Wales Feed 1o2w54

2011-06-20T09:40:30+00:00

Almost 400 people took part in the Midsummer Skinny Dip at Rhossili beach this weekend, raising money for Marie Curie Cancer Care and the National Trust.

Watch the National Trust video of the event on You Tube.

The news has subsequently gone global, reaching as far as Australia and has been all over the national press here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/19/skinny-dip-record-attempt-wales

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/06/20/skinny-dipping-world-record-attempt-on-rhossili-beach-91466-28905796/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005512/Thats-nude-world-record-Skinnydippers-hundreds-brave-chill-windy-Welsh-beach.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Well done to all the brave people who took part, as it there was a chilly wind blowing on Saturday and the sea was pretty rough too!

2011-06-06T14:21:36+00:00

I was on Gower at the weekend to open the annual Gower walking festival at Caswell Bay. Thanks to all those who turned up and did the seven mile walk with me, which we filmed for Weatherman Walking last year.

It was nice to do the walk and not be followed by the cameras but having told everyone it would stay fine, showers broke out on Saturday afternoon which were unexpected, so I had a little egg on my face...

It just goes to show that no forecast is set in stone and things can change which can be both frustrating and annoying.

I am confident it will stay dry on Gower today but the rest of the week looks more unsettled, low pressure will bring some unstable air, towering clouds and showers but I can promise a few sunny spells.

It will be breezy at times along the coast and not that warm with top temperatures between 12 and 16 Celsius.

By the way, after some persuasion I have ed the world of Twitter! You can follow my tweets here and enjoy a few pearls of meteorological wisdom or not...But if the forecast goes pear shaped, please don't be too hard on me :)

Back to walks now - the Anglesey walking festival is currently on and ends on 12 June.

Have a good week

Derek

2010-09-01T08:36:53+00:00

After all the rain last month, the sunshine is back with a vengeance for September.

Bob Gibbons from Llanigon near Hay-on-Wye took this picture overlooking Rhossili and Worms Head on Gower on Bank Holiday Monday:

There were lots of surfers in the sea and hundreds of families walking and picnicking. Mind you, if you were or still are camping in a tent - you'll have noticed how cold the nights are getting.

On Monday night, the temperature at Tirabad in Powys and Capel Curig in Snowdonia fell to just 2 Celsius with a ground frost.

While at Velindre near Glasbury it was the coldest August night since 2003. A real sign that Autumn is on the way.

The reason for the low night time temperatures is because the air over us currently has come via the Arctic. With clear skies and light winds at night, all heat from the sun is lost to space causing temperatures to fall sharply.

The dry weather is set to continue until at least Friday, maybe longer if high pressure holds but things are stirring again out in the Atlantic.

The nights will continue to be cool but during the day it will become warmer with maximum temperatures rising into the low 20's Celsius, 72 Fahrenheit.

2010-08-13T08:16:36+00:00

For fans of the BBC programme Coast, you'll be pleased to know that Gower is being featured again shortly, when the remarkable walled sea cave known as Culver Hole puts in an appearance.

Believed to date from the 13th or 14th century, Culver Hole is sealed off by a sixty foot high stone wall, that resembles something out of an Indiana Jones film set.

Culver Hole. Image courtesy of the National Trust:

Peppered with a few windows, the internal wall face is honeycombed with around thirty tiers of rectangular nesting boxes which would have been home to hundreds of medieval pigeons.

Pigeons were an important source of food providing meat and fresh eggs during hard times.

Head Warden on Gower Sian Siân Musgrave said: "Stories about smugglers using it and secret ages abound."

"It is also said to have been a castle at some stage, but the nesting boxes appear integral to its whole structure, so in reality it was always a pigeon house."

Culver Hole as seen from a boat. Image by Adie at Frames Photography:

Legend has it that there used to be secret tunnel connecting it with the nearby salt house at Port Eynon for smuggling purposes and that carrier pigeons were also used to send messages between smugglers.

The word "culver" derives from the Old English word "culfre", meaning pigeon or dove. With its ability to breed all year round and its quick regeneration, pigeons provided a plentiful source of red meat - given the necessary shelter and food.

As a result, large dovecotes became quite commonplace in the Middle Ages.

A steeplejack was employed to carry out work in 2008 to repair the remains of the top window and wave damage done to the bottom of the structure and most of the work had to be done between tides due to the tricky location.

Culver Hole is within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Over the years, I've spent a lot of time surfing the reefs in this area and had no idea this was tucked away in the cliff face, so will definitely take a look next time I'm down there.

Coast will be broadcast on BBC Two at 6.30pm on Saturday, 14 August or you can catch up via the BBC i-Player.

