The start Spring had been great these last couple of weeks, meaning we’ve been out climbing in Pembrokeshire lots! I’ve always said the climbing in Pembrokeshire is special, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve made it my home here, but this last week was truly awesome in the sun!
Climbing in Pembrokeshire in the sun..
Ben and I had a great day on a very familiar crag, but it’s just so good I like to climb the routes there each year. Caerfai has lots of friendly, well protected sandstone routes and is a great place to start the climbing season, and a good introduction to sea-cliff climbing, with some harder and bolder slab routes if that’s your thing too!
Ben questing up into the Danger Zone climbing in Pembrokeshire..
My next day climbing with Ben we went somewhere we hadn’t been before, looking for an adventure – and we certainly got one! We struggled to find a good solid abseil anchor into the crag, and after linking together a few piles of not very good stuff, I abseiled down with a little trepidation.. We did a pretty decent route that’s definitely worthy of a star, if a little bold in places, but I was definitely glad of the abseil rope for the chossy top out! Our next route was intended to be a girdle traverse at sea level, and progress was good and the climbing interesting – until we hit zawn that we just couldn’t get across in the rough sea.. So it was Bens turn for a choss fest! He headed up a line we thought to be easy, but the bottom section (thankfully on good rock) was fairly tricky, once above this though onto easier ground the climb was very serious, and not to be recommended! He did great to keep his composure and get to the top, as I seconded I removed some of the dangerous flakes and blocks, but I’d still give it a wide berth!
Climbing in pembrokeshire has it’s perks! Walking across Barafundle to get to the crag..
My next day climbing in Pembrokeshire this week Alun and I went to the mercifully solid limestone in South Pembrokeshire! Mowing Word was the crag. I always love climbing here as the approach takes you over Barafundle Beach, without doubt one of the best in the county (if not the world!). We have for a long time hoped to climb Heart of Darkness/New Morning connection, a coveted line and one of the best at it’s grade around. Though after 2 pitches of traversing, in typical style for Alun and me not paying attention, we realised we were no-where our intended route…
Alun traversing, not on the right route, climbing in Pembrokeshire
So instead of our intended route I instead took a direct and steep line up the crag, at a much harder grade than I had intended on climbing this early in the season! After a bit of a moment and a wobble, I made the top clean, and was thankful we could then head back across the beach back to the van! Definitely capped off a top week climbing in Pembrokeshire!
Heading into the steepness, climbing in pembrokeshire, at Mowing Word
Happy to be done, a great week climbing in Pembrokeshire