UKH

I'd love to hear your recommendations especially the ones that aren't the usual suspects......

I'll kick off: Barad (E1 5b)

A brilliantly exposed arete E2/3

Wraith (E2 5c)

I remember Wishful Thinking (E1 5b)  being a good un.  steep on monster jugs. 

Mad Hatter's Tea Party (E1 5a)

Rock Idol (E1 5a) and Mother Carey's Eliminate (E2 5b) are both superb

The Coriolis affair (E2 5c)

a bit of an hidden gem in my opinion

A bit of a sandbag at E2 imo! Well, compared to other Pembroke E2/3 anyway. Very good though, second the recommendation.

Sealhunt (E1 5b) is probably the best E1 I've done in Pembrokeshire. 

It's right next to Heart of Darkness/New Morning (E1 5b) too.

Another vote for Sealhunt John. You dusting off your gear again?

I'm also fond of Charenton Crack but that divides opinion. Olive Branch is E4 but I recall it feeling pretty soft and is right there.

Can't beat Lucky Strike (E1 5b). Can do it from a high tide belay too, with a longer traverse above the waves.

In smeg-free conditions, Keelhaul (E2 5c) is excellent face climbing. Silver Shadow (E2 5b) is one of the best, steep, atmospheric and cracky.

Gravy Train (E3 5c) is an adventurous one. On a similar note, The Soup Dragon (E2 5c) is a hidden gem, an all time favourite of mine, if you're into that type of thing (it isn't like a st govs route!).

I'm sure it would be. Don't be impatient like me and try something at the top of your grade in high humidity. Ewww....

Another vote for Wishful Thinking (E1 5b), really enjoyable almost-sport climbing.

In the North, Beyond the Azimuth (E1 5b)  is a great climb.

Pigs on the Wing (HVS 5a) just below your grade range but might get an E for exposure.

If you want something a bit different try The Pear (HVS 5b).  Don't let the grade put you off, I thought it was good value at 5b.

Magic Flute (E1 5b)

Definitely esoteric. Starts from a nice sandy beach, away from the crowds.  Might be an acquired taste as you climb up to, through and out of a tube, we found it amusing anyway!

Silver Shadow at Stackpole is amazing E2, probably the best of the dozens I've done there at the grade. Gets little traffic compared to Mowing Word

Everyone loves to rave about Rock Idol etc at Mother Carey's but I absolutely loved Brazen Buttress

Yes dusting off the gear......again...... Hopefully heading to The land of wonders next weekend.

Thanks for the recommendations everybody, I love hearing of these worthy routes that are that might not necessarily spring to mind when bowling up in Pembs, they'll all go on the list......

Gravy Train (E3 5c) For the comments alone!  The first lines of most of those comments will make my partner smile....

Preposterous Tales (E2 5b)
 

Bit below the grade but Pigs on the Wing (HVS 5a), what an adventure

Other would be Bon Voyage (E2 5b)

Deranged (E2 5b)

really enjoyed this for a well protected E2!

Even more of an adventure when you fail half way 😁

here are a few great routes that are aren't as well quite as known:

Chimnastics (E1 5b) - proper adventure climbing in a quite part of the range

next to the previously mentioned Mad Hatter's Tea Party (E1 5a) the The Gong (E1 5b) is excellent. make sure you bang the gong on the flake as you climb past. do the lower pitches of these abseiling in again after the first then do the top pitch once which they share to get out.

Startruck (E1 5a) - one of the most wild/biggest roof routes at the grade you will ever do but very amenable. better than many of the well known classics

Dolphin Pod (E2 5b) gets you onto the edge of Stackpole but without the tide faff and commitment.

when you are at rusty walls doing Lucky Strike (E1 5b) the variation Strike Lucky (E1 5b) and Good Luck, Mr Gronski (E1 5b) are particularly good too

another belter that you could combine with the previously mentioned Magic Flute (E1 5b) is Chimera (E2 5c)

Great recommendations! I've done most of the ones from the Wired guide, but there's some more there I hadn't heard of. I've just been down there the last week - was very quiet, even the weekends - but next time I go I shall check those out.

Have you done New Age Traveller (E2 5b) or anything in the Cauldron?

Not yet but have a mental note to do New Age Traveller, not totally convinced I'll enjoy much in the Cauldron but willing to hear recommendations of easier routes there. It looks a cool location.

Underneath the Arches (E2 5c) is awesome

Good to have a grade in hand for this one... and a partner with whom you can communicate telepathically

Not sure whether it's one of the usual suspects but First Blood (E2 5c) is excellent - well-protected and fun if you can finger jam.

Sadly I think this will have been affected by a major rockfall that has taken out most of the first pitch of Across the Universe (E2 5b) . Might still be doable but probably changed the grade. I did Across the Universe (which was also amazing) a few years ago before the rockfall and Startruck did look wild.

