" 1. Swansea 2015 ~ Day 3 ~ Slade Bay and Oxwich "

Date & Time: Monday 20th April 20015

Locations : Swansea and the Gower Coast.

Places visited : Slade Bay and Oxwich.

Accommodation : Staying with our friends Sandra and Jackie in Swansea.

Walked with : Gareth, Ann and the dogs, Rufus, Harry and Dylan.

Weather : Glorious early summer sunshine, warm with big, blue skies.

Gareth has booked a week off work in order to have time to stage manage their play each evening.

As a consequence he has the morning free to join us on walks.

Today we chose an area and a bay that we haven't been to for years . . . in fact not since my childhood.

We head down the dry valley towards Slade Bay after parking off-road near Oxwich Green.

A short road walk and having received permission, a walk through the small chalet park, and we were out in the open.

This is limestone country and there are some fine rock structures at the back of the Oxwich headland.

The flat ground is one field wide before it gives way to a wave cut rock platform stretching out to sea.

To the left, at the head of the fields, is the path that takes you around the end of Oxwich Head.

We turn right and follow the same path, but in the other direction.

In amongst the rocks is a fine patch of sand known as Slade Bay.

We have to drop down twenty feet from the path, onto the rocks at the back of the beach.

We have a third dog today . . . Rufus, seen here alongside a patch of rock samphire.

Sandra is in work and Jackie is at the print studio in town, getting it ready for tonight's exhibition, so we offered to walk Rufus today.

Harry and Dylan make for the first rock pool they find . . . and promptly sit in it.

Interestingly the rock here is coloured by hundreds of shell fossils embedded in the limestone.

Down onto the sand of Slade Bay . . .

. . . Harry finds another pool in which to relax.

The three dogs really do enjoy the water.

Gareth and I down on the beach.

Time to take off the shoes and paddle in the water . . . it is still pretty cold but not too impossible.

Slade Bay at low tide is quite wide but another set of rocks separates this bay from nearby Horton with Porteinon in the distance.

The two dogs enjoy the waves but Rufus is not quite so sure.

Time to look for a path back up onto the coast path.

Rufus finds the way up, past a patch of Sea Pink or Thrift, not yet into full bloom.

	The path back up was not as easy as the one we took down.   - - - o o o - - -   Dylan watches in amazement as Gareth hauls himself up on the rope.   - - - o o o - - -   The path was steep with absolutely no grip on the dry mud surface.   Not a step in sight . . . but we wouldn't want it any other way.

The path diverts away from the foreshore at this point . . .	. . . pushed away by motorway signs and  axel-greased fence posts.

It appears that the "get off my land brigade" has an active member down on Gower too !

A cottage renovation in progress . . . the name of the building escapes me.

Local stone makes classic local buildings . . . as we walk back up towards Oxwich Green.

- - - o o o - - -

We picked up the car once again and headed off towards the big city of . . . Oxwich !

Costa del Oxwich with Tor Bay Palms down by the seaside.

With lunchtime showing on the clock we adjourned to the Oxwich Bay Hotel for a bite to eat.

For us a beer and a baguette . . . for Gareth a larger meal as he won't have time for his main meal later in the day.

From Slade we had looked west towards Porteinon Head.

Now from Oxwich it is sand all the way east . . . looking across at Tor Bay, Three Cliffs and the Pennard coastline towards Swansea.

A short walk takes us out along the headland . . .	. . . where a delightful church is tucked in the woods.

St Illtyd's Church is reputedly 13th or 14th Century, built on an ancient monastic site.

The chancel is the smallest and oldest in Gower and the church was built by the family who owned Oxwich Castle, situated on Oxwich Green above.

The path continues on, but we return to the way we came.	The lawn of the wedding marquee close to the hotel.

The hotel and the location are so popular for weddings that the hotel has an almost permanent banquet facility in the gardens.

Walking back to the car with that lovely view across the bay.

The Oxwich Bay Hotel

We have fond memories of this hotel as it hosted our eldest daughter Cathy and husband Richard's wedding reception in 1992.

Where has that time gone ?

	- - - o o o - - -   Gareth is back in town and already on his way to the Dylan Thomas Theatre. He has a dress rehearsal tonight and a full stage crew to organise.   - - - o o o - - -   Jackie has been at the Swansea Print Workshop where they are getting ready for the opening night of Fur, Feather and Fish . . . an exhibition of original hand made prints.   We have an invite  . . . so do join us.

Glass of wine in one hand, a camera to record the evening in the other.

The studio specialises in printed art using craft techniques to make plates and etchings and then printing them on classic printing presses.

I'm no great expert so I'll let the pictures talk for themselves.

Jackie is please with the number of people attending their preview night.

I discuss the print technique with Jackie, leaving the studio just little bit older and a little bit wiser.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with Ann's Canon Sureshot SX220 camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . a well behaved dog . . . good boy Rufus . . . have another treat !

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Previous walk - 18th / 19th April - Swansea and Three Cliffs Bay

A previous time here - 28th / 29th March 2014 - Our previous Swansea Visit