Pennard Cliffs Caves

Pennard Cliffs are a range of carboniferous limestone stretching from Three Cliffs to the west to Pwlldu in the east. Within its 3.22km of National Trust owned coastline are a whole string of significant bone caves, with two of them in particular probably being the finest example of these archeological site on the entire Gower Peninsula.

The first cave that is reached on the journey eastwards from Three Cliffs is that of Ravenscliff. This is a large cave, located in the rock here some 12 metres above sea level. Its entrance, measuring 5 metres wide by 5 metres high, and unfortunately graffiti-ridden with gloss paint, narrows inside to 1.5 metres wide by 0.5 metres high and continues some 7 metres into the cliff rock. Excavated around 1860 by Colonel Wood, his finds here included the bones of a hippopotamus, straight-tusked elephant, slender-nosed rhinoceros, horse, bison, hyena, cave lion and cave bear.

The second cave encountered on Pennard Cliffs is Resurgence Cave . Located between the high and low water marks on the rock, the cave is only accessible at very low tides. Flowing from the cave is the Westcliff Spring, which is unfortunately polluted and exudes a rather offensive odour here. Entering the cave, a passage can be followed for 10 metres at which point the spring can be seen to well up from a narrow fissure in the rock. Past this point the passage continues to a narrow shaft which rises to a slender opening higher on the cliff face.

A little further east and 10 metres above sea level lays Forester's Cave. Named after the man who excavated the site in 1919, the cave measures 12 metres high by 10 metres wide by 8 metres deep, and is washed at high tide by storm waves. The only finds of any archaeological significance was a bone of a woolly rhinoceros. This now lays in public view at Swansea Museum.

Foxhole Cave is located high in the cliff near Southgate . It has two entrances, its main one measuring 2.3 metres high by 1.6 metres wide. The interior of the cave, which extends 5 metres from its entrance, is blackened from the fires that have been lit within the cave.
Minchin Hole is the next cave reached. This is, without question, the largest and most impressive of all the Gower bone caves, but is quite difficult to reach. This fact, however, has ensured that it has not been spoilt by graffiti or littered like many of the other more accessible caves on the peninsula. It is located some 600 metres south-south-east of the old bus terminus at Southgate , where it can be found below a small limestone knoll. The route down the cliff requires some very careful scrambling and access to the cave should not really be attempted by anyone feint of heart. Minchin Hole has been excavated on several occasions; Colonel Wood being the first to investigate the cave in the middle of the 19th Century. Later excavations took place in 1932 by T. N. George and then again between 1946 and 1957 by J. Mason and J. G. Rutter (former Curator of Swansea Museum). Their extensive finds, available to be viewed a Swansea Museum include the remains of a straight-tusked elephant, bison, soft-nosed rhinoceros, cave bear, reindeer, wolf and hyena. Inhabited during the Upper Palaeolithic period, the later excavations by J. Mason and J .G. Rutter proved that the cave was again inhabited during both the Romano-British occupation and again in the Dark Ages when the cave would have offered a secret hideout to anyone who made their home here. Finds of these periods include over 750 pieces of cooking pots, jars, beakers, dishes and bowls, spindle whorls, combs, finely worked bone spoons, bronze brooches and numerous coins. The cave is home to hibernating bats in winter months and the National Trust has requested that this cave is not visited.

Devil's Hole, which is also known by the name of Bowen's Parlour, is a decent sized cave which is divided into two by a horizontal partition of rock some 0.5 metres thick. Its entrance is over 6 metres high, but only the lower portion, some 3.5 metres high, is accessible from the exterior of the cave. The partition extends well into the cave before finally being undermined by sea-erosion. From here, the upper portion of the cave can be explored. The floor of the cave is covered in stalagmite which extends to the full 12 metre depth of cave.

Like the cave before it, the next cave of Pennard Cliffs is known by two names - Bosco's Den and Bacon's Eye. A double cave, the lower entrance can only be reached at low tide and then requires a steep climb down to the shore and then another 290 metres scramble up the cliff's east wall. A further, rather perilous, excursion along a crumbling ledge finally needs negotiating before the cave is finally reached. The cave, triangular shaped, is 3 metres wide by 7 metres high and extends some 19 metres into the cliff rock. The west wall of the cave has stony material adhering to it, amongst which can be found the toothless mandible of a fox. The cave once contained a large stalactite, but only the stump of this remains embedded in the cave's roof - earlier explorers having removed it. Rarely visited due to its difficult access the cave has yielded the finds of bear and wolf bone and an incredible 1100 shed reindeer antlers.

Bacon Hole is one of Gower's larger and more famous caves. Easily accessed from a footpath from Eastgate, Southgate , its entrance is over 20 metres wide and extends for some 45 metres into the cliff at a good walking height. The cave has both an upper chamber and an offshoot that is angled to the right of the cave. This offshoot continues to a depth of about 10 metres and it was here in 1912 that Abbe Breuil and Professor Sollas discovered the 10 wide red coloured bands that gave the cave it's famous name. These dark red streaks on the rock were sealed by a film of translucent stalagmite, and were believed at that time to be rare examples of Palaeolithic art. For a while, Bacon Hole courted both notoriety and controversy but it was not long before it was noted that the celebrated marks changed with the passing of time and were nothing more than red oxide mineral seeping through the rock. The remains of an iron gate, constructed to protect the site during the height of its fame can still be found here, but the marks themselves have disappeared behind a screen of graffiti. The cave itself has been shown to be occupied during both the Iron Age and Romano-British eras and its archeological finds can again be seen in Swansea Museum . The cave is an important wintering site for two species of Horseshoe bats.
Ogof-y-Cregyn Cave was only discovered in September 1986 and is located at the foot of the cliff 6 metres below High Pennard Promontory Fort. With a rectangular cave entrance measuring 2.3 metres by 1.1 metres high, it penetrates the cliff face to a depth of three metres. The remains of sheep, goats and humans have been uncovered here.