Poseidon sleeps tonight
Rhossili Beach, Gower Peninsula, South Wales
I wouldn’t miss this for the world and, to my advantage, I knew the drill. Come out of the hotel a...
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Rhossili Beach, Gower Peninsula, South Wales
I wouldn’t miss this for the world and, to my advantage, I knew the drill. Come out of the hotel and look to your left. About hundred yards up the main road through the village there is an ice cream shop. Unfortunately, it is shut now, so the only delight you are left with is the path just before it on the left, leading to a gate. Once you have gone through the gate, a magical world unfolds beneath and beyond. The skies have cleared, the sea breeze is gentle and bracing, the omens are good...
The track from this viewpoint to the beach is cemented and safe in all weather conditions, yet prohibitively steep with a gradient that no treadmill in the world can match. I have done this three times already, so heed my warning ahead of your visit to Rhossili: once you have gone down, there will be no lifts. no cable cars, no howdahs at your disposal, but only your quadriceps, lungs and willpower to get you back up. Most surfers who throng the bay throughout the day will agree with me. With sunset imminent, many are going past me on their way up, while many more are still riding the waves. I briefly talked to one of them who said the sea felt nice and warm and suggested I should try it myself. I nodded and replied "OK mate, I shall browse eBay for a surf-board", as I thought telling him that it was his heat-addled imagination talking might have been rude.
This is a 3-mile long beach, backed by sand dunes and overlooked by fern-draped downs. Just like the rest of the Gower peninsula, it is a mix of coastal and heathland terrain, an area of unique geological complexity and beauty. Forged by the brutal forces of nature through ice ages and in constant transition between hot and cold for millennia, it has even been home to straight-tusk elephants, soft-nose rhinoceroses and hippopotami, fossils of which have been excavated in its caves. The progression from Stone Age to the Norman conquest saw man’s achievements abounding in earth and stone. Cultures and dynasties that settled in lowlands and uplands imposed their identity and shaped the peninsula as we know it today. The laborious but redemptive waterfront walks not only give one a chance to marvel at raw nature but every reason to read, learn and unwind the skein of history embodied in this very geological goldmine.
21:07 PM GMT: About to bow out, the sun casts its reflection upon the bay waters at high tide, marking the end of an eventful day and my stay in Rhossili. I am leaving the photos here for your pleasure, with a sour footnote that no matter how highly you might rate them, they still understate the splendour of this place. Nevertheless, my Gower adventure does not end here. I shall be back. Now that I have mentioned adventure, I ought to confess I haven’t stopped thinking of the surfer’s suggestion, as ridiculous as it sounded. Am I too old to get rag-dolled? I might get a board and find out. Who knows… maybe middle-life crisis can wait.
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I wouldn’t miss this for the world and, to my advantage, I knew the drill. Come out of the hotel and look to your left. About hundred yards up the main road through the village there is an ice cream shop. Unfortunately, it is shut now, so the only delight you are left with is the path just before it on the left, leading to a gate. Once you have gone through the gate, a magical world unfolds beneath and beyond. The skies have cleared, the sea breeze is gentle and bracing, the omens are good...
The track from this viewpoint to the beach is cemented and safe in all weather conditions, yet prohibitively steep with a gradient that no treadmill in the world can match. I have done this three times already, so heed my warning ahead of your visit to Rhossili: once you have gone down, there will be no lifts. no cable cars, no howdahs at your disposal, but only your quadriceps, lungs and willpower to get you back up. Most surfers who throng the bay throughout the day will agree with me. With sunset imminent, many are going past me on their way up, while many more are still riding the waves. I briefly talked to one of them who said the sea felt nice and warm and suggested I should try it myself. I nodded and replied "OK mate, I shall browse eBay for a surf-board", as I thought telling him that it was his heat-addled imagination talking might have been rude.
