UKH

I'm hoping to rectify the shocking fact that I've never climbed in Pembrokeshire and would appreciate some planning advice please.

Any pointers on:

1. When to go (conditions, birds, military?)

2. What areas for a good first 3-4 day trip?

3. Possible accommodation - we have the van option but would like a campsite/shower now and then.

4. 'Must do' route suggestions at VS-HVS for my partner or E1-E3 for me?

I've got the 2009 Rockfax but would appreciate some ideas to give us focus on a sensible first trip. Pretty comfortable on sea cliffs but negotiating the ranges would be new to us. Not quite sure where to look for up to date info on this or whether we should just avoid the issue.

Thanks!

To avoid issues with birds and the military, August is usually good. Range East is usually fully open to the public for the whole month, and most of the bird bans end late July, some in mid August. There is always something to climb though, and many cliffs aren't bird banned and/or lie outside the ranges (Lydstep, Mother Carey's and everything in the north).

Picking a few days with suitable tides is a very good idea. The tidal range is huge, so having an afternoon low gives you more opportunities. There are also non-tidal venues.

For E1 - E3 you've got a great selection, all of starred routes at St Govan's, Trevallen, Stennis Head and Ford, Mewsford, Mother Carey's and Stackpole are great.

It's a little more limited below E1, at least for classics, but there are still hundreds of routes to do! Classic venues at those grades would be Stennis Head and Saddle Head, there are also some great spots at the western end of Range East, like Flimston. Mowing Word is also brilliant at these grades. The sandstone crags in the north have a good selection too, about an hour's drive from St Govan's.

Just a comment about accommodation and vans.

Pembroke aint Scotland.  The law is different and it is much more crowded.  The appeal of the seafront laybys and car parks is obvious but they can get clogged up with camper vans and the last time I was there, there were messages on the media saying 'If you haven't got a booking at a campsite, don't come'.  I might have mis-remembered this but I think that the local police had in the past got drawn into moving vans on who appeared to be settling down for the night.

It is an absolutely wonderful area though.

Simon's field in Bosherton for vanning. It's pretty cheap and sparse but near the pub and good location for climbing.

Inner Space (HVS 4c) is a must, whatever grade you climb!

I always struggled with the steepness of Pembroke Limestone but the following were all outstanding:

Aero at Crickmail

Galactic Coordinator at Triple O/H

Space on Space Buttress

Riders on the Storm at Stennis

Lucky Strike at Rusty Walls

Front Line, St Govans

Heart of Darkness at Mowing Ward.

St David's peninsula is arguably more scenic with many gems hidden away, all on steep, sandstone slabs. My favourites were,

Chinon and Shiraz

Armorican, Oregony and Uncertain Smile at Caerfi.

Haven't been for years but Easter always seemed crowded with climbers while in August the crags were deserted.

Pembroke was always the place to go at Easter in the eighties before cheap sun rock flights to Spain came in. Squalid camping in the Vicarage Field at Bosherston and Mrs Weston's tearoom then the beers in the pub after climbing. Great days and fantastic routes, so many to choose from ...

Happy days!

Thanks for the tips and suggestions - will certainly bear the van thing in mind. We're happier on an official site most of the time anyway.

It sounds like August and based in the south would work. I'll trying to get fit! Although stuff like Sinecure and Kitten Claws appeal.

Any thoughts on ab ropes? We have a big 100m static, been meaning to cut it down to 80m ish.

Also, what about the rack? Lots of nuts? Or more cams a la Gogarth?

For rack, definitely include some cams, in my experience the gear is usually a mix of small to mid sized nuts and cams. And take a few slings for threads and spikes.

I've usually been ok abbing on a 60m rope, though that may not be true at every crag and a longer rope may give you more options. 80m should be more than enough. 

I can't think of anywhere in south Pembrokeshire where one of my retired 50m lead ropes wasn't long enough to abseil in.

The pitches are long, so a double set of nuts will be needed. The rock is rough, so if you can get something to protect the rope at the top, that is advisable. 60m Ab rope will get you everywhere, I think. Probably 50. 

