Gower
Gelli Hir Wood
Ancient wet woodland on north Gower with a pond, a hide and a great deal of standing water, which is exactly why it is good.
- Distance
- 2.5 mi / 4 km
- Time
- 1 hr 30
- Ascent
- 80 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Paths and boardwalk loop through the wood to the pond hide and back. Wet underfoot away from the boardwalk.
Worth knowing
- The pond hide is worth sitting in; dragonflies in summer and wildfowl in winter.
- Genuinely wet woodland, which is a rare habitat. Waterproof boots.
- Bluebells and wood anemone in spring.
What you’ll see
Wet oak and ash woodland, the pond and its hide, dragonflies and woodland birds.
Background
The wood was coppiced and grazed for centuries and the ponds were dug for stock and for marl.