Hidden Gem in Swansea

Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire is frequently cited as one of the most beautiful beaches in Wales and among the finest in Britain, a small arc of golden sand enclosed by wooded headlands and limestone cliffs that can only be reached on foot, the absence of road access preserving its unspoiled character and keeping visitor numbers manageable even in high summer. The bay lies within the Stackpole Estate, owned by the National Trust, and is accessible by a fifteen-minute walk along the coastal path from the nearest car park at Stackpole Quay. The bay's enclosed setting gives it a sheltered and intimate quality quite different from the long, exposed Atlantic-facing beaches of the Pembrokeshire coast further west. The clear blue-green water of the Pembrokeshire coast, some of the cleanest sea water in Britain, fills the bay between its limestone headlands and provides excellent conditions for swimming, snorkelling and kayaking. The water clarity is a direct consequence of the low levels of pollution and river runoff in this part of the Pembrokeshire coast, and the underwater visibility in calm conditions can be exceptional by British standards. The walk to Barafundle from Stackpole Quay passes through a landscape of considerable natural and historical interest. The Stackpole Estate includes Bosherston Lakes, a complex of artificial lily ponds created in the late eighteenth century by damming three narrow limestone valleys, which are now one of the finest freshwater habitats in Wales and support large populations of water lilies, otters, kingfishers and wildfowl. The combination of lakes, woodland, limestone heath, sand dunes and coast makes the Stackpole Estate one of the richest and most varied ecological landscapes in Pembrokeshire. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path, the UK's only coastal national park path, passes directly above Barafundle Bay and provides the opportunity to extend a beach visit into a longer exploration of the limestone coast, with the Stackpole Head headland and the sea cave of the Green Bridge of Wales within easy walking distance.

The Bosherston Lily Ponds near Pembroke in Pembrokeshire are a series of artificial freshwater lakes created in the eighteenth century by the Stackpole Estate owners, who dammed three narrow limestone valleys to create the interconnected water bodies that now form one of the most beautiful and ecologically important freshwater habitats in Wales. The ponds are best known for the extraordinary display of white water lilies that covers the surface of the central and eastern arms from late May through July, a spectacle of natural beauty that attracts visitors from across Wales and beyond. The water lily display at its peak in June and early July is genuinely spectacular. The surface of the ponds can be almost entirely covered in the large, waxy white flowers of the European white water lily, their yellow centres reflected in the still, dark water between the lily pads and the whole scene framed by the limestone heath and dune vegetation of the Stackpole Estate. The combination of the lilies, the wildlife they support and the limestone coastal setting immediately adjacent to the sea at Barafundle Bay makes this one of the most varied and rewarding ecological landscapes in southwest Wales. The ponds support a remarkable diversity of wetland wildlife. Otters are regularly present and can be seen hunting in the channels between the lily beds, particularly in the early morning or evening. Kingfishers hunt the margins, great crested grebes breed on the open water sections, and the reedbeds on the edges support sedge and reed warbler. The limestone grassland and heath surrounding the ponds adds botanical interest, with orchids, cowslips and a range of calcicolous plants characteristic of the Pembrokeshire limestone. The footpath network through the Bosherston area connects the ponds with the cliff top at Barafundle Bay and Stackpole Head, allowing excellent circular walks that combine freshwater and coastal habitats in a single outing.

Cenarth Falls on the River Teifi in west Wales, where the river descends through a dramatic series of cascades and rapids between the Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion borders, has been a tourist attraction since the eighteenth century when the Welsh Romantic movement identified this combination of rushing water, natural rock formation and riverside woodland as one of the finest picturesque landscapes in Wales. The falls are most dramatic in winter and spring when the volume of water in the Teifi is at its greatest, but the setting retains considerable appeal throughout the year. The Teifi at Cenarth is one of the most important coracle rivers in Wales, the ancient tradition of one-person round fishing boats made from woven willow and hide having been maintained on this river since at least the medieval period. The National Coracle Centre in the mill beside the falls houses a remarkable collection of coracles from rivers across Wales and from equivalent traditions worldwide, providing an unexpected cultural and ethnographic dimension to a visit principally motivated by the waterfalls. The seventeenth-century bridge across the gorge provides an excellent viewpoint for the lower section of the falls and the riverside path below gives access to the falls themselves. The village of Cenarth above the falls provides visitor facilities and the surrounding Teifi Valley landscape, with its market towns of Newcastle Emlyn and Cardigan, provides excellent context for a visit to this section of west Wales.

