Walking the Gower Peninsula

Experience the beauty of the Gower Peninsula in southwest Wales

Discover a land of wonderful beaches, heather-clad moors and rugged coastline with this walking adventure in the Gower Peninsula. You’ll wander through the Whiteford Burrows Nature Reserve and the Llanrhidian Marsh, where oystercatchers and turnstones nestle in rare early marsh-orchids and dune gentians. Continuing to Rhossili village, our route takes us to Worm’s Head, the most westerly point on the peninsula, and the fascinating ruins of the Salt House. We explore the Oxwich National Nature Reserve on or way to the spectacular Three Cliffs Bay, where lizards sun themselves on warm days. The Mumbles Lighthouse marks the end of our Welsh odyssey, an enduring symbol of this beautiful coastal landscape.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible. The hotel we stay at is an independent, locally owned establishment.
• We visit Gower Gin, where the owners invite guests into their garden to taste their award-winning spirts. There are other opportunities during the tour to interact with independent businesses.
• The transfer vehicle we use is owned by a husband-and-wife team.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for reusable bottles.
• We walk through several natural reserves and while no fees are charged for this it is a great way to learn about conservation and gain an appreciation for our natural habitats.
• We rewild 1,075sqft (100sqm) per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• Walking trips like this have very little detrimental impact on the environment and the locals, as it is a quiet, low-impact activity requiring comparatively few resources to support.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring a reusable water bottle to refill instead of buying single-use plastic bottles.

Visa

United Kingdom

Travellers from the US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter the United Kingdom. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/united-kingdom
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-kingdom
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/UnitedKingdom.html

Vaccination

United Kingdom

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for polio, tetanus and rabies (bat lyssavirus). Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts and one dinner are included. Breakfast is continental style with a choice of cereal, bread, pastries, yoghurt, orange juice and milk with an array of teas/coffee. On some days, we stop for lunch at local pubs or eateries, on others we’ll pick up provisions for a packed lunch in the morning from a local baker. Dinners will typically be taken in local restaurants or gastro pubs well located to tie in with the end of a day’s walk. Vegetarians can be catered for, please advise of any other specific dietary requirements at time of booking.

Weather

As we are in a coastal area there will always be a degree of wind. Rain can come at any time of year; however, typically the temperatures rise from around 12C (54F) in April to 20C (68F) in early September. Like much of the UK, there have been hotter spells in recent years. Equally the odd bout of unpredictable weather can still occur.

Is this trip for you?

This trip has been rated Activity Level 3 (Moderate).

There are four days of hiking across varying terrain, including up to clifftops and down to beaches. We walk for between three and six hours per day but will stop for lunch and to enjoy our surroundings. A reasonable level of fitness is required, and you must be prepared for variable weather.