pembrokeshire Archives - The Climbing Company

Pembrokeshire Coast Path

By stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk January 5, 2016 January 5, 2016 Adventures, Pembrokeshire

Running the Pembrokeshire Coast Path…

Despite not having been back long from India, this winter seems to have gone on forever! No-one will have escaped the fact that it’s been one of the wettest, windiest and miserable on record! It may mean that the Ski season in the Alps has been a slow starter, but it doesn’t have to stop you getting out and exploring, even closer to home.. During the first week of the New Year, we decided to get out on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, and combine some New Years (much needed) fitness training and some exploring the nooks and crannies of the area we live…

Hidden beaches on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path

Having lived in Pembrokeshire on and off for eight years, and spending most of my work and play time outdoors, I have been on most parts of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, and, without a hint of bias, honestly believe it to be one of the best, most scenic, most picturesque and rugged wild places in the British Isles…

Looking West on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path to St. David’s Head

In an attempt to be able to draw a line around the whole Pembrokeshire Coast Path on the Ordinance Survey map I have on my wall, we made a conscious effort to go out and explore some more of it. And it’s making this effort, especially at this time of year, that really enables you to discover new places, see amazing sights and not feel like a dire winters day is wasted! So, come rain or shine (usually more rain and wind!) we have been out running on the coastal path. The guides say the total distance is 186 miles, and climbs over 33,000ft, and given that you’re rarely likely to encounter another soul on certain parts of it, it feels pretty wild and remote.

Just a small part of the wild, rugged and remote Pembrokeshire Coast Path

During our exploration of the coastal path (which is a National Trail no less..) we’ve discovered beaches we had no idea existed, seen remote beaches full of lazing Seal and spied whole cliff faces with not a single established rock-climb on…

Some blue skies between all the recent storms of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path

It wont be long till the Springs here, daylight hours get longer, and with any luck the weather will be better. But on these dark, wet winter months, don’t stay inside and have unproductive days – the Pembrokeshire Coast Path should be explored all year round!

Get out there and explore the Pembrokeshire Coast Path!

More details on the coastal path can be found here…

Climbing in Pembrokeshire

By stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk September 29, 2015 September 29, 2015 Courses, Pembrokeshire, work

Last week we had a few days off at last! And it was a joy to be out on the crags climbing in Pembrokeshire for fun! As we hadn’t been on the limestone in a while, we spent a few days down there. Initially with Alun, but Bramble also got out of his kayak and came with us one day! Great company and some new places explored, and steep, adventurous routes done!

Climbing at St Govans

Steep ground Climbing in Pembrokeshire

Climbing through the Blow Hole

After a few days personal climbing in Pembrokeshire, I had a great day teaching lead climbing skills to Steve and Nikki. Being strong indoor climbers they picked up all the new skills quickly, and both did their first lead climbs in the Porth Clais area. Amazing weather and good company, hopefully they will both be back out on the cliffs again soon!

Steve on a course lead climbing in Pembrokeshire

After a busy Monday to Friday it was a quick trip to North Wales for the weekend… I was attending a “Train the Trainers” course at Plas Y Brenin. Run by Mike Raine, this course is aimed at those delivering training to candidates going through the national governing body awards, such as the SPA and ML. The goal is to get like minded people to explore different teaching styles and models, using mock clients. An interesting couple of days, and a joy to be in the hills in such amazing weather!