I'd even suggest tripples, at least in the medium sizes, and at least 20 quick draws for the longer routes. 

Amorican, N Pembokeshire. The best v.s.in Britain?   https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/caerfai_bay-69/armorican-2545

Abseils: As Mark Kemball says 50m is enough. Mewsford needs all of this, everywhere else you're likely to go is fine with 45m. 

Birds: check the BMC RAD, Pembroke is quite complex with some restrictions on a buttress by buttress basis.

Firing times: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/castlemartin-firing-notice--2

Expanding on what Wil says, the army generally take a break in August. There is plenty to do in north Pembroke and east of St Govan's (Mowingword, Stackpole, Mother Cary's, Lydstep) if you are there when the army are blasting away. The road to St Govan’s sometimes opens at 5pm on firing days so you can nip in and grab a route or two in summer evenings.

Tide times: https://www.visitmyharbour.com/tides/293/uk-tables/stackpole-quay-tide-tabl...

A low tide early to mid afternoon is ideal as it can take til late morning for the damp to burn off. Good tide times cycle round every two weeks, first and third week of August 2024 look good for example. Sea cliff connoisseurs know when the tides are good in Pembroke (and north Devon) they are bad at Gogarth and vice versa.

Sea state: check surf reports for Broadhaven and Freshwater, bad for surfing means good for climbing: https://tinyurl.com/2d5a8c9w

Shade: in recent years it has been pretty hot at times in summer and most of Pembroke faces south so it’s worth remembering crags like Mowingword east that get afternoon shade or Huntsman’s Leap which is shady most of the time. 

Good routes: flippin' hundreds. Note that two star routes are often brilliant, do not spurn these.

"Windmill Hill" has better grass and facilities than some of the other sites at about the same price. But you need to book.

Agreed, I often carry two sets of regular wires plus a set of offsets, and have never felt it was excessive.

St Govans routes will take all the reds you can carry.

Gerroffit, it’s not even the best VS in Pembrokeshire (sorry!)

My vote in that category goes for Blue Sky, which is best experienced on a hanging belay at high tide with a big swell running, and (again in my probably unpopular opinion) is the only reason to visit Saddle Head. Hit me with your downvotes!

to the OP: there is a day or two of decentish climbing at VS-HVS in Range East. More around North Pembrokeshire (Amorican is indeed an excellent route). Above E1 you have an embarrassment of quality at Range East; less so in the north - although Carreg y Barcud is worth visiting just for Kitten Claws, which is superb.

Don't get up too early. The cliffs are grim until the sun's been up a while. St Govans East gets the sun first so try there if you're waiting for conditions. 

All along that coast (books 3 and 4) are a playground at E1-3. The classics are well documented.  Depending on where you're used to it's probably fair to add a half a star to everything.

I've never come up short with a 53m ab rope. Mewsford is the closest but it was still fine. 

I also take an extra 15m length of static. It's lazy but it saves loads of time setting up some of the abseils that need a bunch of rusty crap equalised, or involve tying off a big block, or have really distant stakes. I'm very much in the minority on that one though and it's not at all necessary.

The best vs-hvs are in range west. If you're there for a briefing, go. If not the north coast would be a good bet. There's easily enough good ones for a few days amongst the usual honeypots though. Probably don't bother with army dreamers; the polish takes a lot of the fun out of it. Mother Carey's has a couple good ones and you could have a great day there too.

Pay attention to the bird ban noticeboards at the car parks. They are kept up to date when restrictions are lifted. 

Get the wired guide or the cc set. The paper rockfax is tragically out of date now.

You can check here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/castlemartin-firing-notice--2 but also a good idea to call and listen the recorded message for firing times before driving round, unless you're in one of the long shutdowns.

St petrox seems to be the mid-range campsite of choice. I've not stayed there in ages though.

As many #3,4&5 nuts as you can carry. 

I'd add Barad at St David's Head West to that list for those who like jamming, it's main pitch is thoroughly brilliant, sustained jamming along a diagonal slightly overhanging crack!