Marloes Sands in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is one of the finest beaches in Wales and one of the most geologically interesting on the entire Pembrokeshire coast, a broad west-facing strand of firm sand accessible by a twenty-minute walk from the National Trust car park at Marloes village. The combination of the beach quality, the spectacular folded rock strata in the cliffs and the views across St Brides Bay creates one of the most rewarding beach visits on the Welsh coast. The cliffs expose the Old Red Sandstone and Silurian rocks of southwest Pembrokeshire in a series of folds and faults of considerable visual drama. The Three Chimneys, three distinctive vertical rock ribs projecting from the cliff face, provide the most dramatic geological feature and the defining image of the beach. Boat trips from Martins Haven to Skomer Island provide one of the finest wildlife island experiences in Wales, the grey seal colony and seabird populations of the island complementing the beach visit perfectly and making Marloes an excellent base for a full day of Pembrokeshire coastal activity.

Mwnt is a small and exceptionally beautiful bay on the Ceredigion Heritage Coast of Wales, a secluded cove beneath a grassy promontory that combines a sweeping arc of golden sand, clear turquoise water and the dramatic headland of the Foel Mwnt, a conical hill rising steeply from the coast to provide views along the entire Cardigan Bay coastline toward the mountains of Snowdonia to the north and the Pembrokeshire coast to the south. The National Trust manages this section of the coast and the combination of the beach, the headland walking and the tiny medieval church of the Holy Cross at the clifftop makes Mwnt one of the most rewarding short visits on the Welsh coast. The Church of the Holy Cross at Mwnt is one of the oldest Christian sites in Wales, a small whitewashed building of great simplicity that dates in its current form from the fourteenth century but stands on a site of much earlier religious use. The church's remote clifftop position, its whitewashed walls visible from a considerable distance at sea, made it a landmark for vessels passing through Cardigan Bay in the medieval period, and the tradition of religious use on this headland may extend back to the early Christian period of the sixth and seventh centuries. The bay has an outstanding reputation for dolphin watching. A resident population of bottlenose dolphins, one of the only resident populations on the Welsh coast, uses the waters of Cardigan Bay throughout the year and individuals and small groups are frequently visible from the headland and beach, particularly in the calmer conditions of summer and early autumn. The boat trips from New Quay along the coast provide closer encounters with the dolphins, but the view from the Foel Mwnt headland of dolphins in the clear water below is one of the most memorable wildlife experiences available in Wales. The beach itself, enclosed between the headland and the lower ground to the south, provides sheltered swimming in water of remarkable clarity, and the grassy slopes of the Foel Mwnt provide excellent picnicking ground above.

Nevern is a small village in the Preseli Hills area of north Pembrokeshire whose ancient church of St Brynach and its remarkable collection of early medieval carved stones make it one of the most significant early Christian sites in Wales and one of the most atmospheric churchyards in Britain. The combination of the Norman church building, the extraordinary collection of Celtic and Viking-age carved crosses, the ancient yew avenue leading to the church door and the legends attached to the site creates an experience of concentrated historical and spiritual weight quite unlike any other in west Wales. The churchyard at Nevern is approached through an avenue of ancient yew trees of such age, girth and character that the walk between them toward the church door is one of the most dramatically atmospheric approaches to any church in Britain. One of the yews is known as the Bleeding Yew for the red sap that drips perpetually from a wound in its trunk, a phenomenon that has generated numerous legends and that continues to impress and unsettle visitors centuries after it was first noted. The origin of the crimson flow is debated, various plant pathologies and environmental factors having been proposed without conclusive result. The great cross of Nevern, a carved cross of the tenth or eleventh century standing over four metres high in the churchyard, is one of the finest early medieval Celtic crosses in Wales and is carved with interlaced knotwork and other decorative patterns of considerable sophistication. Further carved stones within the church, including the Maglocunus stone with its Latin and Ogham inscriptions of the fifth or sixth century, make the church interior a remarkable museum of the earliest centuries of Welsh Christianity. The Preseli Hills above Nevern, from which the bluestones of Stonehenge were quarried, provide excellent walking and the Iron Age hillfort of Carn Ingli is accessible from the village.