Teaching ML rope work in Snowdonia

Coasteering and Climbing in Pembrokeshire

By stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk September 21, 2015 September 29, 2015 work

This last week has been a good one! The water has been as good as it gets; clear, calm, clean and some good low tides – great for some Coasteering and Climbing in Pembrokeshire! I have been working for TYF as well as getting plenty of climbing in… These September days, once the school holiday crowds have gone, truly are magical in Pembrokeshire…

We’ve had some great days Coasteering at both St. Nons and Abereiddy, with some lovely low tide explores, as well as some bigger swell adventures! Plenty of seals around too, with the pups appearing on the beaches. Be aware if you see any to keep your distance and stay quiet, don’t linger too long as the mums might not come and feed them whilst you’re there…

Coasteering at Abereiddy

In the “tumble dryer”, Coasteering at Abereiddy

After a few days in the water I was glad to be on dry land, accompanying a school group on a coastal walk, looking at map skills along with environmental issues, with the fantastic weather giving us awesome views over to Strumble Head, one of my favourite vistas in Pembrokeshire…

Looking over to Strumble Head

A weekend away climbing in South Pembrokeshire completed a really brilliant week! We did some fantastic climbs on Range East, and some new routes, but what will linger in my mind longest is the Lemon and Dill sauce we had at the Stackpole Inn! Amazing and highly recommended! We spent the day in the sun climbing in the Blockhouse Buttress area, slightly off the beaten track (due to it’s long by Pembrokeshire standards 20 minute walk in!), the area contains some fantastic routes, so go check them out!

Climbing on Range East

Alun and Sophie following a route at Blockhouse Buttress…

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Bank Holiday Weekend Climbing in Pembrokeshire

By stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk September 2, 2015 September 2, 2015 Adventures, Courses, Instructional, work

What a great couple of weeks it has been! I’ve been too busy climbing, working and exploring in Pembrokeshire to write any blog updates, so here is a sum up of the last couple of weeks, and the bank holiday weekend climbing in Pembrokeshire…. The weathers been almost non-stop good, great tides and magical sunsets, great clients and new routes climbed to boot!

We had a great day with Sicco and Hannah, a father and daughter from Germany (who thankfully spoke perfect English…). Hannah was psyched to get on any climb she possible could, and at only 9 shows great promise for the future should she keep it up, whilst dad Sicco had done loads of sport climbing previously – so he cruised his first trad lead climb here on the Pembrokeshire sea cliffs.

Sicco happy having led his first trad route!

We had a day out with some local instructors who have got their SPA assessments coming up. This award lets them take groups of novices onto single pitch crags, a vital stepping stone in the ladder to being a successful outdoor instructor. We went through top and bottom roping, group abseils, and problem solving. We were luck to have some willing guinea pigs come along for the guys to practice on too!

Teaching SPA Skills to Instructors

It’s almost a tradition now for people to spend the bank holiday climbing in Pembrokeshire, and with the release of the excellent Climbers Club Pembrokeshire guidebooks, we are definitely noticing the area is getting busier, with crags that were relatively unexplored before, now having frequent visits.. Luckily for us we know more secret spots (and whole crags with no routes on!) so we were able to escape the crowds with Si and Elliot on a learn to lead course over the Bank Holiday Weekend…

Seconding a climb in Pembrokeshire

We visited several crags on the first day, looking at loads of belays and rope work, gear placements and of course climbing heaps of classic routes, and on the second day, from being relative novices, both Si and Elliot were doing their first trad lead climbs. Great effort guys and thanks for a great weekend with good company…

Lead Climbing Course in Pembrokeshire

I was lucky to have bank holiday Monday off for a rare change, and was rearing to get out and have a climb, and being super sunny and warm, a dip in the sea. Not many places in the work you can go on what is one of the busiest tourist days of the year, and have the crag to yourself, right by the turquoise sea, watch Porpoises and seals and swim in the warm(ish!) water to cool off as it’s too hot! Magical! Gotta love bank holidays in Pembrokeshire climbing with the cliffs to yourself!

