Fall Bay — Attraction in Wales

Fall Bay beach is a quiet gem that is located within its own bay formed by the headland of Tears Point in the West, and a distinctively bedded limestone headland of no name in the East. The headland with no name is formed from medium to thickly bedded, pale grey Carboniferous limestone of the “Gully Oolite Formation”. Could it be that the name of the headland has simply been lost from current OS Maps? The headland on the South Wales Climbing Wiki site is termed Lewes Castle which is linked to the hill fort that’s indicated on OS Maps. The promontory hill fort is listed as an Iron Age fort on Coflein- the online database for the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW). As such, its place in history is forever recorded.

OS Maps refers to Fall Bay as being separate to Mewslade Bay. My personal preference, despite the dominating headland of “Lewes Castle” is to consider Fall Bay beach as part of the wider Mewslade Bay that is formed by the headland of Tears Point in the West and the impressive and dominating headland of the Thurba in the East.

The walk along the lower coastal path between Fall Bay and Mewslade is arguably one of the best stretches of coastline on Penrhyn Gwyr and no doubt gave credence to its designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The seascape is dominated by rugged headlands and bays of distinctively bedded limestone. The distinctive layers or “bedding” within the limestone give structure to the land - just as the waves give rhythm to the ocean.

One of the reasons of Fall Bay falling into the category of one of the hidden and quieter gems of Penrhyn Gwyr is the fact that the descent to the beach is relatively treacherous. The ascent is actually easier than the descent where the near vertical climb in places is made a little more treacherous due to the polished limestone under foot. The joys of Fall Bay beach is open for most to experience as it is generally accessible to all provided that they are of reasonable health and have good footwear. On the day, we did recommend to a tourist that the descent to the beach was not really suitable in her flip flops. It wasn’t long before she turned around.

Our recent and first visit was on the rising flow of the tide where the break was over half way up the breach. The beauty of the inevitable return visit is that no visit is the same due to the changing seascape conditions relating to the ebb and flow of the tide, the energy of the swell and conditions of the breaking wave. The combined conditions of the seascape and the differing light of the rising and falling sun creates a unique environment and transient experience that is impermanent.

Despite the beach being sheltered by Tears Point from the typically prevalent SW swells, there was still a good clean break of the wave on the day due to the energy of the southern swell. The break is probably influenced by the limestone “reef” within the intertidal zone that is indicated on OS Maps.

We were lucky on the day to be touched by nature via the inquisitive visit of a seal who followed some paddle boarders into the bay and then decided to hang around for a while to catch the break of the wave and enjoy the fine views.

The natural theatre of the landscape and seascape of Fall Bay creates the joy of what is Fall Bay.

The words of the poet Vernon Watkins cannot help but inspire: ‘I have been taught the script of the stones, and know the tongue of the wave’. When you are taught the script of the stones, and know the tongue of the wave, insight is found in the fact that the waves give rhythms to the ocean just as the layers in rocks give structure to the land.

Chris-Manawydan | Sep.2020 give structure to the...

Beautiful quiet beach. Not suitable for those with mobility challenges. I should start by saying that I have no idea where to park for quick access to Fall Bay. We normally park at Mewslade field car park or Rhossili National Trust car park, both of which you have to pay for.

The walk from either direction is along the Coastal path and is easy until it comes time to climb down onto the beach.

There has never been a day when there was not livestock of some sort on the path so dogs on lead until you're on the beach.

No toilet. No shops. No amenities of any sort. If this is what you like this is not the beach for you.

Right now the climb down is tricky. Rock collapse and tides can change the path at any time. I am a confident rock scrambler and this was work.

But it is beautiful! And it is quiet! Soft, clean sand. Rocks to explore. Waves to body board. When the tide is all the way out you can walk all the way around...

A playground for outdoor sport enthusiasts, on a clear June day surfers play on the reef breaks, boogie boarders perform stunts on the near shore breakers, rock athletes test themselves on the steep upper tier of the crag, paraponters circle in the sky above, trekkers and dog walkers traipse along the rugged cliff path.

Fifteen minutes from Rhosilli NT car park across the fields will get you to the top of the bay, it’s then a steep scramble down to the beach. Be aware that this not a lifeguarded beach, and there are strong currents and rips.

In both directions are spectacular sections of coastal scenery, one way takes you to Mewslade, theoretically possible at low tide, but do be careful. In the other direction is Worms Head, and Rhossili Bay, two of the most used views by the Welsh Tourist Board.

Fall Bay is an absolute gem of a beach,...