I’m not sure if I should let you all in on this little secret, but seeing as the now new-ish (2013) Climbers Club guidebook to North Pembrokeshire reveals much of it, I may as well, it’s not like anyone would come on a bouldering trip over here anyway hey? We have more than our fair share of rock so it’s only right to share the info to some of these magical spots!
So, we’ve kept it under-wraps for a long time, but Pembrokeshire has some unbelievably good bouldering, (perhaps worthy of a trip all on it’s own!) There you go. Now, I’m not going to go into great detail, just a quick overview of some of the crags, for a more comprehensive overview, get the Climbers Club excellent North Pembrokeshire guidebook, and go explore….
Get off Your Ass! – V3 – Bouldering at Plumstone
Lets start with The Beaches – that’s why everyone comes to Pembs anyway hey?
All of the beaches have some bouldering, but the best of the bunch is without doubt Newgale…
Get down there on a low tide on a summers evening and you wont be disappointed. A decent spot for sunsets, and well worth taking the surfboard! Finish your evenings boulder with a pint in the magical Druidstone Inn just up the way and you will have memories that stick with you for sure…
Sunset boulder at Newgale
From the condition dependant caves on the north end of the beach, to the quality stand alone boulders towards the southern end, and the ever so slightly snappy stuff in-between, there are some great routes from V0-V8, any plenty more to discover…
Saturday in Paradise – V3 – Bouldering at Newgale
Other beaches worth checking out are Caerfai and Marloes, with plenty more left to potter around on… Despite being on the beach definitely take a pad, the last couple of fierce winter storms have wiped away some of the nice sandy landings… The landings at many of the beach spots are different every time I visit.
Before we move inland, its worth mentioning some of the non tidal sea side bouldering. The Sandstone crag of Porth Clais has some lovely slabby offerings on the different tiers next to the crag. With an eye for a line you will find some easy bouldering, and some very hard blank slabs! Go and have an explore next time your cragging nearby!
Slabby goodness at Porth Clais
Another one to explore are the walls and boulders on the platforms at the very end of St. David’s Head. Some good problems and high-balls exist up-to V3, with scope for lots more, but the real gem out there are the vast and deserted multi-pitch routes on perfect Gabbro above the crashing Atlantic – another secret we don’t want to give away! Oh, actually no – forget I mentioned it!
Moving inland now, there are lots of small areas both of Gabbro, Rhyolite and Dolerite so variety abounds, but the pick of the mid-Pembs spots are Plumstone and Wolfs (Treffgarne in the CC book).
Reservoir Wall – V2 Plumstone – a great little bouldering spot in Pembrokeshire
Both areas pick up any wind going, so pack that belay jacket, but on a clear calm day the views are a panorama of lush green fields and valleys, a far cry from the sea-cliff action down the road…
Some classic lines and plenty more eliminates to discover, the book only touches on what’s there.. One of the very best V1’s I’ve ever done anywhere, is Plumstone Arete, grades in the book range from VB to V3 but plenty more harder problems exist. Go hunt them out, you won’t be disappointed…
Plumstone Arete – Quality V1 bouldering in Pembrokeshire
Now we move to the real Jewel in the Crown…
Just next to Fishguard there is an area known locally as Dinas, comprising of several small Igneous areas, all in the CC guidebook, but by no means is the book comprehensive. The setting is sublime, the views over Dinas Island and the sea, with a remote feel to the place, make this a truly magical place to climb.. An area steeped in history, it is just a stones through from the ancient quarry where the rocks from Stone Henge were taken, which incidentally has some great exploratory bouldering too! (the quarry that is, climbing on Stone Henge would be frowned upon I believe!)
Mynydd Dinas is an area that can only get better with more visitors keeping the rock clean, but we must be careful to minimise wear and tear to the land. Respect the area, park sensibly, use pads to minimise wear on the ground, clean your shoes and brush your chalk off after – please respect this place, it is a local treasure…
There are classic face climbs, faith-in-friction slabs, roofs, hand and finger eating cracks and burly off-widths…
A local story goes that Jerry Moffatt got burned off here years ago by a local climbing instructor on one of the aforementioned off-widths, Freddy’s Nightmare, V4, but fiercer than the grade suggests, its a beast, apparently beer towels wrapped around your hands are the answer!
Tier after tier and fields full of boulders (not quite NZ’s Castle Hill but we’ll take it!) await the intrepid, many problems have been climbed here up to probably around V8, not all documented, so go, explore, discover for yourself what this truly magical area has to offer…
