Vestiges of Gower history: Green Cwm, Penmaen, Three Cliffs - 6 miles
Gower Heritage Centre car park - circular walk, Swansea, SA3 2HA
Tuesday 8th September 2026
This walk from Green Cwm via Penmaen, Three Cliffs Bay and the Parkmill Valley explores a remarkable cross-section of Gower’s history, landscape, and archaeology. From Parkmill, the route follows the lane towards Parc le Breos, passing through wooded valleys shaped by centuries of farming and settlement.
The walk reveals a series of historic layers: ancient burial chambers hidden in the landscape, a former lime kiln linked to agricultural improvement, and the remnants of a medieval deer park. Along the way are traces of a church, workhouse, and deserted village, reflecting changing patterns of life, land use, and population in Gower. Higher ground near Penmaen and Three Cliffs Bay offers dramatic coastal views, with limestone cliffs, dunes, and tidal sands shaped by natural forces over millennia. The route also connects to sites of early defence, including a hill fort and castle, showing the strategic importance of this landscape through time.
Combining woodland paths, coastal scenery, and deep history, this walk highlights Gower as a living record of human activity and natural change.
Drink/flask and packed lunch required
Toilets at Start and Finish
This walk is not suitable for children.
The walk is not suitable for dogs
Terrain will be mixed and typical of coastal and rural rights of way.
Parking will be at Swansea Heritage Centre
Walk leader Professor Richard Daugherty combined careers in geography education and curriculum reform. After teaching and lecturing at Swansea University, he influenced teacher training, assessment and policy in Wales. In retirement, his lifelong interest in geography led to published research on landscape history and Gower’s lost lanes.
The walk reveals a series of historic layers: ancient burial chambers hidden in the landscape, a former lime kiln linked to agricultural improvement, and the remnants of a medieval deer park. Along the way are traces of a church, workhouse, and deserted village, reflecting changing patterns of life, land use, and population in Gower. Higher ground near Penmaen and Three Cliffs Bay offers dramatic coastal views, with limestone cliffs, dunes, and tidal sands shaped by natural forces over millennia. The route also connects to sites of early defence, including a hill fort and castle, showing the strategic importance of this landscape through time.
Combining woodland paths, coastal scenery, and deep history, this walk highlights Gower as a living record of human activity and natural change.
Drink/flask and packed lunch required
Toilets at Start and Finish
This walk is not suitable for children.
The walk is not suitable for dogs
Terrain will be mixed and typical of coastal and rural rights of way.
Parking will be at Swansea Heritage Centre
Walk leader Professor Richard Daugherty combined careers in geography education and curriculum reform. After teaching and lecturing at Swansea University, he influenced teacher training, assessment and policy in Wales. In retirement, his lifelong interest in geography led to published research on landscape history and Gower’s lost lanes.
