A stunning beach in Gower was recently named by The Times as the “Best Beach in Wales". Three Cliffs Bay was praised for its "epic scale," striking beauty and the way the Pennard Pill river "snakes across the sparkling sands." For those of us that live in Gower, it's hardly a surprise - we knew it was special all along.
But it's also special for another reason - it's not the easiest to get to, not by a long way.
Three Cliffs really does have everything a natural beach can offer: golden sands, waves, rockpools, stepping stones, striking clifftop walks, gorgeous views - and even a castle! Whilst there aren’t any facilities on the beach, there is a holiday park nearby with a shop and café, and a few independent coffee shops and pubs you can (eventually) get to from the sands as well.
'Eventually' is the key word, as you really have to make an effort to get to Three Cliffs Bay, even if getting there is half the joy.
It's not just a case of driving down there, parking a few yards from the sand and emptying the car onto the beach. No, you have quite a trek by foot from the nearest car park to the beach - not ideal if you’re armed with buckets and spades, camp chairs, windbreaks and any other beach paraphernalia. But my goodness, it's worth the hassle! For more stories about beaches, businesses and people in Gower, go to this page of our website.
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That said, it's important to note that, whilst Three Cliffs Bay does have RNLI lifeguards and a chalkboard with information about the tides, it didn't used to. Back then, before the lifeguard presence, locals would have warned you not to swim there. The riptides there were, and still are, quite notorious. There were, sadly, three drownings there between 2013 and 2016.
On our recent visit, RNLI lifeguards were patrolling the beach but the space between their red and yellow flags, which mark the area that's safe for swimmers and bodyboarders, was very small. Outside of those flags, you'd be strongly advised not to risk it.
Providing the lifeguards are on duty, however - and you and your loved ones pay attention to their guidance and swim between the flags - Three Cliffs Bay is a lovely place for a swim or a walk. It's pretty, it's peaceful and - as you've got to really make the effort to get there - unspoilt and much quieter than other beaches in the region.
EnjoyGower.com recommends a 4km circular walk from Parkmill village to Three Cliffs as the simplest way to get to Three Cliffs Bay beach, though you can also get to the beach by walking from Southgate village, Penmaen village or Oxwich Bay. Earlier this week, I decided to follow the well-known Parkmill to Three Cliffs route and whilst I had a great day out, my feet are now covered in blisters! You can get the biggest Swansea news stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
The walk from Parkmill to Three Cliffs is long, but surprisingly simple
From a little online research, I saw that one of the simplest and most popular ways of getting down to Three Cliffs beach is by following a walking trail from Parkmill village. The route starts just next to the unofficial Three Cliffs Bay car park (a gated field opposite a chapel in the village) - note: there is further parking available at nearby Shepherd’s shop or at the Gower Heritage Centre. At time of publication, the price of parking at the car parks at Parkmill ranged from £3 to £4 for a full day's parking.
The walking trail starts simple, it’s just a few steps from the car park to a small bridge over the river, and then a sign points the way down hill (after a short uphill) to Three Cliffs. The path soon widens, probably due to how many thousands of people have walked this way over the years, and begins by following the river down the valley. Whilst I didn’t see any flowers, birds, or wildlife on the walk, trees and bushes were all a lush green colour which made pleasant viewing.
There were obviously mud, twigs and tree trunks en-route – and I was glad I was wearing my walking boots – but the walking route down to the beach isn’t especially arduous. The path remains wide and follows the river flowing downhill for quite some time – but it’s not very steep so I feel it’s suitable for families with children and for older people who are active and enjoy countryside walks.
At the bottom of the hill, the path reaches a clearing with sand dunes as far as the eye can see. The river then goes off to the right, but I struck out left to traverse across the sand dunes and feast my eyes on the striking remains of Pennard Castle overlooking the beach from the cliffs above. You can watch a video of our walk from Parkmill to Three Cliffs at the top of this article.
I followed the sand dunes ahead of me and arrived at Three Cliffs Bay quite easily. Unfortunately, the sun had gone in on the day I visited and it wasn’t overly bright, but I was still struck by how lovely the sight of the three cliffs and the inviting waters really is – and in warmer, sunnier, weather Three Cliffs has something really magical about it and makes you feel at home, whilst simultaneously making you feel like you’re on an exotic island, hidden away from everyone else.
