New Rhossili pics & video

I knew, as soon as I reached Rhossili, that rain was on the way. I grew up in the countryside of West Wales, in a farming community. I've known to expect rain when cows lie down, since I was three or four. Don't ask me why they do it - I just know that they do.





After taking these shots, I headed to the shop and cafe, to buy a Turkish Delight-flavoured ice cream cone, which was utterly delicious. The woman who served me gave me such a huge scoop of ice cream, my cone snapped when I got outside. Luckily, I caught the top half of it as it fell, and was able to eat my ice cream despite only having a one inch stump of cone to hold on to.

Rhossili cliffs absolutely teemed with people. A couple of coachloads had disembarked as I'd passed the Worm's Head Hotel. A large wedding party had also convened on the cliffs for a photo session.





After taking some shots of these hay bales, I decided to put distance between myself and the crowds. I headed along the path towards Worm's Head, diverting as soon as I could, onto the cliffs themselves.







I felt uneasy when I spotted a couple of youths messing about on the cliffs near this spot. They seemed oblivious to the dangers, although they only had to look down to see the huge drop to the beach. See those tiny dots in the bottom left of the following pic? They're people on the beach below me.



I sat here for a while, enjoying the sun. I took a few shots and some video footage. The video clip wouldn't win any awards, but I think it captures the essence of Rhossili on a warm, fairly calm day.

The low tide had exposed a small, rock-strewn beach near Kitchen Corner, and the newly spruced-up Rhossili Boathouse. There's something almost tropical-looking about the shoreline, in these shots.





The woman in this next shot made me laugh. She kept venturing near the edge of the cliff, looking down, running away scared, and then coming back. I think she may have been scared of heights, but wanted to look at the view at the same time.



As I got closer to the recently renovated boat house, I decided to take a closer look. I wonder if anyone's bought it yet? Or if anyone will. Despite its wonderful location, it has no mains electricity, gas or water, so the eventual purchaser will only have limited use for it.



As I turned and looked over my shoulder, I spotted the remains of the quarrying industry which once thrived on these cliffs. Several huge, quarried boulders lay at the base of the cliff, still awaiting a boat that never came for them. I also spotted a man-made wall, which suggested some kind of small, rudimentary quayside once existed there, no doubt also connected with the quarrying industry.





I was tempted to walk out on to this little promontory, but closer scrutiny revealed it to be unstable. It was largely composed of earth, and showed clear signs of erosion. So I resisted the urge.



After sitting for a while, overlooking the Worm and Kitchen Corner, it was time to head back to the bus stop. This man seemed to show none of the fear that the woman in my earlier shot showed, as he stood, sentry-like, surveying the bay.



I was worried my travel sickness pills might wear off during the homeward journey, as it had been several hours since I had taken them. But luckily, they didn't. It had been my first truly enjoyable trip to Gower all year, as all the others were plagued by travel sickness. I hope you enjoyed viewing my pics as much as I enjoyed taking them.