Tuesday 10th September 2024

Day 9 – Rhossili to Oxwich

Without doubt, one of the toughest days of walking we have done in some time.

We started off fully positive after yesterday’s wonderful stroll, looking forward to more of this absolutely spectacular Gower coastline. It was incredibly windy – we were being battered and blown around by the elements, which makes moving even more tiring. Not far in we turned a corner and at least the wind was on our backs, which was a huge benefit. And at least it was dry.

Very close to the edge clifftop walking – at times it was just best not to look down. But amazing sea views, the waves crashing dramatically against the rocks. Some more wild Welsh ponies dotted around the grassy sections too, all very beautiful.

What wasn’t so lovely was the number of ascents and the steepness of the ascents and then the inevitable descents. It’s impossible to describe how exhausting the climbs were and even worse when I took a tumble, face-planting on to the rocks I was scrabbling over – luckily my left knee took the impact rather than my face. The severity of the terrain really slowed our walking down so it was about 6 hours on our feet today.

We stopped off for lunch at Port Eynon, after 8 miles of walking, where we treated ourselves to hot drinks and a shared bowl of chips to lift our spirits – before tucking into our sandwiches. It was at this time that the rain started, adding to the still blustery weather … and it just got wetter and wetter. We’d all had quite enough by this stage but we soldiered on, keeping fingers crossed for an easier path. No such luck – it only got worse!

The last headland was the headland that kept giving, it was endless. It took us through a nature reserve woodland and although it was beautiful with trees, plants and birdsong, it was just outright cruel in the number of steps up and the number of steps down … repeat. My knee was causing me pain by now and I just could have sat and cried. Steve also was experiencing some muscle pain in his leg so David and Ros were like mountain goats in comparison.

Massive relief when we reached Oxwich and in our dripping wet and exhausted state we slumped into the car for the journey home. We had minimum time to recover as we had to shower, eat and head off to Mumbles to meet up with lovely friends, David and Bethan. David R came too as he was meeting up with some University chums that he hadn’t seen for 42 years! We all met up together in The Pilot pub and had a fabulously fun evening, including a great Welsh sing song. Such a perfect tonic after a truly tough day.

I was reminded today that I should know my limits – as tomorrow’s planned walk appears to be similar to today, it is highly likely that I will be taking a day off.