Wales’ showpiece is among the most desirable places to live
Living in a big city is great for a number of reasons. There are, inevitably, more job opportunities, better transport links and big tourist attractions.
But, there is an ever-mounting level of fatigue and stress that comes with the hustle and bustle of city living. There may come a time when you find yourself ready to get out of the rat race.
Perhaps you’re starting a family, retiring or maybe you’re simply looking for a quieter life.
The dream of living near the coast or surrounded by lush, green countryside is often a decision those who are privileged enough to realise must choose between. Not in Wales, it seems.
As a country with many areas quite rightly protected from mass social and industrious development, Wales maintains it’s place on the world stage as one of earth’s most desirable places to live and work.
This is not to say the space is locked in time, burdened to be forgotten by modern and future design. Far from, in fact. Homes here range from humble and traditional to works commissioned to inspire and impress even the most seasoned designers.
In Gower you get the best of both worlds. While surrounded by what seems like a never-ending sea of green countryside, you are never more than three miles from the sea. You can even measure it yourself!
The property market in South West Wales is booming – with Brexit still uncertain and Coronavirus throwing up questions about how we’ll live in the next few years, a growth in staycations and a free Bridge crossing has seen demand rise in the unspoilt Gower Peninsula.
The crisp white sands set against a backdrop of beautiful green scenery has always attracted visitors – especially being just two hours drive from Bristol. However, the area is now attracting buyers who are investing in home-grown property rather than buying second homes abroad.
Stretching 15 miles across and six miles from top to bottom, the Gower offers remote beauty within an easy drive of the up and coming City of Swansea, which sits at it’s Eastern edge.
The City boasts two excellent Universities, a buzzing attractive Marina and Waterside culture and a growing number of restaurants and bars with a fantastic reputation from the locals to critics far and wide. Although rising in value, property in the city remains very affordable and marina space in Swansea and nearby Burry Port costs a snip of Southern England’s mooring fees, so lifestyle property here is highly desirable.
A pleasant drive along the seafront brings you to the thriving and popular Mumbles resort and beaches, with the Mumbles Mile, Bracelet Bay and Langland Bay all being home to upmarket restaurants. Mumbles was crowned Best Place to Live in the UK 2019 by the Sunday Times.
Caswell village is an increasingly popular choice for discerning buyers, with its quintessential church, charming butcher’s shop and two local pubs, serving great ales, superb wines and affordable, delicious home cooked food, a fantastic golf course and of course, easy access to local beaches – perfect ground for those with wealth to spare.
The Mumbles and surrounding areas offer upmarket Swansea living, where many local celebrities have made their home. Catherine Zeta Jones has a home here, and local horror film Director, Andrew Jones, lives and films here too – and you’ll find many of Swansea’s entrepreneurs living here too.
It’s still possible to find a modest home in and around Mumbles for around £200,000 but for those looking at high-end luxury properties should consider travelling a little further into Gower.
Just ten minutes away, a world of lush green countryside, quiet beaches and beautiful woodland awaits you – alongside some of the most desirable property and land for potential development in the UK.
Gower’s most westerly point is the aptly-named Worm’s Head, a serpent-shaped island in Rhossili Bay, linked to the mainland by a causeway. The popular area boasts an award-winning 4 mile stretch of sand with untouched scenery and ancient shipwrecks to explore.
Travel to the other end of the beach, and you will find Gower’s Surfer’s Paradise, Llangennith, boasting waves worth travelling for and excellent campsites.
The most southerly points are Port Eynon and Oxwich bays, both wide, sweeping stretches of sand, that remain completely unspoilt. Gower’s beaches rarely appear or feel busy and there’s so much to see and do that every day seems like a new discovery.
History and landscape blend effortlessly here. The quiet ruins of Pennard Castle are charming, but look past them and you’ll experience the stunning scenery of Three Cliffs Bay.
Many visit Gower for the ancient standing stones, including Arthur’s Stone (Maen Ceti), a Neolithic burial tomb dating back to 2500 B.C., protected under the Ancient Monuments Act of 1882.
Move to North Gower and the landscape changes as rocky, estuary scenery with swathes of marshland awaits you. Penclawdd, known for its cockle industry, marks the northern tip. A little further along the Estuary leads you to Bynea, a picturesque route to the outskirts of Llanelli.
Inland Gower offers windswept hills which roll and fall, with a very rural feel. Gower is only home to about 10,000 people in villages, hamlets and clusters of cliff-top homes, with few living inland. Driving at night, after visitors to the area have returned home, you get the sense that you’re the only one for miles, with long stretches of quiet roads crossing silent, sweeping pasture land – and it’s a great place to view the stars.
Many who come looking for ‘a place for the weekend’ find themselves living in the area full time, trading the fast pace of city life for a quiet, rural lifestyle business.
