Three Cliffs Bay () (), otherwise Three Cliff Bay, is a bay on the south coast of the

Gower Peninsula The Gower Peninsula (), or simply Gower (), is a peninsula in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan, and is now within the City and County of Swansea. It projects towards th ...

in the City and County of

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The bay takes its name from the three sea cliffs that jut out into the bay. Pennard Pill, a large stream, flows into the sea in the middle of the bay.

Description

Inland about from the main beach on high ground above Pennard Pill is Pennard Castle. It was built in the early 12th century, and is imbued with legends of fairies. It is also the only locality in Britain known for yellow whitlow grass (''

Draba aizoides ''Draba aizoides'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, known as yellow whitlow-grass. It is native to Europe where it is found on limestone rocks and walls. In the British Isles it is found only on the Gower Peninsula in ...

''). Individual beaches that make up this bay have their own names, including Pobbles Bay to the east of the Three Cliffs, and Tor Bay to the west. The beaches are separated at high tide but are accessible to each other at low tide on foot over the sands. Paths lead north to Pennard Burrows, east to Pobbles, and west to Tor Bay. Pobbles and Tor Bay are also accessible from the beach at low tide. Three Cliffs Bay is effectively part of the

inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ...

of Oxwich Bay. At low tide, Three Cliffs Bay forms a continuous sandy beach with Oxwich Bay beach to the west. They only exist as separate beaches at high tide. The sea cliffs are

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, about high, and are a popular destination for rock climbers with 20 climbs in the lower grades, including Scavenger ( VS 4b) - often considered a national classic. The largest of the Three Cliffs is easily climbed if approached from the grassy base. The beach is an important asset for locals and visitors and routinely qualifies for Blue Flag status. Dogs are allowed on the beach all year.

Use in media

In June 2006 the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Holidays at Home A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

'' programme declared Three Cliffs Bay to be the best beach in the United Kingdom.https://www.bbc.co.uk/holiday/tv_and_radio/holiday_hit_squad/hhs_beach_best.shtml In a similar programme broadcast on ITV the following year, the view over Three Cliffs Bay was nominated for "Britain's Best View". Three Cliffs Bay appears in a music video for

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

made by Swansea film company, Studio8. It was used in the opening titles of the 80's TV sitcom ''

Me and My Girl ''Me and My Girl'' is a musical with music by Noel Gay and its original book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose. The story, set in the late 1930s, tells of an unapologetically unrefined Cockney gentleman named Bill Snibson, wh ...

'' featuring Richard O'Sullivan and Joanne Ridley. Three Cliffs Bay has been used in Channel 4's '' Skins'' and was shown in an ITV advert: 'The Brighter Side'. Three Cliffs photo.jpg, Three Cliffs Bay on the

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

Three Cliffs peaks, Gower - Flickr - AndyRobertsPhotos.jpg, The formation of three peaks which give Three Cliffs Bay its name ThreeCliffsBay.jos.500pix.jpg, Three Cliffs Bay from the west Castell Pennard - geograph.org.uk - 1307870.jpg, Pennard Castle

References

External links

Official tourist website for Gower

Photos of Welsh beaches on BBC Wales Nature & Outdoors
{{Gower Peninsula Bays of the Gower Peninsula