Ultimately, the views and the beach are well worth the 45 minute-ish walk from the car park in Parkmill village – though it may be a bit taxing with small children and lots of beach bags!
Three Cliffs Bay: A gorgeous, undisturbed natural phenomenon
In The Times’ The best beaches in Wales article, journalist Chris Haslam said: "I had no intention of including Three Cliffs Bay in this guide, much less making it the regional winner. It’s on every desk-based, clickbait list of the best British beaches. It’s too obvious, I told myself, as I walked along the sands from Oxwich past the raven-shadowed crags of Great Tor. Too Game of Thrones with its castle, caves, twisted crags and oversized rock pools.
"Too Hollywood in its epic scale and in the way the Pennard Pill river snakes across the sparkling sands. Even its relative remoteness and the effort required for access seems a bit contrived. And then I came around the corner and beheld its beauty as though for the first time. If anyone from Unesco is reading, give us a bell." You can read the full article from The Times here.
Its epic nature has already been noticed by film-makers - and recently a major fight scene in Netflix series The Witcher was filmed there. You can read more about that here.
Armed with this review of Three Cliffs, I looked out to the sea and took in the incredible views around me. As the name suggests, Three Cliffs Bay features the striking sight of three cliffs. As you look out to sea from the sand, on your left it’s easy to spot the three hump-like cliffs above a natural archway in the landscape, which leads to Pobbles Beach when the tide is out. The whole scene is a spectacular one: rolling waves, gentle sands and tall and imposing Welsh cliffs watching over you.
There’s pebbles and stones at the back of the beach, should you want to build a sculpture or write a message in the sand and there’s stepping stones across the river which cuts its way through the beach, to help you get from one part of the beach to another.
I was pleased to see RNLI Lifeguards patrolling the bay, but the space between the typical red and yellow flags for swimmers was very small – perhaps because of a potential riptide or other dangers along the shoreline.
Sam, an RNLI Lifeguard, told us he’d seen a significant increase in people visiting the beach in recent days - but mostly because of the UK heatwave rather than recommendations from The Times. He said around 2,500 to 3,000 people visited Three Cliffs on Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, July 17, and whilst July is usually busy, this was busier than usual.
The five-star holiday park that overlooks Wales’ best beach
Undoubtedly warm, sunny weather sees people across Wales flock to their nearest beach or park – but The Times article has also led to higher numbers of visitors to the area, manager of Three Cliffs Bay Holiday Park, Tom Beynon said.
Tom, a fourth generation manager at the holiday park, told WalesOnline the holiday park’s website saw a huge increase in traffic, compared to this time last year, for a week after The Times’ article. This increase in visitors to the website led to a surge in enquiries about bookings for holidays in 2023 – and Tom and his team expect to see a significant rise in early bookings for next year, based on Three Cliffs being named the Best Beach in Wales.
“We saw a 500% increase in traffic to our website, compared to typical for this time of year, for a week after The Times article, and enquiries actually tripled on the back of the article, compared to last year,” he said. “We open bookings for 2023 on our website next week, on July 31, at 7pm and we expect to see many bookings from people who saw The Times article and saw that Three Cliffs is Beach of the year.”
He added that the combination of Three Cliffs being named Best Beach in Wales and the recent heatwave have led to the holiday park seeing a surge in last-minute bookings for this summer and autumn. “Since the article was published, our September and October bookings have doubled.”
Three Cliffs Bay Holiday Park was established in the 1940s and has been family-run ever since. At first, it was a working farm and the owner, Tom’s great-grandfather, started doing a milkround around nearby villages in Gower to help to pay his mortgage!
The family then added tents to the field beside the farm and then began using the farmhouse as a B&B. Fast forward 80 years and the farm is now a successful holiday park, attracting people from across Wales and England (in particular from London, Birmingham and the M4 corridor, Tom said) and further afield. It has 130 units (equipped spaces) for camping, motorhomes and touring caravans, with excellent provisions including a posh toilet and shower block with underfloor heating throughout, and also offers ‘glamping’ experiences.
Six members of Tom’s immediate family are involved in the day-to-day running of the holiday park and there’s an additional 15 members of staff. The holiday park prides itself on its focus on community and supporting local - more than half of the items in the shop are local produce from Gower and Tom and his team regularly support and recommend other local, independent businesses to their visitors.
