Port Eynon Beach Improvement Programme
Facilities
- Ramp access is available to the beach
- Accessible toilet facilities
- Access to Beach
- Access to slipway
- Car Park
- Shops
- Toilets
For further details of 'things to do' and 'places to stay' in and around Port Eynon see www.visitswanseabay.com
Find Us
Delivery Partner
Travel
Port Eynon is thought to be named after the 10th Century Welsh Prince, Einon ap Owain. In the past the village thrived through oyster fishing together with limestone quarrying for several hundred years.
This would link to Port Eynon's having first been mentioned as a quay in a survey dated c.1551-53 and also being recorded as a flourishing port, a sheltered, shallow bay which "..allowed boats to be grounded close inshore on the high tide, loaded and refloated on the next high tide" (Post Medieval Archaeology32,1998).
On the far right of the Bay as you face the sea you will find a scheduled ancient monument The Salthouse. It was built in the mid Sixteenth century by David Lucas for his son John. John Lucas fortified the house and it was reputed a secret escape tunnel added. There is little evidence of any secret escape tunnel but it all added to the legend that his primary activities were smuggling and piracy. It is more likely that the site was fortified as salt can be a valuable commodity. The term salary derives from the Latin for salt salarium. The site continued to process sea water into salt until the end of the 17th Century. The 3 chambers are stone lined, 1 metre thick, the largest being 20m by 3m. Further information is available at the site.
During the Second World War a number of US troops were stationed in and around Swanseapreparing for the forthcoming invasion of Europe. In preparation for the Normandy landings on the 6th June 1944 a series of exercises were undertaken on theGower Peninsula including here at Port Eynon.
Little detailed information has survived due to the highly secretive nature of the time. However we know the 1st, 5th and 6th Special Engineer Brigades along with various other units conducted a number of exercises designed to test loading and unloading methods.
6 of the Best
Simply enjoy a fantastic day out at this multi award winning beach. Voted the Best British Beach in the 2011 Cadbury Flake 99 Great British Beach Awards and Blue Flag status. Get out your spade and enjoy a strandline beach comb
Enjoy wonderful walks in Wales, there are plenty to keep you going. The Wales Coastal Path was launched last year and includes 51 miles of coastal walks in Swansea Bay, 39 of which are the glorious Gower Coast Path. Walk it all or just a section. With terrain ranging from surfaced paths to rocky clifftops, there’s a Coast Path walk for everyone. Or you can join in an organised walk for magnificent views and to make new friends. Moving offshore, the Gower Way is another 35 mile challenge along the backbone of the Peninsula or perhaps try the tranquil lakeside walks at Lliw Reservoir or the waterfall walks in Neath - we’re a walker’s wonderland.
Watersports – sailing and windsurfing are the best forms of watersports to undertake at Port Eynon. You can find out more about the various activity operators in the area on the following web page
Visit the Salthouse ruin – an 18th century ruin where salt extracted from the sea was once stored. The Salthouse, near Port Eynon Point, plays a central role in local history. It was built by John Lucas, who reputedly controlled much of the local smuggling. Later the buildings were altered and extended to extract salt from the sea water, but they were badly damaged by a storm, and abandoned. The quay continued to be used – to ship limestone from the local quarries, which can be seen on the ridge overlooking the bay. Today, the ruins stand as a reminder of Port Eynon’s industrial past, when local people used the rich natural resources of Gower to make a living.
Visit the Church of St Cattwg – there is monument in the corner of the churchyard in memorial to members of a village lifeboat crew that drowned during a rescue attempt in 1916.
Visit Culver Hole – an intriguing walled inlet west of Port Eynon Point; accessible by sea level but only up to half tide. Culverhole, overlooking Overton Mere, features in many smuggling tales – the massive stone walls blocking off the natural cave certainly gives it a menacing atmosphere. Less romantically, its name suggests that it was built to house pigeons, kept for food.
What's Here?
Area Objective
Slipway Planning permission for the slipway has now been granted. Engineering report has been commissioned and tender documents will be drawn up in the next few months. Signage Proposals for rationalisation and improvement to the signage in Port Eynon are being prepared
This project will implement a number of small scale improvement projects at Port Eynon Bay, probably the Gower's most popular beach.
The Green Sea funding will also improve access to and safety at the beach slipway access.
Port Eynon Slipway Prior To Improvement
March 2013. Practical Completion Has Almost Been Reached At The New Slipway
Green Sea funding will improve signage to Port Eynon Bay, and rationalise existing signage to improve visitor experience. The area has a rich history and heritage which is not currently shared due to a lack of interpretation. Interpretation focussed on The Salthouse ancient monument, Longhole Cave, and Port Eynon's profitable oyster fishing industry and limestone quarrying in the 19th Century will help further develop Port Eynon's tourism potential by bringing the area's history to life.
Slipway improvements nearing completion at Port Eynon
Read »- Pendine Promenade
- Port Eynon Beach Improvement Programme
- Newgale Car Park Improvements
- Cefn Sidan Beach Improvement Scheme
- Blue Flag & Green Coast Award Infrastructure Improvements
- Sea, Sand and Sort
- Poppit Car Park Enhancement
- Blue Flag Information Mobile Unit
- Saundersfoot Harbour Toilets
- Aberafan Seafront Improvements
