swimming too and much safer than Three Cliffs which has a very hazardous current from the river.

You can learn more about Pobbles Bay in the DimExcuses Pobbles Beach Guide here. Pobbles is Molly and my favorite beach, we need to get down there a little more this summer, DimExcuses.