The holiday park – like Three Cliffs beach – is dog-friendly, something that draws further holidaymakers to this part of Gower. Typically, the holiday park’s most common visitors are families with children and couples – but all are welcome, especially those with furry friends!
“We see people come here to go walking, cycling or to work on their fitness and 50% of our guests bring dogs. We’re completely dog-friendly, like Three Cliffs beach, which is really important,” Tom added. “We usually see families and couples [stay here]. People want to support local and independent [businesses and holiday parks] and some people are doing multiple stays per year [because they enjoy their time here so much].”
Alongside a huge fenced field for dog-owners to let their dogs run wild and enjoy the open space, Three Cliffs Holiday Park also offers “dog showers” and doggy ice cream – perfect for summer days. Speaking of ice cream, the holiday park has recently introduced an “ice cream break” for all staff – in addition to their usual normal breaks – where they can take a moment to relax and enjoy an ice-cream with colleagues. Do you own or manage a business offering something quirky to staff struggling in the heat this summer? Do let us know, email: molly.dowrick@walesonline.co.uk
As this summer season gets underway, Tom and his team are proud to be able to show guests the newly refurbished amenity block which now has underfloor heating, and the team have added a bike rack and a picnic table at every unit – perfect for enjoying a bite to eat or a drink with loved ones while soaking up the stunning views.
Three Cliffs Bay Holiday Park is open from around April 1/Easter weekend to November 1 each year. For more information about the park, visit their website here
The walk from Three Cliffs to Southgate is very confusing
After meeting Tom at Three Cliffs Bay Holiday Park, I walked back down to the beach and, as the tide was in, walked back up the cliffs on the other side. If the tide was out, I would have been able to go through the archway in the cliffs (just to the left of the famous three cliffs the beach gets its name from) to Pobbles Beach, an untouched and relaxing stretch of sand just over from Three Cliffs Bay.
I started by following the signpost to Southgate and climbed – and I mean climb!! – up the grassy, sandy cliffs. I wanted to head towards Pennard Castle but, honestly, I got a bit lost!
The dunes and hills make it difficult to work out which direction you’ve walked from – and difficult to find where you want to go. Ultimately – and embarrassingly, I ended up in the middle of Pennard Golf Club’s private golf course and unsure where to go.
In my defence, the Golf Club wasn’t signposted or fenced-off from Three Cliffs beach. After a few golfers gave me confused looks – after all, I wasn’t carrying any golf clubs – one lady advised me to “follow the white stones” to get off the golf course and back to the path.
It took me a few minutes of aimlessly wandering to find that by white stones, she didn’t mean white pebbles, she meant large stones that were more like small boulders. When I found these, it was easy to follow their path and to get off the golf course and into Southgate village.
Southgate is a lovely village with a handful of independent shops and lots of friendly people. From the golf club on the top of the cliffs, it’s a short walk to The Muddy Mailroom, an independent dog-friendly coffee shop run by local businesswoman Jodie O’Brien.
The coffee shop opened on March 20, 2020 – just three days before the first Covid lockdown. But Jodie and her team have worked hard to build their business into the cute, rustic and inviting coffee shop it is today – perfect for those wanting somewhere to relax with their pooch after a long walk at Three Cliffs, or ahead of a walk around the cliffs.
“Muddy Mailroom is somewhere you can go for a cup of coffee after walking your dog. What we say is that ‘it doesn’t matter if you’ve got muddy boots – or paws – you’re welcome here,” she said. “Our typical customer is someone walking with their dog from Southgate to Three Cliffs. Three Cliffs is a real hidden gem, it’s great that [The Times’ article] means more people will know about it and come and see it.
“Three Cliffs being voted the Best beach in Wales is good for us,” she added. “And when you see somewhere so wonderful, it’s so nice to see it get the recognition.”
Muddy Mailroom is “a bit of a pit stop” for those exploring Three Cliffs, Jodie said. “It’s somewhere you can come on the way or after your walk, we’ve got hot drinks, treats and confectionery and we’re completely dog-friendly.” You can find it at 11 Southgate Road, Southgate, Swansea SA3 2BT, or visit its website here.
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