I did it last year and it seems unaffected. Not done Across the Universe (E2 5b) but it might be best approached via Startruck (E1 5a). However the rockfall area looks pretty clean so it might be worth investigating.

Soup Dragon

The High Life

Coriolis Affair

Inner Space

Glad to hear you're back on trad. Let me know if you're ever stuck for a partner.

Oh that's good, will have to go back and try it sometime. Did it seem fair for the grade?

Yes, it is excellent. I thought quite hard for the grade but that might be me. 

Calisto (E1 5b) and Rear Wind (HVS 5a) at St Govan's East are also very good. I thought Calisto quite friendly for the grade.

Did these a couple of weekends ago. Both very good. Calisto felt HVS to me.

Rear wind deserves 3 stars, amazing positions I thought.

Perfect pitch as a deep water solo is worth seeking outPerfect Pitch (6a+ S1)

yes, much easier than it looks, you can crawl along some of the break if you don't want to hand traverse it. Needs careful ropework management and confidence in the grade on P2, technical crux might even be on P1. 

I'm picking my daughter up from Heathrow on the 31st so will be passing Brsl on Fri/Sat 29/30th if you are around.  Also keeping August fairly free to climb and remember how to place nuts....

I think I'm going to make a ticklish of all the routes recommended here and see if we can get them all done next weekend (!) minus the banned ones and perhaps the ones done before..... I hope the list doesn't get too much longer.....or harder.....

First Blood E2 (St Govans East) is great especially in a strong westerly and Orogeny E2 (Caerfai) is a nice absorbing slab if you fancy a change from steep limestone

I've heard about your ticklish John, always had you down as a Ken Dodd type!

That sounds like a challenge. Thought of another good one off the beaten track:

The Rip (E2 5b) 

Edit to add: it's given E2 here but I thought E1 was fair at the time. Not your usual Pembroke fare - you do like jamming don't you?

a few on range west are worth seeking out. 

Obsession (E2 5c) is very good and steady

Rainbow Warriors (E2 5b) is sustained with good protection

Golden Eagle (E1 5b) is a tiny bit bold but the holds are excellent.

Discovery (HVS 5a) I thought was tremendous for the grade, steep start and then very steady.

finally Spellcaster (E1 5b)was amazing, range west juggy heaven.

well worth going in for the briefing and take a mountain bike to make the walk a bit less tiresome.

First Blood (E2 5c) is very much one of the usual suspects, but it's worth highlight it anyway, because it's one of the finest pitches that I've ever had the pleasure of climbing.

Also in that area is Forbidden Fruits (E3 5c), which is trickier than your average Pembroke E3 5c, and all the better for it.

Also for something different in north Pembroke  Carreg-y-Barcud Area has a whole sweep of fine slabby routes in the E1-3 range, topped off by the amazing Kitten Claws (E3 5c).

Thanks everybody, I've noted all your recommendations and will definitely get round to climbing the ones I've not done before, asking opinions of others takes away a good deal of procrastination for me and gets me on the lines I may not have found on my own, or thought I may enjoy.  We did find our way to Pembroke at the weekend and had a very sunny Friday at Becks bay (awesome campsite by the way, 5 mins walk from crag and a pizza oven!) We climbed "Magic Flute" and "The scoop" Which I thoroughly recommend but were unsure as to what the tide would allow on the rest of the cliff so we went over to Mother Carys where we did "Star Gate" something I've always wanted to do since Chris Craggs wrote about it in his book "Limestone"  but had always been in bird ban in previous visits. Again wonderful route, the comment that best sums it up in the logbooks is "not a crimp in sight". Back to an atmospheric Mother Careys on Sat saw us manage only Brazen buttress in the wind and slight rain above a heaving sea before accepting the weather was not going to be with us for the rest of the weekend..... It was all more than enough though....

If you're after an adventure I'd highly recommend Alien World (E3 5c), which is located in Blind Bay - just around the corner from Mother Carey's.

It doesn't seem to get done all that often, and can (due to it being in a cave and having extremely tidal access) be quite tricky to get into condition, but I can guarantee that if you do get on it you'll have a truly unforgettable experience. I posted a few pics, and further words, over on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/CTZTgp_jwhp/?hl=en), if they're of interest. 

I’m by no means a Pembroke aficionado. But Alien World (E3 5c) is an absolutely great adventure and should be on many peoples list. I was reluctantly dragged up this route and ended up having a ball. Get on it!

Esoteric? It was clean, brilliant climbing! Good shout. And the e3 next door

Another vote for Gravy Train - a terrific outing, and certainly not one of the USes when I did it 20 years ago. Kudos to whoever linked to the logbooks - some hilarious entries (who on earth takes their phone down when doing this kind of route?!). Poignant to see the late Tim Newton on the list.

jcm

I think Inner Space, if you find it dry, is a superb tale of two pitches. 

Glad you liked Magic Flute. (Only just seen your reply).