The quaint coastal village of Oxwich is renowned for its outstanding natural beauty, boasting a stunning beach, castle, sand dunes and woodland. Such is the allure of this picturesque locale that as soon as the sun peeks out, tourists descend in droves to enjoy their weekends and holidays.

During the bustling summer tourist season, the village teems with holidaymakers eager to make the most of their break. The narrow lane leading to the main car park often sees a lengthy queue of vehicles stretching almost up to the main road on the warmest weekends. At these peak times, the expansive car park is brimming with cars, while the beach is awash with sun worshippers and watersports enthusiasts.

But what happens when the season draws to a close, and the throngs of tourists retreat to their homes for autumn and winter? Keith Morgan, 72, who runs the car park adjacent to the beach, experiences a stark contrast in his daily life between summer and now.

Speaking to WalesOnline, he said: “When you get a tourist, you know, it’s pretty hectic, you know, isn’t it?” He added that it is usually quite difficult to get an exact number of cars that enter the car park at peak times. “It could be 300, it could be 200, it depends on the weather. Some days like today, I might only have 25 cars all day, and when April rolls around, I could triple that straight away.”

Keith has a fondness for Oxwich’s quieter winters, stating: “It’s probably because winters are quiet. In summer, it can be hectic; you’re working all the time. Whereas in the winter, you just sit down and chill out until a car comes in. And that could be one car every half hour. I sat here last night, and I had one car in two hours. That’s how quiet it is in the winter.”

Just a stone’s throw from the car park and adjacent to the beach sits the renowned Michelin Star restaurant, Beach House. With its breathtaking views of the beach, alfresco dining area, and delectable cuisine, the restaurant is a popular destination for many tourists visiting Oxwich.

The owner and head chef of Oxwich, Hywel Griffith, divulged his thoughts on why holidaymakers flock to Gower’s shores, attributing the summer influx to the picturesque setting: “The traffic in summer is crazy on the Gower, between the caravans, the buses, and the people down here for holiday – it’s very much a tourist destination. It’s for a good reason because we are in such a wonderful scenic place. I think it’s quite an easy place to get to from London… and it’s really kind of rural scenic, and it’s beautiful.

“Come winter, I know today’s nice and sunny. It’s a bit chilly but we get a lot of rain in Wales and it doesn’t attract as many people which is quite normal. We knew quite early on we had to make a destination restaurant where it’s a special event to come here, even then winter’s tough for us. Thursday lunches can be very quiet at some stages but it’s still a good healthy business but it’s definitely not year-round.”

Not far from Beach House, the Oxwich Bay hotel sees parallels in their business flow.

General Manager Emma Verlander observed: “Obviously, during the summer times, we’re a lot busier, the garden plays host to most of the traffic, people are in and out. It’s a different sort of clientele, in terms of guests.”

She noted: “More families, people who are spending time on the beach, they’re just popping in and out. So it’s a high turnover, people come, they maybe don’t stay for a huge amount of time. We still have our hotel guests who are with us but there’s a lot more traffic, a lot more people around, people just popping in for a quick drink or an ice cream or a coffee, some chips, that sort of thing.”

However, the off-peak season brings about a stark contrast, as Emma shared: “In comparison to the winter when we have our guests, some regulars, a lot of new guests, but people come to get away from it or they come to sit and watch the sea, maybe do walking holidays. We get a lot of walkers in the winter, people who are walking from bay-to-bay or even across Gower, yes, it’s a big comparison if you know the type of guests as well as the amount of guests we have.”

Despite seeing a reduction in customer numbers, both the hotel and the Beach House restaurant observed a shift in clientele.

Hywel, representing the Beach House, explained their strategy during quieter times: “We do some offers, like a lot of restaurants and hospitality businesses do. We try to do offers to our regular guests, we have a mailing list and stuff like that. We do some kind of other promotions and just try and keep the business going really.”

Emma said: “So the way we run our business internally… everybody mucks in, everyone keeps themselves busy. We take the opportunity to do any maintenance that’s needed. We use our time wisely, that’s mainly how it works out for us.”

Both venues are eagerly anticipating the inflow of guests as the warmer months draw near.

Hywel shared his excitement: “We’re here, we’re open, we can’t wait to see everybody. I love a full restaurant. I love the atmosphere. I love people enjoying themselves talking, and it’s like a little theatre in our restaurant.”

Similarly, Emma enthused: “It’s definitely worth a visit to our garden. Join us, come into the restaurant, escape the heat, grab an ice cream, have something to eat.”

Seasoned visitors to Oxwich, who frequent the locale not only in summer, express a preference for its wintry charm. Annabel Jones, 35, and Gavin Courtney, 41, who own a holiday retreat in Oxwich and often escape there on their days off, adore the distinct allure each season brings to the village.

Annabel, a devoted visitor to Oxwich, shared her love for the locale: “It’s just our favourite place to come, even in the winter, it’s lovely weather, beautiful walks with the dog, lovely beach, yeah it’s quiet, it’s nice this time of year,” and continued, “We do come in the summer as well. I prefer the winter because it’s quieter.”

Her husband Gavin also spoke about the seasonal appeal: “They both offer different things. So if you want a nice relaxing quiet time, the winter is a nice time to come. In the summer you get all the activity and liveliness and families.”

Highlighting the year-round appeal, Annabel praised Oxwich for its scenic beauty and pet-friendly environment: “It’s the views, it’s the beaches, the dog walks, the scenery. The hotel [Oxwich Bay Hotel] as well is lovely, it’s a nice place to come when you’re on a dog walk, because it’s dog friendly, we can go for a nice walk on the coastal path on the beach, and pop in for a cup of tea and stuff, it’s lovely.”

Tom Lucas, 28, who partakes in daily dog walking at Oxwich from Swansea, expressed his preference for the less crowded winters: “Very different. There’s a lot more dog walking people and a lot more dog friendly people and then when the summer comes it’s, you know, kids and people who don’t like dogs. So it’s a lot easier in the wintertime and springtime.”

Winter isn’t only a favoured season for the beach’s regulars but also for one seaside business. Harri Barker, the entrepreneurial spirit behind Ty Sawna, which offers a sauna experience directly on the sands, finds winter is when her enterprise truly comes to life.

At 33, Harri has seen a clear seasonal trend in her beach-based sauna service, noting: “It’s completely different. It’s actually peak time in winter. Christmas is usually our peak time, our busiest time of the year just because the contrast between the sauna and the sea is just so much more vast. Each season brings something different so in the summer time we get more holidaymakers, beach bonfires, people playing music and sing-songs.”

She elaborated on the unique allure of the colder months: “People I guess want to hang around a little bit longer and enjoy the beach a little bit more as well, whereas in the winter a lot more people come for the contrast therapy. Lots of locals will come all winter long and come for the contrast between the sea and the sauna.”

Harri, who resided close to the beach herself before relocating to Swansea, recalled the serene winter landscape: “I mean the beach itself is really quiet during the winter time, it’s really peaceful. The sunrises are just gorgeous and you can have a sauna and watch the sunrise through the window because it rises a little bit later.

“It’s a very peaceful place, especially on kind of the sunny winter days when it’s glistening on the sand and it’s super icy and the only people down here are the people using the sauna. So, it kind of feels very wild down here in the winter time and you know whoever’s using the sauna kind of feels like a space just for us.

“Whereas in the summertime, it’s more of a communal feel. There’s people on the beach. Everyone’s got their barbecues going, and it’s more of like a vibrant kind of holiday feel to it in its own special way. It brings something different, but it’s still special all the same.”