Three Cliffs Bay

Last updated

Gower
Morning Sun at Tor Bay, Gower.jpg
Morning Sun at Tor Bay
Geographical areas
Beaches
listed clockwise
Headlands
Villages
Prehistoric sites
Castles
Lighthouses
Other
People

Three Cliffs Bay (Welsh : Bae y Tri Chlogwyn) [1] (grid reference SS535876 ), otherwise Three Cliff Bay, is a bay on the south coast of the Gower Peninsula in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. The bay takes its name from the three sea cliffs that jut out into the bay. Pennard Pill, a large stream, flows into the sea in the middle of the bay.

The beach is an important asset for locals and visitors and routinely qualifies for Blue Flag status. Dogs are allowed on the beach all year. [2]

Inland about 500 yards (450 m) from the main beach on high ground above Pennard Pill is Pennard Castle. It was built in the early 12th century[ citation needed ], and is imbued with legends of fairies. It is also the only locality in Britain known for yellow whitlow grass ( Draba aizoides ).

Individual beaches that make up this bay have their own names, including Pobbles Bay to the east of the Three Cliffs, and Tor Bay to the west. The beaches are separated at high tide but are accessible to each other at low tide on foot over the sands. Paths lead north to Pennard Burrows, east to Pobbles, and west to Tor Bay. Pobbles and Tor Bay are also accessible from the beach at low tide. Three Cliffs Bay is effectively part of the inlet of Oxwich Bay. At low tide, Three Cliffs Bay forms a continuous sandy beach with Oxwich Bay beach to the west. They only exist as separate beaches at high tide.

The sea cliffs are limestone, about 20 m (65 ft) high, and are a popular destination for rock climbers with 20 climbs in the lower grades, including Scavenger (VS 4b) - often considered a national classic. [3] The largest of the Three Cliffs is easily climbed if approached from the grassy base.

In June 2006 the BBC Holidays at Home programme declared Three Cliffs Bay to be Britain's best beach. [4] In a recent programme broadcast in the UK the view over Three Cliffs Bay was nominated for "Britain's Best View".[ citation needed ]

Three Cliffs Bay appears in a music video for Red Hot Chili Peppers made by Swansea film company, Studio8.[ citation needed ] It was used in the opening titles of the 80's TV sitcom Me and My Girl featuring Richard O'Sullivan and Joanne Ridley.[ citation needed ]

Three Cliffs Bay has been used in Channel 4's Skins and was shown in an ITV advert: 'The Brighter Side'.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea</span> City and county in Wales

Swansea is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gower Peninsula</span> Peninsula in Wales

Gower or the Gower Peninsula is in South West Wales and is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan, Wales. It projects towards the Bristol Channel. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gower (electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in Wales

Gower electoral ward is an electoral ward in Britain. It is a ward of the City and County of Swansea, and comprises the western part of the Gower Peninsula. It lies within the UK Parliamentary constituency of Gower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Channel</span> Large inlet to the river Severn in southwest Great Britain

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales and South West England. It extends from the smaller Severn Estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes its name from the English city and port of Bristol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea Bay</span> Bay on the southern coast of Wales

Swansea Bay is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large tidal range. The shipping ports in Swansea Bay are Swansea Docks, Port Talbot Docks and Briton Ferry wharves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhossili</span> Village in the county of Swansea, Wales

Rhossili is both a small village and a community on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula in Wales. It is within the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom. The village has a community council and is part of the Gower parliamentary constituency, and the Gower electoral ward. At the 2011 census, the population was 278. The community includes the hamlet of Middleton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxwich Bay</span> Bay in Wales

Oxwich Bay is a bay on the south of the Gower Peninsula, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishopston, Swansea</span> Human settlement in Wales

Bishopston is a large village and community situated on the Gower Peninsula, 6 miles (9.7 km) west south west of the centre of Swansea in South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennard (electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in Wales

Pennard is the name of an electoral ward in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It is coterminous with the community of Pennard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Eynon</span> Human settlement in Wales

Port Eynon is a village and community within the City and County of Swansea, Wales, on the far south tip of the Gower Peninsula within the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The A4118 from Swansea city centre terminates here.

Langland Bay is a popular coastal holiday resort in Gower, Swansea in south Wales. It is a popular surfing beach which regularly meets the European Blue Flag award for quality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caswell Bay</span> Beach in Wales

Caswell Bay, is a beach on the south east of the Gower Peninsula, Swansea, Wales. It is a sandy beach popular with families, holiday makers and surfers, and it regularly achieves Blue Flag status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotherslade</span> Beach in Gower, Wales

Rotherslade is a small stretch of sandy beach at the eastern end of Langland Bay in the south Gower Peninsula, Wales. Previously known as 'Little Langland', it only exists as a separate beach at high tide. At low tide it is continuous with Langland Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Pool Bay</span> Cove on the coast of Wales

Blue Pool Bay is a small cove near the village of Llangennith in Gower, Wales. The cove is bordered by cliffs, and is accessible via a clifftop path and a steep, unstable path down to the beach. The beach is covered fully at high tide and takes its name from a large, natural rockpool. Rhossili Bay is nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennard</span> Human settlement in Wales

Pennard is a village and community on the south of the Gower Peninsula, about 7 miles south-west of Swansea city centre. It falls within the Pennard electoral ward of Swansea. The Pennard community includes the larger settlements of Southgate and Kittle. the population as of 2011 was 2,688.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Gower</span> Welsh regional cuisine

The cuisine of Gower, a peninsula in south Wales, is based on ingredients grown, raised or collected on or around the peninsula. The cuisine is based on fresh ingredients with recipes based around a fish or meat dish. Until the twentieth century, the peninsula was virtually cut off from other markets due to poor roads, and no rail connection. The result was that Gower became self-sufficient in food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gower and Swansea Bay Coast Path</span> A section of the Wales Coast Path

The Gower and Swansea Bay Coast Path is part of the Wales Coast Path, an 1,400-kilometre (870 mi) long-distance walking route around the whole coast of Wales that opened in 2012. The Gower and Swansea Bay stretch is 156 kilometres (97 mi) in length, running along the coast of the Gower Peninsula from Loughor, Swansea to Kenfig Dunes near Port Talbot, South Wales. The number of people using the Wales Coast Path in the Swansea local authority area was 349,333.

The geology of the Gower Peninsula in South Wales is central to the area's character and to its appeal to visitors. The peninsula is formed almost entirely from a faulted and folded sequence of Carboniferous rocks though both the earlier Old Red Sandstone and later New Red Sandstone are also present. Gower lay on the southern margin of the last ice sheet and has been a focus of interest for researchers and students in that respect too. Cave development and the use of some for early human occupation is a further significant aspect of the peninsula's scientific and cultural interest.

References

  1. ↑ "Traeth Bae y Tri Chlogwyn". Dewch i Fae Abertawe (in Welsh). Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Swansea - Dogs on beaches". www.swansea.gov.uk.
  3. ↑ "UKC Logbook - 'Scavenger'". www.ukclimbing.com.
  4. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/holiday/tv_and_radio/holiday_hit_squad/hhs_beach_best.shtml [ dead link ]

51°34′05″N4°06′55″W / 51.56819°N 4.11516°W / 51.56819; -4.11516

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.