Blowin' in the Wind makes a fantastic finish to Heart of Darkness at Mowing word.

Rear Wind at St Govan's East really good too.

Jamming optional!

Good call

I was puffing out of both ends by the time I got to the end of the main pitch, you bloody betcha I was jamming it to stay on! I don't see a disagreement on quality though! 

For a first visit, stick to Range East, it has a lifetime of quality climbing. The other areas can seem a little lacking. North Pembroke doesn't compete. Range West is poorer quality and a load of extra hassle. Don't believe the hype here, it suffers badly from forbidden fruit syndrome. 

This is not to say these areas are rubbish, far from it, they are just knocked out of the park by range east.

As Duncan says it can be too hot to climb hard on the south facing crags if it is a windless sunny day in July or August. This doesn't happen too often but sometimes a heatwave can last a week. If so go for the west facing crags in the morning and east facing in the afternoon. 

in a hot calm spell the deep water soloing around lydstep is superb and quite friendly with a fair bit to do for any climber. Also the coasteering there is a magnificent option while waiting for the tide to drop before you ab in to mother Carey's. 

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Oh and nobody's said it yet, remember BST/GMT when you're planning your tide dodging. 

A few extra bits now... Take time to work out where your route is sometimes abseils can be tricky to spot if you are not familiar with the area.

A few good easier grades to get you going.

Bosherton Head, Quoin HS 4a - Easy climbing in a dramatic situation.

Stennis Arete VS and Maelstrom Chimney HS - Good for the traverse in.

Also on Stennis, Myola HS 4b - fun and a tough start for the grade

Diedre Sud HS 4a - One of the easier ones on Mowing Word

Truckers Delight VS 4b - Good route on Blockhouse Buttress

Solitaire VS 4b - Excellent route on Bosherton Head.

Blue Sky on Saddle head has already been mentioned but if already occupied then Landvetter is a good alternative at the same grade.

Also good for epics when you combine racks so haven't got enough big gear, offer the biggest cam to nautilus and have to relearn how to prussik in-situ 😁

A bit harsh? Assuming 5 or 6 routes a day, more at Saddle Head, good going for most if you're new to the area, have to identify the crag from above, and set up the abseil: 

- A day at Bow Shaped slab and Crystal slabs (ease in with some three star HSs and one/two star VSs). 

- A day or two at Crickmail point, Triple Overhang buttress and Space buttress (Pigs on the Wing, Space, several other starred VS/HVSs). 

- A day at The Castle (Too Much Pressure should be HVS, several other starred HVSs like Sasparilla Sunset. Wishful Thinking is brilliant and easy, albeit intimidating, climbing at E1 if we extend the grade slightly).

- A day at Saddle Head (Blue Sky and plenty of others). 

- A long day or possibly two at Bosherston south face and Stennis Head (Poltergeist, Ocean Passage, Riders on the Storm. Lots to do off the ramp at Stennis if you want to give your abseil rope a rest). 

- A day at St Govan’s and St Govan’s East (Army Dreamers, Tactician, Calisto - the latter two very soft E1s. The one star HVS at SGE are also good.)

. 

Thanks for all the info guys, very helpful. 

Yes I was been harsh, and I've done and enjoyed many of the routes and areas you mentioned (apart from Saddle Head, which I will never have a good word to say about, other than for Blue Sky).

It's just that all that stuff is so greatly put into shadow but the endless quality from E1 up.

If you are climbing S - VS saddle head is the best crag in south pembs. 

Short walk, accessible at all states of tide. Steep rough rock, good protection. What's not to like?

Apart from 2 they're all crap routes. It's stanage-on-sea. Complete waste of a trip to Pembroke. 

Go do sunny corner, myola, quoin, riders on the storm, pigs on the wing, stackpole grooves, spacewalk, joyous gard, threadneedle street, giltar slab route, sea groove........

Yes happy days !

Agreed 100%, especially the last point. Also see Duncan's post for a great list of routes that are not on Saddle Head.