Naturist / Nudist Beaches in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland

Whiteford Sands - Gower Peninsula

Swansea

nuff-beach
nuff-whiteford-sands

Large, hidden, quiet sandy beach backed by dunes and pine forest. Greate sea views.

Whiteford Sands is a two mile expanse of beach on the northern side of the Gower Peninsula in South Wales. It is the most northerly beach on Gower and sits on the edge of the Loughor estuary. Behind the beach lies Whiteford Burrows, a National Trust-owned dune and pine plantation which is a nature reserve.

The beach is well-known for being favoured by naturists and, although local residents are said "not to approve" the huge extent of the beach would seem to ensure sufficient space for all kinds of beach use without conflict.

The well-known local landmark Whiteford Lighthouse is situated at the northernmost tip of Whiteford Sands.

Getting There

Satnav: SA3 1DJ

The Gower peninsular lies to the west of Swansea and can be reached via the A4216, then turning on to the B4271 at Upper Killay (immediately after you leave the built up area) in the direction of Llanrhidian. Whiteford Sand have no direct access by car, visitors have to park near the village of Llanmadoc before making their way on foot to the coast.

For those coming from beyond Swansea : leave the M4 at junction number 47 (Swansea West Services). Take the A483 towards Swansea and at the next roundabout take the A484 signposted Llanelli and North Gower. At the second roundabout turn left onto the B4296 to Gowerton. Turn right at the first traffic lights onto the B4294 Penclawdd Road to Llanrhidian.

On both routes you then follow the road from Llanrhidian through Cheriton to Llanmadoc.

From Llanmadoc there are two routes to Whiteford, the most popular being the road which starts at the top of the village near the church. There is a field used as a car park at the top of the lane, place £1 in the honesty box near the gate. This is the shortest route to the beach just follow the lane to the bottom, go through the gate into a pinewood then turn immediately to your left and follow the path for 150 yds to the dunes above the beach.

There have been reports of thefts in this area, so it is inadvisable to leave valuables in your car. "For the sake of security you're better off parking in Llanmadoc village and walking the extra half mile, but your effort is well rewarded!"

The other route starts just up the road from the village pub, follow the path between some cottages and downhill to a causeway which crosses Llanrhidian marsh to the dunes which are visible in front of you, there is no distinct path through the dunes but keep heading west in the direction suggested by the causeway and you will in a few minutes find yourself on the beach.

Photographs of Whiteford Sands

Description

Its relative inaccessibility compared to many other beaches in the Gower makes Whiteford an extensive, quiet and secluded beach, perfect for naturists. In fact, the beach is so large - and the number of visitors so few - that you may not see any other naturists and mistakenly believe that you are in the wrong location. There is always some sand, even at high tide.

Map

Comments

Please leave a comment via the email address below. (Facebook comments no longer work in Europe, incl. the UK)

Photos

Tag and share your photos to the UK Naturist Beaches group on Flickr.

Photos should be of the beach, or show the way to it. They should NOT have people in them.

nuff-beach
nuff-whiteford-sands