Rhossili : Attractions of Swansea

Rhossili (Grid reference SS416880) is a small village on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula near Swansea in Wales. it is in an area designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village has a community council and is part of the Gower parliamentary constituency, and the Gower electoral ward.

Rhossili probably gets its name in part from the Welsh word for moorland, rhos. The second element in the name may be a reference to a St. Sulien or Sili but details are not clear. Certainly the present Norman church is dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin.

There was a local tradition that there had been an earlier village complete with church closer to the sea which had been abandoned after “besanding” in the fourteenth century. A storm and subsequent excavation of newly-exposed remains in the Warren (an area of sand dunes to the north of the present village) in 1980 helped to confirm the truth of this.

Despite its relatively remote position, Rhossili is a popular tourist destination: the views from the headland and the Down are panoramic; several pleasant walks begin, end, or pass through the village; iron Age remains are found on Rhossili Down; and the long beach attracts surfers, particularly at the Llangennith (northern) end.

Rhossili Bay curves along an arc running northwards from the village. The sandy beach is three miles long. Behind the beach just north of the village is Rhossili Down with the highest point on the Gower Peninsula (the Beacon) and a number of prehistoric remains. it is between Rhossili Down and the beach proper that the Warren is found.

At the southern end of the Bay is the outcrop of rock called the Worm’s Head. At the north is Burry Holms. These islands are accessible at low tide only. Also at low tide, it is possible to see the remains of several wrecks, wood from the wreck of the Helvetia being the most prominent when looking north from Rhossili.

National Trust

The National Trust owns and protects much land on the Gower Peninsula. The Trust operates a visitor centre near the Warren, the Down, Worm’s Head, Rhossili beach and coastal cliffs.