Читать книгу Walking on the Gower. 30 walks exploring the AONB peninsula in South Wales онлайн

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The Loughor Estuary and Burry Inlet have the fourth largest salt marsh in Britain bounded by a number of limestone bluffs which were next to the sea 5000 years ago. The marsh developed in the shelter of Whiteford Burrows from east to west. The only major area of salt marsh to be enclosed is Cwm Ivy Marsh when an earthen sea wall was built in 1638 which was later given a drystone facing.

Salt marsh, Pennard Pill (Walks 7 and 9)

The greatest number of plant species can be found along the upper fringes where the marsh merges with sand dunes, water meadows and freshwater marsh. Areas that are covered daily by the tides have a relatively small number of salt-tolerant species with areas nearest to low water dominated by glasswort, annual sea-blite and common cord-grass. The mid-marsh community comprises a closely grazed sward of common saltmarsh-grass with sea-purslane growing along the creek sides. This grades into the upper zone where the common saltmarsh-grass is mixed with red fescue, thrift and sea milkwort.