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The geology and geography
of the Gower peninsula combine to create varied habitats which support a
correspondingly varied flora and fauna. As a result, within the relatively small area of the peninsula you will
find a network of footpaths and rights of way connecting many different
landscapes - for example, salt marsh, ancient woodland, open moorland,
limestone cliffs, sandy beaches, shingle beaches, wooded valleys, sand dunes
etc.
Gower is popular with
birdwatchers all year round, but especially during the breeding season when
some nationally rare species can be seen. For example, choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
often nest on the limestone crags of the south Gower coast; as the range of the
red kite (Milvus milvus) is extending
south sightings of this spectacular raptor soaring overhead are becoming more
frequent over Gower.
A well-signed path extends
around the entire coast of Gower (and is part of the Round Wales Coastal
Path). The sections along the high
cliff tops, for example from Port Eynon to Rhossili, provide spectacular
vantage points from which to survey the Bristol Channel for sightings of grey
Atlantic seals, dolphins and porpoises.
Many of the so-called
“common” British wild flowers flourish in Gower. The wooded valleys of Caswell, Bishopston and Ilston, for
example, are glorious in spring with primroses, anemones, bluebells and wild
garlic. The grassy cliff tops from
Oxwich all the way to Rhossili are carpeted with squills, rock roses, vetch etc
during the summer. There is also
the bonus of some rarities for the keen botanist to discover, such as Yellow
Whitlow Grass (Draba azoides) which clings
precariously to the walls of Pennard Castle (and on a few rocky ledges on
limestone cliffs, high above the sea) and rare orchids that flower in the dune
systems at Oxwich and Cwm Ivy. |