Three Cliffs Bay is one of the many beautiful beaches in Wales and the Three Cliffs Bay Walk is one of the most popular walks on the Gower Peninsular.
However, just like many beaches in Wales, access to Three Cliffs Bay is not simple and you need to know about Three Cliffs Bay parking before getting there. Luckily there are a few parking options and ways to access Three Cliffs Bay.
In this Wales blog post, I’m going to tell you how to visit Three Cliffs Bay Beach, the best Three Cliffs Bay postcode to use and how to do a really good Three Cliffs Bay walk!
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Three Cliffs Bay Gower
About Three Cliffs Bay Beach
Three Cliffs Bay is named after the 3 pointy cliffs on this beach which sit between Pobbles Bay and Three Cliffs Bay. Along with Rhosili Bay, it is the most photographed beach on the Gower and definitely deserves a visit!
It is a huge and beautiful beach and the coastline keeps going and going meaning you can walk for miles along the beach during low tide and along the many footpaths that run along the top.
Three Cliffs Bay has a stream running through it and sand dunes leading down to it which makes it a really fun and secluded beach to visit.
There are stepping stones to cross the stream where it’s pretty wide and Pennard Castle is nearby which is the Three Cliffs Bay Castle.
You can climb up the sand dunes and (carefully) walk near to the top of the Three Cliffs which is pretty cool and there are many caves under the cliffs to walk through and rock pools to play in!
Is Three Cliffs Bay easy to visit?
If you have trouble walking, it isn’t the best beach to visit because it does take some effort to walk up and down the grass and sand dunes to get to the beach, and even if you can access the beach without going up the sand dunes when you arrive, be warned that when the tide comes in a lot of access points are closed and you may have to go up the sand dunes and hills to leave.
Is swimming at Three Cliffs Bay allowed?
In regards to swimming at Three Cliffs Bay, I went in early spring and therefore did not see any swimmers, however from the articles I have read swimming here can be very dangerous due to a strong rip tide and people have drowned in the ocean in the last few years.
Are Dogs allowed on Three Cliffs Bay Beach?
Three Cliffs Bay is dog friendly and dogs are allowed on the beach all year round. It’s definitely a good beach for dog walking.
- Afterwards, be sure to read these posts so you can visit more amazing South Wales beaches:
- 36 Stunning Places to Visit in Wales!
- 16 Beaches Near Cardiff To Visit. All 1 Hour From Cardiff!
- Barry Island Beaches Guide! 4 BEST Beaches in Barry To Visit!
- 13 Things To Do in Saundersfoot Beach, Pembrokeshire!
- How to Walk from Saundersfoot to Tenby Beach!
- How to Get to Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire!
Three Cliffs Bay Map
Here is a map which will help you with the Three Cliffs Bay Beach car parks I mention below and how to do a good Three Cliffs Bay Walk!
Three Cliffs Bay Directions
The Gower Peninsula is also known as Swansea Gower as it is just off Swansea Bay. In case you didn’t know, the Gower was declared the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK in 1956!
The Gower isn’t that big, it’s 70 square miles in area but because it’s made up of mostly small, country roads it does take extra time to drive between places.
Luckily, the Three Cliffs Bay Beach is one of the easier beaches on the Gower to visit because it is on the Eastside and not too far from The Mumbles which is the main town on the Gower and the closest side if you are coming from Cardiff, Bridgend, Port Talbot and Neath for example.
Three Cliffs Bay Beach Car Park
Although getting to Three Cliffs Bay is not that hard, it is quite hard to work out where to park and how to access Three Cliffs Bay because it is not that close to the road or car park and the car parks can get very busy.
Getting to the beach may seem like an effort and I always think this but once I’m there I remember that these are the types of beaches in Wales I love because when there is no road access and car park nearby, the beaches are wild, incredibly beautiful and not as many people visit them!
There are a few places for parking at Three Cliffs Bay Beach:
1 – Gower Heritage Centre Carpark
If you type – Three Cliffs Bay Carpark into Google Maps the car park will show, it’s also named the Gower Heritage Centre. This car park is quite far away from Three Cliffs Bay at about 3.5km and located in the nearby small village. The Three Cliffs Bay postcode for here is: SA3 2EH.
The bonus to parking here is that there are toilets and shops around before and after visiting the beach. The downside is that it isn’t that big and because it is the main car park it gets full very fast. That’s why I’ve included a few options for where to park at Three Cliffs Bay in this post.
From this main car park for Three Cliffs Bay, there are a few different footpaths that take you alongside the stream and up and down the sand dunes before bringing you to the beach. One of the paths goes alongside Pennard Castle which is a nice place to visit whilst you’re on your way to the beach.
Here’s a Three Cliffs Bay map for how to get from the Gower Heritage Centre to Three Cliffs Bay:
2 – Southgate National Trust Car Park
If you look in the village of Southgate you will find a National Trust car park next to Three Cliffs Coffee Shop. It’s where Eastcliff and Westcliff road meet.
This car park is also known as Pennard car park with postcode SA3 2AS on Parkopedia.
From here you can follow the Three Cliffs Bay walking route detailed in the image below along the top of the cliff before dropping down into Pobbles Beach via the sand dunes and the Three Cliffs will be next to you.
3 – Parking Near Three Cliffs Bay Holiday Park
Three Cliffs By Holiday Park has the closest access to the beach as from there is it a short walk down a footpath and along stepping stones onto the beach. The Three Cliffs Bay Holiday Park postcode is SA3 2HB.
I’m not sure if they do have public parking onsite but as you approach the holiday park down North Hills Lane there is parking on the map to the left so this is worth a look.
4 – Penmaen Car Park
Penmaen is the other side of Three Cliffs Bay to Southgate as mentioned above but it is about the same distance to walk from the car park to the beach.
This car park is for Tor Bay more than Three Cliffs Bay but seen as they are next to each other then you can use this car park too and follow the footpath down to the beach.
As you can see, there are quite a few options for Three Cliffs Bay Beach parking. One thing to note is that ar parks like this in Wales nearly always charge. It’s usually £3.00-£5.00 for a whole day. Often, because these car parks are in the countryside they are not the new parking machines and therefore do not take card.
So be sure to take some £1.00 coins with you when you visit!
Three Cliffs Bay Walk
As you can see, just getting to Three Cliffs Bay requires some walking, but once you are there if you want to keep walking you can walk along the beach to many different beaches during low tide and along the top of the cliffs when the tide is high.
One of the best Three Cliffs Bay walks to do is from Three Cliffs Bay to Oxwich Bay. This will take you along Tor Bay in-between. Oxwich Bay is another stunning beach on the Gower.
When you are on Three Cliff Bay, be sure to walk to the back of the beach inland and have a play on the stepping stones and also walk along the footpath to Pennard Castle.
You can also walk around Pennard Golf Club if you want another walk near Three Cliffs Bay.
- For more of my Wales and Welsh Beaches posts see:
- Stunning places to visit in Wales!
- The Best Beaches in Pembrokeshire You Can See in ONE DAY!
- How to Get to Barafundle Bay. Stackpole Quay to Barafundle Bay Walk!
- How to Walk from Saundersfoot to Tenby & Tenby to Saundersfoot!
- How To Do The Brecon Beacons Waterfalls Walk to 4 Waterfalls!
- How to Visit St Govan’s Chapel in Pembrokeshire! A Hidden Place!
- How To Spend One Day in Cardiff! A Lush Cardiff Itinerary!