Stunning St David’s Head

Once the crowds had departed from Pembrokeshire, the weather was still awesome, and the tides perfect for some exploration. We spent the day looking at lead climbing skills at a very unexplored crag near Newgale, with some excellent established routes, great to learn to lead climb on, it should be more popular – but we’re not complaining! We had the pleasure of doing a couple of first ascents during the day, the most memorable being up a pinnacle, with a proper pointy summit necessitating a counterbalance abseil decent. Throughout the day our only company was a couple of seals that watched us pretty mush non-stop… I’m excited to get back here and check out more of the new routes…

Exploring new routes in Pembrokeshire

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Coasteering in Pembrokeshire

By stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk August 24, 2015 August 24, 2015 Adventures, Courses, work

After a beautiful start to the week, and a day climbing in South Pembrokeshire at Saddle Head in the sun and a warm afternoon in North Pembrokeshire at a crag near Solva, the rest of the week was spent Coasteering!

Coasteering in Cathedral Caves in North Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire is renowned for it’s Coasteering, and in a commercial sense it all started here back in the 80’s. There are a phenomenal amount of different places to Coasteer, not all suitable for groups, some being really adventurous Coasteers!

Coasteering in big seas in Pembrokeshire

I think I’ve spent a total of nearly 20 hours in the water this week, luckily there’s a big element of scrambling and climbing whilst Coasteering in Pembrokeshire…

DWS whilst Coasteering in Pembrokeshire

We not only run many rock climbing courses, but are able to take you on these fantastic and wild Coasteers, come and check out what it’s all about and have an adventurous day Coasteering in Pembrokeshire with us…

Big jump Coasteering in Pembrokeshire

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Walking, Climbing and Coasteering in Pembrokeshire…

By stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk July 10, 2015 July 10, 2015 work

This week I have been working walking, climbing and coasteering for TYF with the schools they have had staying with them in Pembrokeshire. The week started with a few days coasteering and climbing in the St Nons and Porth Clais area, where the swell proved to be entertaining.. The kids coped amazingly!

Big swell climbing in Pembrokeshire

Finally the swell died down to make coasteering far more accommodating! The last couple of days were spent walking sections of the awesome Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, looking at fauna and flora along the way as well as a spot of rock-pooling and scrambling. The weather was superb and as always with good company… Now I’m off for a month in South America – no matter what far flung places I go to, I always miss Pembrokeshire though!

Walking to Abereiddy Headland

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Walking Skills in Pembrokeshire

By stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk June 30, 2015 June 30, 2015 Courses

This week I have been working and walking in Pembrokeshire on behalf of TYF delivering walking skills courses to students from Tormead School. The walking skills were delivered in the under-visited Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire. The area is famous for the Bluestones (Spotted Dolerite rock) that were actually used in the inner circle at Stonehenge… Its pretty mad that all that time ago these massive stones were transported 200km! Aliens? Glaicial erratics? Rolled on logs? You decide!

The site of the Bluestones from Stonehenge

We started the week with a big dump of rain, the first in what seems like months here, and finished in sweltering heat! The focus of the walking skills course was to give the students a grounding in decision making and risk assessing, hopefully leading to them being safer walkers and scramblers in the future. As well as looking at map reading skills and plenty of fauna and flora, we spend much of the time scrambling around the various summit rocks.

Summit rocks on Carn Menyn

The area is usually deserted, which is mad! There is loads of potential for short scrambles and bouldering to spice up your day, and it feels like a proper upland environment. I really enjoy running mountain skills courses here, it’s great for navigation and the aforementioned scrambling, plus contains loads of fauna and flora and sites of historical significance. As well as the usual plants, mosses and lichens, we were lucky enough to see loads of Ravens and spot a Peregrine close up…

Ben above an old Ravens nest in the Preseli Hills

A great week working with Ben was had, and we had a few great nights down Whitesands Beach and Abereiddy with the students soaking up the sun and the ever amazing Pembrokeshire sunsets…

Whitesands Beach Sunset

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Multi Adventure in Pembrokeshire this week…

By stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk June 26, 2015 June 26, 2015 work

It’s been a very busy week here in Pembrokeshire! I’ve been running a schools multi adventure week on behalf of TYF. I had the pleasure of the company of some great instructors throughout the week which always makes things much easier.. The weather was on our side and the school left with glowing faces despite copious amounts of sun-cream.

