Welsh poet Vernon Watkins (1906-1967) published eight volumes of verse and was described by fellow poet Kathleen Raine as “the greatest lyric poet of my generation”.
He lived just a short walk from here in a house overlooking the cliffs. Every day Watkins caught the bus to Swansea where he worked as a bank clerk. When he got home, he would go out for a walk and then settle down to write. Watkins was often seen wandering these cliffs. His deep love and knowledge of the local species meant he was able to name the birds, flowers, and even the weeds that flourished here. He wrote in the poem Taliesin in Gower:
Though Watkins was a perfectionist, sometimes writing 50 drafts of a poem, others came to him almost fully formed. One poem, Griefs of the sea, was described as coming “screaming across the grasses of Pennard cliffs” towards him:
The poem might have been inspired by a local shipwreck. In 1760 a naval ship, The Caesar, crashed against the rocks off nearby Pwlldu Point. Close to seventy people drowned. The tragedy was made more poignant as most of the dead were men from Swansea and Bristol who had been press ganged into naval service against their will. Chained up deep in the ship’s hold, they had no chance of escape.
Once read, Watkins’ work cannot be forgotten. Try reading his poems here or while striding along these cliffs that were such inspiration for him. Good poetry deepens our experience of a place, and stunning landscapes like this echo and enhance the words of the poem.
Look at a map, or walk the Wales Coast Path and you’ll see that the dramatic coastline of South Gower, which inspired Vernon Watkins and Dylan Thomas, is a series of points and headlands (including Mumbles Head, Pwlldu Point, Oxwich Point, Port Eynon Point and Worms Head) intercut with sandy beaches and bays.
These beaches and headland walks draw visitors and tourists from woldwide to this tiny peninsula. The landscape is also one of the reasons why Gower was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
But why is this coastline so dramatic?
The rocks under our feet here are Carboniferous Limestone. These rocka are 'permeable', meaning that water can pass through. Limestone is dissolved by rainwater and eroded by surging waves battering the cliffs, exploiting lines of weakness in the rock. Spectacular landforms like stacks, pinnacles, caves, arches and rocky bays are the legacy left behind.
Vernon Watkins, ‘Swansea’s other poet’, is probably best known for his friendship with Dylan Thomas. Yet his work stands alone as one of the most distinctive voices in twentieth-century poetry.
This viewpoint was a special place for Watkins. He often sat here on the clifftop overlooking Hunts Bay below and Pwlldu Point ahead, summoning inspiration for his poetry.
| Location: | Hunts Bay, near Southgate, Gower, Wales |
| Grid reference: | SS 56100 86900 |
| Getting there: | Parking and toilets at nearby Fox Hole car park (SA3 2DH) |
| Keep an eye out for: | The rare yellow whitlow grass - a dainty yellow wildflower that only grows on the Gower peninsula |
| Stay local: | For where to stay in Gower from self-catering cottages to camping and glamping visit Gower Holidays |
| To find out more about Gower: | |
| Stretch your legs: | If you're looking for a walk around Hunts Bay, check out this 4 mile trail from the National Trust |
Thank you to -
Caroline Millar for writing and photographing the viewpoint
Helen Nicholas and Gower Unearthed for their invaluable help creating this viewpoint.
Mrs Gwen Watkins for permission to use a photograph of Vernon Watkins
Jeff Towns for providing photographs of Vernon Watkins
Gary Gregor for information on Vernon Watkins from his weekly column on Gower's hidden history
Chris Lindley at Gower AONB
James Stringer and Visit Swansea Bay for photo reproduced under Creative Commons License
Rory Walsh and Helen Rawling for edits and advice