Worm's Head - Where Did It Get It's Unusual Name?

Worm's Head at High Tide - Viewed From Rhossili Downs

The Rhossili islet of Worm's Head (known locally as "The Worm") winds more than two kilometres out into the Atlantic Ocean and is the Gower Peninsula's most westerly tract of land. The islet is 1.61 kilometres long and is attached to the mainland by a 0.5 kilometre rocky causeway that is exposed for about five and a half hours at low water during calm weather.

Worm's Head from Rhossili Cliffs -
Probably the Finest Spot in the UK to View a Spectacular Sunset

Worm's Head really has to be Gower's most visually exciting and photogenic landscape and should be the number one port of call to tourists visiting the peninsula. Caution MUST be exercised by those wanting to actually cross over to the islet though as fatalities have occurred when people cut off from the mainland by the rising tide have attempted to swim back ashore. Even the strongest of swimmers cannot survive the dangerous currents which surge across the causeway - even when the water level is still relatively low. Thankfully, there is no need to risk such dangers as the best view of Worm's Head are gained not from the islet itself but from Rhossili Cliffs and, for the more energetic, the heights of Rhossili Downs.

But how, exactly, did this islet - famous for its dramatic beauty - get its unusual name? And no, it was not named after those small wriggly invertebrates little garden birds like to peck at and gardeners are so often prone to slicing through with their spades.

Worm's Head

It actually dates back to the time when the original Viking marauders first crossed the Atlantic towards the shore of Rhossili. As they headed on into the bay, it would have been a great spectacle for these warrior men to see this startling, twisted land mass loom towards them like some majestic leviathon. And so it was that the Viking's title for this islet was sealed as "The Wurme" - meaning Dragon/Serpent. Over time, this became corrupted to our present day "Worm's Head." However, it is very interesting to note just how many people still refer to Gower's most famous natural wonder with a name far closer to the Viking original.