Coast Walking (Wales): Oxwich to Rhossili 18 May 20

We took a taxi to Oxwich and started with a look at the shells on the beach and a brief exploration of Oxwich Dunes (which we would in any case walk through the next day). We found both Early Marsh and Southern Marsh Orchids, among many other plants. Among insects was the magnificent rare Pied-winged Robberfly Pamponerus germanicus, which has brownish wings with a milky white base and orange mid-legs (tibiae) below black thighs (femora). We then set off on the path to Oxwich Point, taking us through old woodland on a steep cliff slope, where the Church of St Illtyd is completely surrounded by trees.

A tranquil tide has filled the bay's wide brim,
Dark oaks look down reflected in translucent blue,

The grey Church, almost hidden, stands betwixt the two,

And guarding all this beauty is the sun-lit Bryn.

Gertrude Williams "Oxwich Bay"

There was a long climb up and another down before the end. These damp dark ferny woods were dominated by astronomic numbers of Ramsons, mixed with Dog’s Mercury and quite a number of patches of Wood Anemone. There were also small amounts of Wood Melick, Hairy Woodrush, Woodruff, Primrose, Bluebell, Pignut, Wood-sorrel, Hard Fern, Wood Spurge and Tutsan. Western Polypody grew on the larger mossy trunks of trees. The path eventually followed heathy land with Bracken at the lower edge of the cliffs, still with large numbers of Bluebells and some Heath Dog-violet. Outcrops of Carboniferous limestone, as at Oxwich Point, brought rock-gardens full of flowers – lots of Hoary Rockrose, Common Rockrose, carpets of Spring Squill, Kidney Vetch, Bloody Cranesbill, Portland Spurge, Mouse-ear Hawkweed, and Bugle. Below on the shore flowered Thrift and occasionally Sea Campion. At one place the coast path had been closed because of cliff erosion, and a long diversion was indicated uphill, but it was plain that many walkers had created a path slightly above the original through a fenced off field and we followed this, stepping over the fence at one end and crawling underneath it at the far end – a route that could easily have been supplied by the landowner. We then came into the outskirts of Horton, pinned between garden fences above and below, until the path descended to the head of the beach, where we stopped for lunch. The beach led in front of Port Eynon, invisible beyond the dunes until we reached the car-park at the end of the main road coming down to the beach. The coast path was inadequately signed from here towards Port-Eynon Point, but we eventually picked it up as it crossed the headland to a series of disused limestone quarries, where the scree made the path difficult but also hosted a good display of flowers, including yet more Hoary Rockrose. The path continued low along the cliffs of Overton with magnificent displays of spring flowers, especially Spring Squill and Early Purple Orchid, Ox-eye Daisy, Kidney Vetch and Bloody Cranesbill, particularly where the limestone rocks outcropped. From here on, there were frequent and increasingly steep valleys, so the path left the edge, up the cliffs past more rock-gardens, including Horseshoe Vetch and Biting Stonecrop. There were many Dingy Skippers. Someone had been extensively moving boulders around on the scree slopes and piling them up, making it look like a miniature archaeological site. At the top the path was largely level for a few miles above the steepest coves that provided good scenery below, but there were no longer any rock outcrops, as we were too far away from the coast most of the time. Towards Rhossili, even deeper valleys involved more steep slopes up and down, the last being Mew Slade where the path to Rhossili led inland that we had followed the day before. There was little to record along this stretch apart from lots of Stonechats proclaiming their territories, more reclusive Linnets, the odd Kestrel and distant Fulmar flying along the sea-cliffs below. We arrived at the main road with a few minutes to spare for the bus to Reynoldston.