Start:
Shepherds, Parkmill
Destination:
Shepherds of Parkmill
Distance:
6.8 miles
Walk Length:
3.5 hours
Walk Difficulty:
2 (Moderate)
Parking:
Paid limited parking at Shepherds
C0nsiderations:
Always exercise caution when crossing roads and navigating steep paths.
High tides can cut off the path at Three Cliffs.
Three Cliffs is a lifeguarded beach with dangerous currents, Tor Bay does not have a lifeguard.
Begin with Shepherds on your right, walking straight ahead towards the Gower Heritage Centre.
Pass through the car park, noticing the Little Valley Bakery and PAPA Jewellery on your left.
Exit the car park and turn left, walking carefully along the lane until you reach the main road.
Cross the road with caution as traffic can be fast-moving.
Continue left, heading uphill along the old road, which was once part of a historical route from Gower to Swansea market.
This stony track runs parallel to the main road, leveling off with fields on either side.
Keep an eye out for grazing sheep as you pass through the fields and Three Cliffs Campsite.
Upon leaving the campsite, turn right. A steep path to your left leads down to the stunning Three Cliffs Bay and its stepping stones. Be cautious, as this lifeguarded beach is known for its dangerous currents.
Continue past this turning point until you meet the main road again.
Cross the road, with Penmaen Church on your left, and head towards the cattle grid.
Pass through the gate and follow the path uphill. To your left, you’ll see the Three Cliffs Nursing Home, a former workhouse.
The path now snakes alongside Cefn Bryn to your right, bending to the left and eventually winding back to meet the road.
Cross carefully to reach the small car park at Penmaen.
In Penmaen car park, go through the metal gate and continue 200 yards on the stone track towards farm buildings.
The path here leads you to Pennard Burrows and the Valley of Pennard Pill, opening into Three Cliffs Bay.
Proceed through another gate, and after 200 yards, you’ll find yourself on the Burrows.
Directly ahead is a 2,500 BC stone burial chamber. To your left lies a sunken, sand-filled church, abandoned in the Middle Ages.
At the cliff edge, discover a distinctive Norman fortification, where a grand timber tower once stood before it was burned down during a Welsh rebellion.
Here, you’ll have a grand view of Three Cliffs, its river and valley, and upon the headland opposite, the romantic ruins of Pennard Castle.
Look for the History Point signs marking the buried church and chamber. The Great Tor, a prominent headland, is to the south. Leather’s Hole Cave is on the east side, facing Three Cliffs Bay.
The cave is located between the first and second hump at the end of the headland, left before the locally known ‘pulpit’. The second, smaller keyhole-shaped entrance is the most interesting.
Continuing past the History Point markers and before reaching the castle fortification, there is a steep sandy path down to the left leading to the river and stepping stones.
Follow the river on either side of the valley until the paths eventually converge to take you back to Parkmill and Shepherds.
Keep an eye out for Rock Pipets, and in the words of poet Vernon Watkins, the ‘cloud-backed Heron’. If you are lucky, you may spot a little Egret, and if you are very lucky, a kingfisher.
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