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3D view of Rotherslade Bay 3D view
Map
Beach

Rotherslade Bay

Swansea

Directions
Type
Beach
Area
Swansea
Grid ref
SS 6104 8731
Lat, long
51.56756, -4.00627
  • Café
  • Drinks
  • Easy access
  • Food
  • Rock pools
  • Rocky
  • Sand

The Wild Days guide

Rotherslade is Langland’s little neighbour, and it comes into its own as the tide rises. When the sea swallows Langland’s sand, this cove under the cliffs is cut off as its own sheltered pocket, with a cafe at the top of the steps and the cliff path running east round Rams Tor towards Mumbles Head.

Why it’s worth the trip

It is a sociable little spot for a coffee and a dip, and the big rock at the front of the bay, known locally as Donkey Rock, has been a gathering place for generations. Sometimes called Little Langland, it feels smaller and more intimate than its big neighbour.

At low tide you can walk west onto Langland’s sands or poke about the boulders and pools under the cliffs. Then follow the coast path east round Rams Tor to Limeslade, where seals sometimes haul out on the rocks, and on to Bracelet Bay and the lighthouse on Mumbles Head.

Make a wild day of it

Swimming

Rotherslade is fine for a calm-day dip, especially around high tide when the cove is sheltered, but there is no lifeguard. In any swell, or if you are not a strong swimmer, swim between the flags at Langland instead. It is not suited to watersports, and surfers head to Langland; the Crab Island reef, off the eastern end of Langland Bay towards Rams Tor, is a powerful low-tide right-hander for experienced surfers only.

Rock pools and caves

At low tide there are boulders and rock pools under the cliffs, and there is steep bouldering on good rock on the west side, though high tides affect it. More pools wait to the east, towards Rams Tor and Limeslade.

Wildlife

Seals are sometimes seen basking on the rocks at nearby Limeslade. Above the bay, Mumbles Hill Nature Reserve has woodland and limestone grassland. Seabirds work the headlands between here and Mumbles Head, and choughs, peregrines and ravens use this stretch of cliffs.

The rocks

The cliffs and crags around Rotherslade, including Rams Tor and Crab Island, are Carboniferous limestone on the flanks of the Langland Anticline, the same great fold that shapes Langland and Bracelet Bay.

History and stories

Rotherslade once had three hotels. The Osborne Hotel on the hill above is where the Impressionist painter Alfred Sisley stayed in 1897 when he painted Langland Bay, and the Wittemberg was cut back to its Victorian core and reopened as the Little Langland Hotel.

In 1927 Swansea Town Council built a concrete shelter on the beach; it was demolished in 2000 and replaced by the steps you use today. As for Donkey Rock, some say its proper name is Storr’s Rock.

Tides and safety

Rotherslade is a separate beach at high tide and joins Langland as the tide falls, roughly two hours after high water. There is no lifeguard. With a moderate to large swell at high tide, currents and a strong undertow make it unsafe for weaker swimmers.

The rocks are slippery. Jumping from Donkey Rock or the ledges is risky, because the depth changes with the tide and can hide rocks. If you walk the sand through to Langland at low tide, keep an eye on the incoming water.

When to go

Calm summer evenings around high tide are perfect for a sheltered dip. Come at low tide to explore the rocks and walk through to Langland, and early on an out-of-season morning for the quietest visit.

For more space, come at high tide on a weekday, or walk on east round Rams Tor for quieter ledges.

Good to know

  • Toilets: none at the cove. The nearest are at Langland Bay, including an accessible toilet and an outdoor shower.
  • Food and drink: Surfside Cafe sits directly above the cove (dogs welcome), with Langland’s Brasserie and the kiosks at Langland a short walk west.
  • Dogs: banned from the beach from 1 May to 30 September (guide dogs exempt) and allowed the rest of the year. Keep them on a lead on the promenade.
  • Lifeguards: none. The nearest patrolled beach is Langland.
  • Access: steps only, with no wheelchair access to the beach. The cafe terrace and the tarmac path from Langland are an easier way to enjoy the view.

