AONB

A back-breaking soft mattress and a dog that growls at any outside noise do not for a peaceful night’s sleep make. I woke up at 4.30am and had to read to pass the time. The current book is the insightful ‘What’s the Matter with America?’ by Thomas Frank, which Han passed onto me. It’s helping to shape my understanding of the psyche behind American politics and despite the early start, I did learn a new word in the process: calumniate.

The sis and I had a very memorable day in Rhossili on the western end of the Gower. We started with a tramp up the cliff overlooking Rhossili beach, through the heather and down to the caravan park at the other end. There we nestled in the dunes enjoying both ice cream and sun, and then walked back via the shoreline to Rhossili village. On the way the dog failed at retrieving sticks from the waves, even though he wanted to play it constantly. There were clusters of barrel (otherwise known as dustbin-lid) jellyfish washed up on the beach. I also snacked on a Bounty, which is the first time I’ve voluntarily bought one. I decided it was more health-giving than a Boost or Twirl, even though all of these chocolate bars are given enticing names by marketing departments.

Back at Rhossili we set out for the long narrow island of Worm’s Head, accessible at low tide across the rocks and mussel beds. Reaching the furthest stack known as Outer Head involves some scrambling and is not to be recommended for those with vertigo. When I reached the base, a bloke was waiting for a second person to ascend with, for safety. His Stoke City t-shirt hinted he could be from my hometown, so we struck up a rapport. It turns out he lives near Nantwich and works at the Stoke football ground with someone who went to my high school. He was less gung-ho than me for scaling the final climb but was convinced when others showed up, and when the heady mix of male competitiveness and testosterone kicked in and led us both to follow some young bucks to the summit. The views were magnificent and it was well worth it.

It’s not hard to understand why the Gower was the first in the UK to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). I wish everyone living in the UK had the opportunity to visit places like this, as I think it would be transformational for people’s relationship with the environment.