Worm's Head
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Worm's Head () is a headland, at
Rhossili Rhossili (; ) is a small village and community on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula in Wales. It is within the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom. The village has a community council and is part of the Gowe ...
, part of the
City and County of Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
, Wales. It is the furthest westerly point of the
Gower Peninsula The Gower Peninsula (), or simply Gower (), is a peninsula in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan, and is now within the City and County of Swansea. It projects towards th ...
. The name Worm's Head is derived from an Old English word 'wyrm' for 'sea serpent'. The headland of carboniferous limestone comprises three islands: the Inner Head, the Middle Head which features a collapsed sea cave which is known as the Devil's Bridge, and the Outer Head. In total, it is approximately one mile long. The Inner Head is up to 200 yards wide. Worm's Head is only accessible on foot for hours either side of low tide, fatal to attempt to wade or swim to when the causeway from the mainland is flooded. The poet
Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...
initially described the Worm's Head as "the very promontory of depression" and was forced once to spend the night on the Head after being trapped by the tide. Visitors are still caught out by the incoming tide and, in September 2020, seven Swansea University students were rescued by the local RNLI lifeboat after getting stranded on Worm's Head by the incoming tide. In January 2025, during Storm Éowyn, another seven students were rescued from the island.


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{{coord, 51.5641, N, 4.3198, W, display=title Headlands of Swansea Islands of Swansea Tidal islands of Wales Gower Peninsula