The western extremity of the Gower is guarded by this mile-long promontory, which turns into an island at high tide. Worms Head takes its name from the Old English wurm, meaning 'dragon' – a reference to its snaking, Loch-Ness-monster profile. Seals bask around its rocks, and the cliffs are thick with razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes, fulmars and puffins during nesting season (April to July).
There is a five-hour window of opportunity (2½ hours either side of low tide) when you can walk out across a causeway and along the narrow crest of the Outer Head to the furthest point of land. Check the tide tables posted at the Rhossili Visitor Centre carefully, as people are regularly rescued after being cut off by the rising waters. Among those who have spent a cold, nervous night trapped here was the young Dylan Thomas, as he relates in the story 'Who Do You Wish Was With Us?', from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. If you do get stuck, do not try to wade or swim back: the currents are fierce and the rocks treacherous.
