Pembroke

Pembroke has big scary sea cliffs and outstanding beaches, fortunately there's also some very good mid-grade climbing there as well.  This is a guide to climbing at Flimston Bay (Bow Shaped and Crystal Slabs), Saddle Head, Giltar Slabs, Rusty Point, Jackdaw Point, Mowing Word and Porth Clais.  Lots of pictures (click for larger view).  Guide book wise there's the big thick two volume climber's club book and the Rockfax book.  Except for the smaller crags you've got sod all chance of finding routes from the Climber's Club guide, but the Rockfax book is somewhat limited in the areas it covers.  Unfortunately, you therefore need both.

Pembroke Page 2

Saddle Head

Giltar Slabs

Rusty, Jackdaw and Fishermans Points

Porth Clais

Craig Caerfai

Initiation Slabs, St Nons Bay

 
 

Saddle Head

Saddle Head on a quiet day

      
 

This is the place to go if you like crowds and inept numpties kicking rocks down on you.  I've done most of the routes there and  they're all OK.
  Sea Mist HS 4a

Great.  The initial traverse is a little exposed and forms the crux.  From then on its plain sailing.  I have issues with the grade though.  No way is it a HS, v-diff more like and once you're on the arete it's only a scramble.

Sea Mist
  Blue Sky VS 4a, 4b OK, but its not THAT good.  I can think of plenty more VS's in Pembroke that are better.  Don't get me wrong, its a good route, fairly graded but its nothing to rave about.  Route finding is tricky and not at all obvious or clear from the guide book descriptions.  Gear is only "adequate".  Although the start of the 1st pitch is above high tide, it still gets very wet if there's a big sea running.

Blue Sky
  Pink Un VS, 5a Now this IS a good route. Not one to do if you're just breaking in to VS as its top of the grade.  Gear is very good though.

Pink UnPink Un
       
 

Giltar Slabs

      
 

Easy peasy beginners routes.  Climb at will on the slabs at diff / v diff level.  The overlap looks fierce but is in reality only a v diff.  Good belay on right hand side of slab but belay at top on left hand side requires an awful lot of work.  Smaller subsidiary slab 20 m away.  10 minutes walk from car.  There was a bloody great bull in the field when we were there, I thought you weren't supposed to put bulls in fields with paths through them?
  Giltar slabs (main slab) Baldric on left hand side of slab Sally, Giltar Slabs The overlap looks hard but isn't
  The belay on the left hand side took a lot of work (not to mention RPs, slings and rope). 7 bits of gear here, all crap. Giltar Ramp, a small slab 20 m from the main slab. Nice views  
         
         
 

Rusty, Fishermans and Jackdaw Points
  I've listed these three crags together as they're all within 100m of each other.  They're at Penally, just outside Tenby.  Park on the verge oposite the campsite, take the path under the railway out to the coastal path and hang a right (left for Giltar Slabs).  The sketch map in the Climbers Club Guide book is excellent, you'll find the crags OK, only 10 minutes from car.
 

Fishermans Point

      
  Tidal, climb at will at about v diff on the slab.
  Fisherman's point The slab at Fishermans Point (Santa outfit optional)    
         
 

Rusty point

The next bit along.

     
  Sea Tube V Diff Different! You have to wait for the tide to go out on this one, hanging belays aren't possible.  Ab down at the side of the tube, then step into the alcove at the bottom and its just a single pitch then.  Bottom half of tube is narrow.  At half height it opens out into a cave that lets daylight in and the top half of the tube is much, much wider.  A bit thrutchy in the bottom (narrow) tube but more like a diff than a v diff.
      Bottom stance of Sea TubeSea Tube, lower sectionSea Tube, lower section

Sea Tube, top halfSea Tube, top halfSea Tube, exit
 

Jackdaw Point

      
  This is the fine looking slab 30m from Rusty Point.  There's three routes on the slab, all at about severe - HS standard.  Although its tidal you can ab in (solid belay at top) and either belay from a ledge above the high tide mark (right hand and central routes) or a hanging belay (left hand route).  Watch out for loose rock above the slab getting knocked down. Gear is good and the routes are all very worth while.
  The Jackdaw HS 4b The left hand route.  Ab in to a hanging belay at high tide.  
      The Jackdaw, Jackdaw Slab. Note hanging belay at high tideWho says its tidal?  
  Central Route S 4a At high tide belay from ledge on right of slab and start route by traversing left.
  The Link S 4a Right hand side of slab

The Link, Jackdaw Point
         
 

Porth Clais

      
  Not really possible to climb on the main slab at high tide unless you ab in to a hanging belay.  We climbed Red Slab at high tide by abbing in and setting up a hanging belay.  You'll get wet though if there's any waves.  With the benefit of 20:20 hindsight, you don't need to ab in, you can scramble around and down.  It was popular on a Monday in August: us, two other pairs and a bunch of kids top roping.  The routes are all obvious.  Be warned, if you don't ab in and traverse around Red Slab at the high tide mark (scramble), put your gear on a bandolier.  The water is very deep, even at low tide, and if you slip and go in with a rack clipped to your harness, well... how well can you swim with 15 lb of ballast?
  Porth Clais. Red Slab is the obvious red slab on the right. The main slab is the triangular slab on the left. Taken at high tide. The left hand side of red slab. Climber is on "Cracker" (v diff), Red Adair is arete on the right    
         
  Red Wall S 4a

Climb up the middle of the Red Slab.  Well protected and steep.  A jug-fest but enough interest to keep you on your toes.  Outstanding route.  Worthy of many stars.
  Red Adair S 4a

The arete on the left hand side of Red Wall.  The first move is the hardest, from then on its plain sailing.  Soft touch for a severe.  Not as good as Red Wall so do it first!
 

Craig Caerfai

    
  The left hand slab is climbable at most states of tide but the main slab is only climbable two hours either side of low tide.  Routes on the left hand slab seem to be over-graded.

  Amorican HVS 5a Good.  Very good.  Superb slab climbing.  Well protected up to over lap, no gear at all above overlap but climbing above the overlap is easy. 
 

Initiation Slabs, St Nons Bay
  Good for a half day's climbing.  Can be climbed at high tide by abbing in, or scrambling round to large ledge on seaward slab.  Abbing in is easier as at low tide the move off the boulder beach is 5b (until the next big storm moves all the boulders about again).
  Capricorn HS, 4b Nice route
  Aries VS 4c The right hand slab/arete.  Avoid.  Vegetated crack, gear dubious.

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