UKC

Pembroke Rock - OUT NOW Gear News

© Climbers' Club

Pembroke is a world-class climbing area, renowned for its atmospheric sea cliffs and dramatic rock architecture. With an exclusively trad ethic, steep wall climbing, crack, and groove systems abound, while delightful areas of slabs and easier grade climbs can easily be sought out. Regardless of the climbing, the stunning scenery and great beaches make for a hugely popular holiday destination.

Pembroke Rock showcases a selection of more than 1,050 of the very best climbs, across the full grade range and covering 48 cliffs from St David's Head in North Pembroke all the way to Penally in the south. Selected crags are included from each of the five areas covered by the definitive Climbers' Club guidebooks, and a number of new climbs from 2015 are included.

Pembroke Rock  © Wired Guides/The Climbers' Club
This guide, the second in the Wired Guides series and the first such produced by The Climbers' Club, covers climbs across the full grade range from Diff to E11 and a number of popular deep water soloing venues are described. Authored by two of the area's devoted activists, the detailed route descriptions are supplemented with essential access information and expert local knowledge regarding weather and tidal conditions.

A crag guide, full colour photodiagrams and detailed maps complement the text and make it easy to locate crags and routes.

Stats:

A5

416 pages

1,050 routes

48 crags

Pembroke Rock £29.95, available from the Guidebook Shop on The Climbers' Club website or climbing gear shops. 

Maddy Cope on Beyond the Beyond, Carreg y Barcud, North Pembroke  © Greg Pittam
Maddy Cope on Beyond the Beyond, Carreg y Barcud, North Pembroke
© Greg Pittam

Belgian Tom climbing a Hard Severe in Arch Zawn, Range West  ©  Mark Davies
Belgian Tom climbing a Hard Severe in Arch Zawn, Range West
© Mark Davies

Mandi Dodson on Rusty Slab, VS  © Don Sargeant
Mandi Dodson on Rusty Slab, VS
© Don Sargeant

Nina Leonfellner on Stackpole Grooves, HVS 5a, Stackpole Head West Face  ©  Emma Alsford
Nina Leonfellner on Stackpole Grooves, HVS 5a, Stackpole Head West Face
© Emma Alsford
Mark Davies on Magic Flute, E1, Becks Bay  © Emma Alsford
Mark Davies on Magic Flute, E1, Becks Bay
© Emma Alsford


Just in case you needed any further inspiration, the guidebook authors have put together the following Pembroke Rock Lists. See how many you've done or add them onto your ticklist for the coming year:

The 10 best VSs you may not have heard of:

  1. Act of God, Craig Coetan, North Pembroke
  2. Bullet, Mount Sion, Range West
  3. The Curver, Mowingword
  4. Gargoyle Groove, Stackpole Head (no bird ban)
  5. Gorgeous Grey Groove, Saddle Head (the less crowded bit)
  6.  Io, St Govan's East, Range East
  7.  Joybringer, Bosherston Head (3-pitch adventure)
  8.  Little White Dove, Sitting Bull Buttress, Range East
  9.  Rusty Slab, Becks Bay, Penally
  10.  Threadneedle Street, Mother Carey's Kitchen


Top 10 E1s:

  1. The Arrow, St Govan's Head, Range East
  2. Barad, Trwyn Llwyd, St David's Head Peninsula, North Pembroke
  3. Beyond the Azimuth, Carreg y Barcud, North Pembroke
  4. Cupid's Bow, St Govan's Head, Range East 
  5. Heart of Darkness/New Morning Connection, Mowingword
  6. The Hole, Trevallen, Range East
  7. Mad Hatter's Tea Party, Madman's Point, Range East
  8.  Magic Flute, Scoop Wall, Becks Bay, Penally
  9.  Rock Idol, Mother Carey's Kitchen
  10.  Sealhunt, Mowingword

10 Best Esoteric Routes

  1. Christmas Chasm (VD) Western Walls, Range West
  2. Deep Throat (E3) Triple Overhang, Buttress, Range East
  3. Goneril (E4) Mur Cenhinen, St David's Head Peninsula, North Pembroke
  4. The Gong (E2) Madman's Point, Range East 
  5. Jabberwock (E5) Box Zawn, Hollow Caves Bay, Range East
  6. Pan (E4) No Man's Zawn, Lydstep
  7. Preposterous Tales (E2) Bosherston Head, Range East
  8.  Space (E1) Space Buttress, Range East
  9.  Spacewalk (HVS) Mount Sion East, Range West
  10.  Twinkler (HVS) Trwyn Llwyd, St David's Head peninsula, North Pembroke

5 Best Traverses

  1. The Crossing (E2) Mowingword
  2. The Great Valerio (HVS) Carreg y Barcud
  3. Pigs on the Wing (HVS) Triple Overhang Buttress, Range East
  4. Plane Sailing (E3) Stackpole Head
  5. Riders on the Storm (HVS) Stennis Head, Range East

The Helyg Hut in the Ogwen Valley  © The Climbers' Club
The Climbers' Club was founded in 1898 and is a national club whose objectives are to encourage mountaineering and rock-climbing, and to promote the general interests of mountaineers and the mountain environment. We welcome applications for membership from committed and experienced climbers.

The club owns some of the best hut accommodation in the country and is the biggest publisher of climbing guidebooks in the UK, issuing guides to North Wales, Pembroke, Cornwall, Devon, Lundy and Southern Sandstone. We also publish newsletters, and an annual journal.

Benefits of Membership

  • Access to a network of potential climbing partners all over the country
  • Regular meets throughout the year, in the UK and overseas 
  • Use of the CC's huts in Wales, Cornwall, Peak District and Scotland 
  • Reciprocal rights to other huts in the UK and overseas including USA, New Zealand, Kenya, and South Africa
  • Two annual dinners and various other social events
  • Discounted CC guidebooks from our on-line shop and Cordee

For more information The Climbers' Club



8 Feb, 2016
Looks really excellent, congrats to Emma, Paul and the rest of the team.
I concur, it is very good indeed - lots of routes too (1000+!!). I'll try and get some more constructive thoughts together within a review shortly, watch this space.
9 Feb, 2016
Looks great. Will definitely get one my next Pembroke trip :-)
10 Feb, 2016
Well I'm definitely heading to both Pembroke and Cornwall this year. The guides are fantastic. Not sure how I feel about A5 as a size though? Any recommendations for a first time Pembroker? Anything I should know?
10 Feb, 2016
Looks amazing and most importantly a not-for-profit from which all proceeds go to the BMC!
More Comments

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