Cathole Rock cave in the Gower has a layer of sediment on the floor which has yielded finds that traverse Ice Ages and inter-glacials. Bronze Age tools and pottery. Paleolithic bones of mammoth, woolly rhino, red deer and giant deer. Reindeer, Arctic fox, tundra vole and brown bear.
Some 15,000 years ago (and now protected by a grille) an artist scratched a reindeer into the mineral deposit coating the limestone. From inside, the cave mouth is a wooded vignette and you find yourself wondering what is out there.
This 5.7-mile circular walk takes you from the Gower Heritage Centre in Parkmill to Cathole Rock cave, returning via Pengwern Common, the pretty village of Ilston and the wooded valley of Ilston Cwm.
Looking for more walks in the Gower? Check out our walking guides to Three Cliffs Bay, Rhossili Bay and Pwll Du Beach.
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Gower Heritage Centre walk
5.7 miles / 9.2km | 3.5 hours | moderate | 117m ascent
1. Park Woods
From Gower Heritage Centre follow the road into Park Woods (Coed Y Parc) then turn right through park gates to find the graceful Neolithic communal burial chamber of Long Cairn. Here the remains of some 40 humans were discovered, dating to a time before individual burials became commonplace.
2. Cathole Rock cave
Cathole Rock cave (Ogof Cathole – mooted as being a possibly mortuary for Long Cairn) is concealed in hillside woodland. The woods – underpinned and enriched by limestone – are luminous in summer and lush even in winter.
3. Tooth Cave
As the cultivated parkland narrows, follow Gower way (Ffordd Gŵyr) then almost immediately leave it, keeping to the main path. You will find Tooth Cave (Ogof y Dannedd) to your right. Remains of Bronze Age Beaker people were discovered here, alongside flint tools and bones of domesticated animals. It extends a mile into the hillside, but a grille prevents access.
4. Pengwern Common
The path emerges at the B4271. Turn right. The care necessitated for road-walking is compensated for by the views across Pengwern Common (Comin Pengwern) and the probable encounter with free-roaming ponies – prehistoric commoners grazing rights are still practised.
5. Ilston
Turn right at the bus shelter following the sign to Lunnon, then left onto an unmarked lane. Descend as it narrows, mysterious, cave-like and lovely, to Ilston.
6. Ilston Cwm
In Ilston's church (St Illtyd's Church) the subtle light playing over irregular surfaces serves to remind us that in our buildings, we replicate the caves which we once occupied. Pass through the graveyard into the woods. There are many footbridges and paths, but you need only to head downstream, passing the ruins of the first Baptist chapel in Wales.
7. Gower Inn
The valley emerges at the Gower Inn and a bus stop, but to return to your starting point, cross the road and take the path south and parallel to it.
Gower Heritage Centre map
Gower Heritage Centre walking route and map
Useful Information
Starting Point
Gower Heritage Centre at Parkmill (SA3 2EH) is served by 118 and 119 buses from Swansea (Abertawe).
Terrain
Most of the walk follows well-maintained parkland paths and roads but woodland paths in Ilston Cwm can be muddy and the ascent to the cave is steep and uneven.
Map
OS Explorer 164
Eat/drink
Shed Head Cider at Gower Heritage Centre sells cider pressed from local apples, coffee, pastries, and flour milled at the heritage centre.
Cave Access
The cave is accessible by steep woodland path. The section has been fenced off due to the presence of prehistoric art and bats.
