I grew up in the Midlands, just a stones throw away from the centre of England. Which basically means as far away from the sea as you can get. 

So when it came to choosing a University "close to a beach" was my number 1 consideration. My desire to live by the sea wasn't quenched by those 3 short years, and so here I am still, almost 16 years later, living just a matter of miles from the beach, with no intention of ever moving again unless it's even closer still. 

So with countless hours of those 16 years spent on the many beaches of Gower, I thought I'd share with you all my favourite 5. But I can not do this without first saying there are no bad beaches on Gower, there are none to avoid or that aren't worth a visit. They are all amongst the most stunning beaches you will ever have the pleasure to walk along.

So in no particular order here they are;

Horton

This isn't my all time favourite, but it is the beach we go to the most. It's not too far from our house, and you can park up right next to it, so when you're carrying picnics and body boards galore you don't have too far to go. There's a toilet block, which is always handy when you have children. There's lifeguards in summer, and because it's that little bit further away than other beaches it's usually pretty empty. You can even make the walk to the next beach along; Port Eynon, if you need a shop, or ice cream or fish and chips, and in summer who doesn't need those things?! 

It has the perfect combination of sand dunes to run down, and a lovely smattering of pebbles along the sand to entertain our wannabe fossil hunter children, and the waves are usually just big enough to have a fun time bodyboarding or kayaking but not so big it's overun with surfers ;)

Mewslade

Ok Mewslade is one of my all time favourites, but I do feel like I'm being unfaithful to my other favourites just saying that. For this one you park in a farmer's field, walk down through some woods and then there is quite a scramble down to the beach, and it's only really worthwhile if the tide is out. But boy is it worth it. There are caves, and so many rocks to climb on, and big sandy stretches and big old waves too. And because of that aforementioned walk and scramble combination, even on the sunniest of days you'll only be sharing it with a handful of people. It's one that too many people have never even heard of, let alone been too, but it's one not to be missed.

Rhossili (and Llangennith)

I can't not mention the beach that's repeatedly been nominated the UK's number 1 beach. This is where we go when we have visitors and we want to show off, and also when we want to park for free (hooray for National Trust car parks.) You can either walk along the cliffs here and admire the view or walk down the hill to the beach. But it is a bit of a trek to get back up, well with 3 children it can feel that way anyway. But the shipwreck (pictured above) is pretty impresive and always a big hit with our children.

There is also Llangennith which is another favourite I couldn't miss out and it is the other end of Rhossili, and you can walk between the two. It is a popular choice for surfers and is pretty easy access (no steep hills) and "Eddie's" the cafe in the car park is definitely worth a visit too. There's also a camp site here if you are looking for a great location for a holiday.

Nicholaston and Tor Bay

Whilst Nicholaston and Tor bay are technically two separate beaches, at low tide you can walk between the two easily and I'm not sure we ever just go to one without walking round to the other, as it makes a lovely circular walk. Which I know for our 3 children is always much easier as you're already technically heading home when you start out.

Nicholaston will always have a special place in my heart as it holds special memories for me. On sunny Sundays at university a big group of us would all pile into cars after church and spend the rest of the day there. Some of my most carefree days were spent there.

It's a fair walk down to get there, but if you walk through the woods at Nicholaston you might be lucky enough to find the rope swing. The whole walk is stunning and once you get down to the beach and you're the only people for miles you'll know it will have been worth it.

Three Cliffs Bay

It was really hard to narrow this down to just 5 beaches. We have so many to choose from, and like I said before they are all stunning. I think the last spot should go to three cliffs though, we don't actually make it down there as often as we would like. Parking can be tricky and wherever you do park, it's a fair old walk, and if you ask our children about the last time we walked down there they'll tell you they almost died (they didn't, but that's what they'll tell you!). But on the rare occasions we do get there it really is one of the most incredible beaches on the planet. 

I would love to hear about your favourite Gower beaches in the comments, and if you are lucky enough to live or visit here then do be sure to check these 5 out and let me know how you get on!

I can already hear the outcry from locals that their personal favourites didn't make my top 5, so let me just reiterate this list is personal, but here's a few bonus suggestions, just because... Pwll Du, Fall Bay, and Slade.

Now go, get out, and have an adventure!