You can find out more about Culver Hole using the following external links:

www.explore-gower.co.uk

www.the-gower.com/beaches

www.smuggling.co.uk

Gull

2010-07-14T09:30:00+00:00

Some of you may Derek Brockway visiting Worm's Head and Whiteford lighthouse in series two of Weatherman Walking back in 2008.

The name Whiteford actually derives from the Viking - 'Hvit Fjord' meaning 'white fjord' and the dune system at the back of the beach known as Whiteford Burrows is owned by the National Trust.

Located in the Burry Estuary off the coast at Whiteford Point on the north west of the Gower Peninsula, this 61 foot tall, cast-iron lighthouse tower is the only one of its kind left in Britain.

It was built in 1865 by Llanelli Harbour and Burry Navigation Commissioners to indicate the location of Whiteford Point and its dangerous sandbanks to shipping.

Various maritime disasters have occurred here over the years - the worst being in January 1868, when the entire beach was littered with dead bodies and the wreckage from 16 coal ships after a short trip from nearby Llanelli went horribly wrong.

In lighthouse the tower is described as being 'wave-washed' which conjures up sorts of romantic imagery but in reality means it's surrounded by the sea at high tide and battered by storm surf - unlike it's softer relatives, located up on the cliff tops.

It must have been a scary two week shift for any lighthouse keeper placed there during the winter months.

Old keepers used to report it swaying and it had various 'improvements' done to it over the years to shore up the foundations and strengthen the metal work.

The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1920 when a new beacon was established at Burry Holmes but had a brief comeback when local yachtsmen petitioned for its return in the 1980s.

Money was raised and for a while the now fully automated lighthouse shone once again but not for long as one of the solar units failed and was never replaced, leaving the lighthouse to stand silent.

Nowadays this Grade II listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument still serves as a navigational aid but only during daylight hours.

It's a stunning part of the world but take care if venturing down there as the tide can change quickly so always check the tide times and to add one hour during British summer time.

Whiteford Sands is also renowned for its ghosts. The most famous is the 'phantom galloping' - a terrifying noise, so loud to the ears that it has long been associated with a woolly mammoth - an animal not seen since the last Ice Age but one that certainly existed in the area.

The loud thundering sound of hooves originates in the direction of Broughton beach, before making its way along the beach to Whiteford Sands where it abruptly ends.

Others believe it is the sound of ancient Celts running across the sands to meet Roman soldiers in battle. The noise has been well documented over the years so let me know in the comments box below if you've ever heard anything.

If you wish to visit the lighthouse then the nearest car park is at Cwm Ivy near Llanmadoc. From there it's around a two mile walk to the lighthouse at the north end of the beach.

Check out a panoramic view of the lighthouse.

Gull

2010-04-06T12:53:41+00:00

Not complete skeletons, but some interesting and very old bones, conserved by the National Trust on Gower and Cardiff University are now on display at Rhossilli.

All of the bones were discovered around Gower's coastline and many belonged to animals which are now extinct - including an upper molar from a straight tusked elephant, thoracic (chest) vertebrae from a narrow nosed rhinoceros and a fallow deer antler.

Some of the bones are up to 120,000 years old and will be on display for the first time, in the National Trust Visitor Centre at Rhossili.

As well as the original bones, there are replicas available which any one can hold and feel.

2010-03-31T09:24:44+00:00

Famed for its wealth of natural landscapes and habitats, the Gower will add to its status as am Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by ensuring that light pollution is kept to a minimum in future building plans and preventing 'urban glow'.

A report given to the council says, "Gower must be a landscape that can be enjoyed free of noise and intrusion. It must be a landscape where the beauty of the starlit sky can still be enjoyed and appreciated."

Speaking to the Western Mail, the Gower Society's chairman Malcolm Ridge said, "We're all for it. I can well recall the first time I went on holiday to looking up at the night sky and seeing the beautiful starlit sky.

"Thankfully in many areas of Gower we still have beautiful starry nights but this policy will help us retain that attraction...

"It will ensure that people who come to Gower want to come back because they will not only the beautiful views during the day but the beautiful skies at night."

Where are the best spots in Wales you've found for a bit of astronomy?

2009-10-05T08:51:12+00:00

Steve Airey from Whitchurch sent in this cracking photo from Hill End, Gower. You can see Worms Head in the background.

Daisy on Holiday:

Now, it's not everyday you encounter a cow taking a stroll along a beach, is it?

If you're reading this and thinking to yourself, "I've got a funnier photo than that one" then why not [email protected]">send it in to us?
Steve was also pleased to report that my weather predictions were 'spot on' so nice to know I do get it right from time to time! ;)

Thanks for the great photo Steve and I think this one is worthy of a caption competition (for fun - no prizes).

Leave your captions in the comments area below.

Thanks

Derek