Worm's Head

Worm's Head, Gower

Worm's Head, transition to the island, Gower

Worm's Head at low tide, Gower

Worm's Head [wɜːmz 'hed] refers to a small island or peninsula at the southwestern end of the Gower Peninsula in South Wales, Great Britain, near the town of Rhossili . The name of the island is derived from its resemblance to a dragon's head, which it shows when viewed from higher points such as Rhossili Down - worm is the name for dragon in older English (see also Lindwurm or Wyvern ). The two highest points on Worm's Head are on average 35 and 55 meters above sea level. The last elevation can only be reached by climbing in the rock.

Tourist importance

What is special about Worm's Head is that the tidal island can be reached on foot via a land bridge about two hours (depending on the respective tidal range ) before and after the low tide of the sea. From Rhossili the transition to the island is then possible, from the beginning of the land bridge to the end of the island it is about 60 minutes walking time if you are in good condition. The National Trust does not recommend this route to children or people with walking difficulties (see also web links). Worm's Head is also popular with tourists because of the opportunity to watch seals from there. Devil's Hole (also called Devil's Bridge ) is an erosion gate on the island that looks like a miniature version of the Prebish Gate in the Czech Republic. This gate has to be crossed to access the last part of the island.

When the weather is good, the tip of the island offers a view of both the southern and western sections of the coast such as Whitesands and the entire Rhossili Bay. Worm's Head is a popular place for tourists and can be found in all major tourist guides for Wales. Detailed information and recommendations for hikes on Worm's Head can be found in Nick Jenkins' book in the bibliography.

literature

• Rough Guides Ltd. (Ed.): The Rough Guide to Wales , 05/2006, ISBN 1-84353-607-2 (Engl.)
• Nick Jenkins: Circular Walks in Gower , Verlag Gwask Carreg Gwalch, The Walking Pages, http://www.walkingpages.co.uk/ (Engl.)

Web links

Commons : Worm's Head  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Homepage of Worm's Head, Gower (English)
• Homepage National Trust Rhossili Visitor Center (English)

Coordinates: 51 ° 33 ′ 52 "  N , 4 ° 19 ′ 14"  W.