Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sleeping
Oxwich Camping Park
( 07926-166096; Oxwich; Easter to Sept)
A tree-fringed campground on the edge of Oxwich
within easy reach of the beach. They don't allow caravans or motorhomes.
CAMPGROUND
£
TOP OF CHAPTER
Port Eynon
The three-quarter-mile stretch of dunes at Port Eynon is Gower's busiest beach (in sum-
mer, at least), with half a dozen camping and caravan sites nearby.
Around the southern point of the bay is
Culver Hole
, a curious stone structure built into a
gash in the cliff. Legend has it that it was a smugglers' hiding place, but the mundane
truth is that it served as a dovecote (pigeons were a valuable food source in medieval
times; the name comes from Old English
culufre,
meaning 'dove'). It's quite tricky to find
- the easiest route is signposted from the youth hostel - and is only accessible for three
hours either side of low tide; make sure you don't get caught out by the rising waters.
The coastal walk between Port Eynon and Rhossili (7 miles) is along the wildest and
most dramatic part of the Gower coast, and is fairly rough going. Halfway along is
Paviland
Cave
.
THE RED LADY OF PAVILAND
Halfway along the Gower coast between Port Eynon and Rhossili is Paviland Cave, where in 1823 the Reverend
William Buckland discovered a Stone Age human skeleton dyed with red ochre. As he also found jewellery bur-
ied along with the bones, the good Reverend assumed the deceased must be a woman. Being a devout Christian,
he believed she must date from the Roman era, as she could not be older than the biblical flood. The 'Red Lady',
as the skeleton became known, was therefore a Roman prostitute or witch, according to Buckland.
Modern analysis shows that the Red Lady was actually a man - possibly a tribal chief - who died, aged around
21, some 29,000 years ago. Dating from before Britain was abandoned during the last Ice Age, his are the oldest
human remains found in the UK, and are recognised as the oldest known ritual burial in Western Europe. The Red
Lady's peaceful seaside slumber is no more - he's now on display in the National Museum Cardiff.
Sleeping
Port Eynon YHA
HOSTEL
£