Getting there and parking

  1. Langland Bay car park, Langland Bay Road

    SA3 4SQ council Swansea Council pay and display, open 24 hours; seasonal tariffs listed from £2.50 for an hour up to £17 for 24 hours, with lower resident rates; check current prices. About a 10 minute walk east along the promenade and path.

    Swansea Council pay and display at Langland, open 24 hours, with seasonal tariffs listed from £2.50 for an hour up to £17 for 24 hours and lower resident rates; check current prices. There is no car park at Rotherslade and very little roadside parking, so this is the place to leave the car. It is about a 10 minute walk east along the promenade and path to the steps down to the cove.

    Directions

The walk in. About 600 m east from Langland car park along the promenade and tarmac path, then down the steps from the Surfside Cafe to the sand. At low tide you can simply walk along the beach from Langland.

By bus. The Langland Corner stops, about 400 m away, are served by First Cymru 1, 2, 2A and 3A, South Wales Transport 37 and DANSA 113. Check Traveline Cymru for current timetables.

Walks from here

Routes and trail data by Ghrups

Traced on the paths with Ghrups trail data. Dashed: along the beach or over open ground.

Rotherslade to Mumbles Head via Rams Tor and Limeslade

Easy

3.2 mi (5.2 km) 2h 135 m up out and back

Start: Rotherslade Bay

From the Surfside Cafe above Rotherslade, follow the concrete coast path east and uphill past a carved bench, round the rocky outcrop of Rams Tor and down past the old lookout station to Limeslade, then on to Bracelet Bay with the lighthouse on Mumbles Head ahead. Look out for seals on the rocks at Limeslade. The path is firm and well used with a few steady slopes; walk back the same way or catch a bus from Mumbles.

15 mtop 36 m
  • Paved 65%
  • Path 26%
  • Open ground 7%
  • Steps 2%
  • 2h at a steady pace (1h34 brisk, 2h49 relaxed)
  • Steep in places
  • 6 flights of steps
  • Through Gower National Landscape

Trail data by Ghrups

Wales Coast Path: Limeslade Bay to Caswell Bay

Easy

3.1 mi (5.0 km) 2h 151 m up linear

Start: Limeslade Bay

A family-friendly stretch of the Mumbles cliffs. Start at Limeslade, where grey seals sometimes haul out on the rocks, and follow the path round Rams Tor past the leaping-fish sculpture to Rotherslade, along the promenade by Langland's beach huts, then round the rugged cliffs past Snaple Point to Caswell, finishing at a bench carved with fish and surfboards. The path is mostly firm with some steps, there are cafes and toilets at Limeslade, Langland and Caswell, and buses link both ends with Swansea.

7 mtop 52 m
  • Paved 60%
  • Path 25%
  • Open ground 5%
  • Gravel 5%
  • Sand 3%
  • 1h54 at a steady pace (1h26 brisk, 2h39 relaxed)
  • Steep in places
  • 2 flights of steps
  • Through Gower National Landscape

Trail data by Ghrups

Mumbles Hill and Rotherslade short circular

Moderate

3.4 mi (5.4 km) 1h45 177 m up circular

Start: Bracelet Bay car park

A shorter take on the Mumbles Hill circular: over Mumbles Hill Nature Reserve and through Thistleboon, then down Rotherslade Road to the coast path and back east round Rams Tor and Limeslade to Bracelet Bay. Expect steep concrete steps on Mumbles Hill and a stiff climb up Tichbourne Street.

16 mtop 64 m
  • Path 42%
  • Paved 39%
  • Open ground 12%
  • Earth 5%
  • Steps 2%
  • 1h47 at a steady pace (1h24 brisk, 2h29 relaxed)
  • Steep in places
  • 4 flights of steps
  • Through Mumbles Hill Nature Reserve, Gower National Landscape

Trail data by Ghrups

Routes are traced from open map data. Check the tide times before you set off, and carry a proper map.

The lie of the land

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Nearby

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