This is a 3-mile long beach, backed by sand dunes and overlooked by fern-draped downs. Just like the rest of the Gower peninsula, it is a mix of coastal and heathland terrain, an area of unique geological complexity and beauty. Forged by the brutal forces of nature through ice ages and in constant transition between hot and cold for millennia, it has even been home to straight-tusk elephants, soft-nose rhinoceroses and hippopotami, fossils of which have been excavated in its caves. The progression from Stone Age to the Norman conquest saw man’s achievements abounding in earth and stone. Cultures and dynasties that settled in lowlands and uplands imposed their identity and shaped the peninsula as we know it today. The laborious but redemptive waterfront walks not only give one a chance to marvel at raw nature but every reason to read, learn and unwind the skein of history embodied in this very geological goldmine.
21:07 PM GMT: About to bow out, the sun casts its reflection upon the bay waters at high tide, marking the end of an eventful day and my stay in Rhossili. I am leaving the photos here for your pleasure, with a sour footnote that no matter how highly you might rate them, they still understate the splendour of this place. Nevertheless, my Gower adventure does not end here. I shall be back. Now that I have mentioned adventure, I ought to confess I haven’t stopped thinking of the surfer’s suggestion, as ridiculous as it sounded. Am I too old to get rag-dolled? I might get a board and find out. Who knows… maybe middle-life crisis can wait.
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Aug, 2018Views
1671
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Awards
Winner in Sunset over water Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Outstanding Creativity
Genius
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MicktheGreek
August 19, 2018
Thanks Amanda! It was a great moment to capture, especially given the whole setting at the bay...
sallyG11
August 20, 2018
The Heavens are putting on their finest display here Mick...the clouds are marching forward! This capture is truly beautiful, serene and gentle. One should be sitting atop with a glass of good red! :))
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MicktheGreek
August 20, 2018
Thanks Sal! The water was also marching forward. Do you see how high the tide has come up? Shae that the sunset lasts only a few minutes and does not give you time to take photos from different points of view, like the house seen in the distance x
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MicktheGreek
August 23, 2018
This is one of the less-known by most highly rated beaches in the UK, Cahit, one very popular to surfers.
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MicktheGreek
August 24, 2018
Thanks Mel! If I has a telezoom lens you would see at least 15 surfers riding the waves. The views are breathtaking in that area.
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MicktheGreek
August 25, 2018
Thanks Erik! Great moments call for great captures and the very moment was inviting...
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MicktheGreek
August 27, 2018
Thanks Lester! Everything about the setting at the time was auspicious, certainly the weather.
kathyk_abq
August 27, 2018
Beautiful scene, Mick - the one pictured and the one described by your words. Love the story - I always love your words! :)
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MicktheGreek
August 28, 2018
Thank you, Kathy! Welcome to Wales... an area of sheep, rain and outstanding geological complexity...
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MicktheGreek
August 29, 2018
Cheers Steve! You should try the Gower mate, start from Swansea and end up in Rhossili. Between Langland Bay and Casswell Bay there is a golf course. The slope is 20 degrees, how do they do it, LOL!
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MicktheGreek
September 04, 2018
It is not too straightforward to get to that place, Deanne, especially if you do it like I did it, on trains and buses. But once you get there, you realise that there are still pockets in this world untainted by unregulated tourism, places that time stands still. Thank you ever so much!
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Pamelabole
September 06, 2018
So lovely!!!...and wonderful story! This photo reminds me of some parts of the California (USA) coast. Beautiful capture! : )
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MicktheGreek
September 09, 2018
That was my expression exactly when I beheld the spectable, Keith...
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sue-zon
September 18, 2018
There are no words for this one, Mick . . . no words better than the ones you have already written! SO appreciate your narratives (as well as your images!).
AnneDphotography
September 23, 2018
wow , I'm speechless at this scene … absolutely outstanding and breathtaking … I can feel the mod and again awesome read :)
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MicktheGreek
September 24, 2018
Sometimes you know a photo is good the moment you look at it on the camera's LCD screen. The weather conditions on the very occasion were favourable like rarely before.
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MicktheGreek
October 22, 2018
The whole Gower peninsula is sheer beauty, Dale, a beauty that culminates into spectacles like the illustrated once one has reached its westernmost tip, Rhossili Bay. Thanks a lot!
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