Rhossili Bay on the western tip of the Gower Peninsula is consistently ranked among the finest beaches in Britain and Europe, a three-mile arc of Atlantic-facing sand at the foot of the Rhossili Down escarpment whose combination of the vast, unspoiled beach, the dramatic headland of Worm's Head at the south end and the views north along the full extent of the bay to Burry Holms island create one of the most dramatic and most beautiful coastal scenes in Wales. The beach is entirely free from development, accessible only on foot from the village of Rhossili above the cliff, and its unspoiled character makes it exceptional among major British beaches. The beach is one of the finest surf beaches in Wales, its north-facing aspect and the consistent Atlantic swell producing reliable waves that have attracted surfers since the sport arrived in Britain. The lifeguards supervise the beach in summer and the surf schools operating in the area use Rhossili as one of their primary teaching locations, the combination of the wave quality and the spectacular setting making it one of the most rewarding beginner surfing locations in the country. Worm's Head, the narrow tidal headland at the southern end of the bay, provides one of the most dramatic short walks on the Gower, its rocky succession of causeway, Inner Head, Devil's Bridge and Outer Head accessible at low tide in a crossing that takes careful timing. The views from the outer headland back to the bay and north along the Gower coast are exceptional, and the grey seals that haul out on the rocks below can be observed at close range from the path above. The village of Rhossili, perched on the cliff above the bay, has a small National Trust visitor centre and the Worms Head Hotel providing visitor facilities at this remote and beautiful location.

Sgwd yr Eira, meaning the Spout of Snow in Welsh, is the most celebrated waterfall in Wales and one of the most distinctive in Britain, a powerful horseshoe-shaped curtain of water on the River Hepste in the Brecon Beacons National Park through which a path passes behind the falling water in an experience of extraordinary immediacy. The ability to walk behind the fall and observe the water from behind the curtain creates an intimate waterfall encounter unlike anything available at more conventional viewpoints and has made Sgwd yr Eira one of the most popular natural features in the national park. The waterfall falls approximately eight metres over a horizontal band of hard sandstone into a plunge pool and the path that passes behind the fall was used historically by drovers moving cattle from the upland farms to the lowland markets, the pass behind the water providing a practical crossing of the river when the ford above was in flood. The practical origin of this remarkable walk gives it a historical dimension to set alongside the natural drama of the experience. The Four Waterfalls Walk in the Afon Mellte and Hepste valleys, incorporating Sgwd yr Eira along with Sgwd Clun-gwyn, Sgwd Isaf Clun-gwyn and Sgwd y Pannwr, is one of the finest waterfall walks in Britain, its six to ten kilometre circuit taking in four significant falls in a landscape of oak woodland, limestone gorge and open moorland that provides variety of character throughout. The walk can be wet underfoot particularly after rain, when the waterfalls themselves are at their most impressive. The surrounding Brecon Beacons National Park provides access to the waterfall from the car park at Porth yr Ogof, where the River Mellte disappears underground into a cave system before re-emerging downstream.

Three Cliffs Bay on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales is consistently ranked among the most beautiful beaches in Britain, combining a sheltered sandy beach with three distinctive limestone sea arches at the eastern end of the bay, a tidal estuary entering through the sand, ruined castle ruins on the promontory above and the coastal walking of the Gower Heritage Coast in every direction. The combination of these elements creates a landscape experience of great richness. The three arches that give the bay its name are formed from the hard Carboniferous limestone of the Gower cliffs, their distinctive triple openings providing framed views of the sea from the beach below. The tidal estuary of the Pennard Pill changes character completely with the tide, the stream cutting channels through the sand at low water and filling to provide a lagoon at high tide. The combination of beach, estuary and dune grassland creates a variety of habitats in a compact space. The beach is accessible only on foot from Penmaen village above or from the Southgate direction along the coast path, the absence of road access preserving the quality of the experience. The combination of the natural drama, the varied habitats and the complete absence of commercial development makes Three Cliffs Bay one of the finest wild beach experiences available in Wales.