Gower
Whiteford Burrows and the Iron Lighthouse
Dunes, pine forest and a vast empty beach leading to the only wave-swept cast iron lighthouse left in Britain.
- Distance
- 5.6 mi / 9 km
- Time
- 3 hr
- Ascent
- 120 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
From Cwm Ivy, cross the dunes and forest to the beach and walk north to the lighthouse, returning by the saltmarsh edge.
Worth knowing
- The lighthouse is only reachable at low tide and even then the sand around it is soft. Many people view it from the beach.
- The saltmarsh behind was breached in 2014 and is now reverting to tidal habitat.
- One of the emptiest beaches in south Wales, even in August.
What you’ll see
The iron lighthouse offshore, dune and pine, the beach, and the Loughor estuary.
Background
Whiteford lighthouse was built in 1865 and is the last remaining wave-swept cast iron lighthouse in Britain.