Massive thanks to Edgeborough School for being amazing students and a couple of great teachers, making my week easy.

Climbing at Porth Clais

We had a great day rock climbing at Porth Clais, a couple of awesome Coasteers and a some sunny kayaking and surfing. I was asked to deliver a presentation one evening and talked about climbing in Yosemite – I think it went down well, the students asked so many great and unexpected questions. Hopefully they left inspired to go and have some adventures of their own!

Group climbing at Porth Clais

Clip from the Yosemite slideshow

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TFY Adventure climbing…

By stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk June 12, 2015 June 12, 2015 Pembrokeshire, work

This week (and the next few weeks), I’ve been working for TYF Adventure with their schools that are visiting Pembrokeshire for an activity adventure week. We’ve been blessed with an unreal week of warm sunshine, and I’ve been lucky to work alongside some great Instructors in some beautiful locations…

A day climbing at Porth Clais was followed by 3 days climbing at St David’s Head. I’ve just been climbing this week but the schools do a bit of kayaking, coasteering and surfing. It’s a busy time in Pembrokeshire – yesterday there were 5 different groups at St David’s Head, luckily the area can accommodate that amount, but it seems the secret about how great Pembrokeshire is, it out…

Abseiling at St David’s Head

View walking into St David’s Head

Sunny Sea Cliff Climbing in Pembrokeshire

Climbing at Porth Clais

Walking to St David’s Head

Now for an afternoon and weekend Coasteering… Lets hope the sea is as warm as the rock was this week!

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Awesome week Climbing and Surfing in Pembrokeshire!

By stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk June 8, 2015 June 8, 2015 Adventures, work

It’s been one of those weeks that just makes you super happy and content. Some great work with great people, in one of the Worlds best locations for Rock Climbing and Surfing, plus plenty of time off to get out Bouldering, Climbing and Exploring for myself!

A blustery week made for some challenging conditions on Tuesday for the group from GRIP that we were climbing with at Wolfs Rocks with Coastal Adventures, a really top group who challenged themselves and pushed their comfort zones in difficult conditions, and so many of them achieved so much more than they believed they could – a great satisfying and rewarding day…

Climbing with GRIP at Wolfs Rocks, Pembrokeshire

The following day the merciless winds had thankfully died down and we spent the day at the incredible Whitesands Beach, Surfing with Dragon Activity Guides, with a group of super keen school kids, who having all been surfing before, were competent enough to get loads done and really be able to enjoy the properly amazing weather! The waters warming up and with a view like this I could spend all day everyday on the beach!

Surfing at Whitesands

We managed to get a load of climbing in over the next few days, first up was a quick afternoon hit at Caerfai, one of the best Sandstone slabs in the St Davids area, offering some great routes, especially in the hs-vs category, with some harder test pieces too. A short walk in and a wicked view too!

Climbing at Caerfai

Next up we headed South to climb on the Limestone of South Pembrokeshire. I hadn’t been here in ages so it was ace to get to the wonderful Becks Point and Fishermans Ledge, for some relaxing easy angled, non serious slab climbing. One of the best aspects of climbing in Pembrokeshire (apart from the 5 guidebooks worth of climbing within half an hour of my house!!) is the great variety of rock, we have such a diverse range giving us all sorts of climbing…

Climbing at Becks Point

We spent Sunday again around the Sandstone of the St Davids area, climbing at Porth Y Fynnon and Porth Clais. With some really great single pitch sea cliffs this is one of the best venues to make your first steps sea cliff climbing. Some of the areas best routes in the v diff-hs grade range are here, with plenty of trickier ones. Get the tides right and you can get so many wonderful routes done in a day… A great week with great weather, always leaves me psyched for the summer ahead!

Climbing at Porth Y Fynnon

Team ascent of Red Wall, Porth Clais, Pembrokeshire