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Gower trip report (Read 4500 times)

shark

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Gower trip report
August 07, 2018, 12:03:15 pm
Just come back from a 5 day trip to the Gower and hugely impressed. Its got to be the best family climbing holiday venue in the UK with a variety of sport climbing from . Not sampled the bouldering (is there a guide in the offing?) but keen to drag the boys there next time and ferret it out.

First impressions:

Rhossili (where Shipwreck Cove) is a beautiful headland with an awesome and massive beach with a steep walk down that puts off the crowds.

Most camp at Pitton Cross which is only a mile from Rhossili but plenty of other other accommodation options.

Best pub I went to was the King Arthur which did excellent food and is nice to sit outside.   

There is a rock fax but you can muddle by without it from the info and topos on the South Wales Climbing Wiki and Gary's site
In general routes are short and grades are stiff in South Wales (especially Dinas Rock!!)

Shipwreck Cove: Premier crag for the area but it is tidal, can be greasy and comes into the sun in the afternoon. No doubt if the weather is cool and there is a good low tide at the weekend then it will be mobbed by half of Bristol

Trial Wall: On cliffs above Shipwreck and is nice and shady till early afternoon. The E4 and E5 are retrobolted and ace.

Trial Wall area: Loads of short easily accessible and easy fare for beginners and kids on the crags along from Trial Wall. Nice sea level ledge below Calcite Bay for kids to jump into deep water

Oxwich: Good shaded evening crag. Fingery overhanging wall. Bouldering recently developed here. Manic beach in contrast to Rhossili

Southgate: Minchen Hole and Bowens Parlour (particularly the Pantheon) worth checking out but access to crags a little tricky to make it a good family venue. The conglomerate "breccia" is amazing. .Didnt check out Fox Hole but I did look in on this in the past and wasnt impressed but suspect my tastes have changed since then.     

The routes I did are listed here


     
 

highrepute

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#1 Re: Gower trip report
August 07, 2018, 12:40:58 pm
ta

SA Chris

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#2 Re: Gower trip report
August 07, 2018, 01:29:58 pm
Great surf for rest days...

shark

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#3 Re: Gower trip report
August 07, 2018, 01:42:50 pm
Not sampled the bouldering (is there a guide in the offing?) but keen to drag the boys there next time and ferret it out.     

Juist noticed that there is a bouldering section on the Wiki which is all set out but needs populating  :jab:

https://swmc.org.uk/wiki/Bouldering_in_Gower

Fiend

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#4 Re: Gower trip report
August 07, 2018, 02:39:53 pm
I thought Blockiness at Rhossili was great by UK limestone standards, despite a bit of sandiness at the top. And I did the walk-out twice without resting either time. We liked the Nicholaston farm campsite - cheap in the week but the showers have heated floors and all. 

shark

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#5 Re: Gower trip report
August 07, 2018, 03:04:52 pm
I thought Blockiness at Rhossili was great by UK limestone standards, despite a bit of sandiness at the top. And I did the walk-out twice without resting either time. We liked the Nicholaston farm campsite - cheap in the week but the showers have heated floors and all.

When did you do Blockiness? There is now a large block from it on the ground still with a bolt in !

Definitely felt my legs got a work out on the trip.

Paul B

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#6 Re: Gower trip report
August 07, 2018, 05:41:25 pm
Whatever the ~F7a+ (Marine Layer?) rising diagonal is also shouldn't be used as a warm-up, especially if there's a bit of grease kicking about  :sick:

Blockiness is really good.

I agree re: King Arthur although they were one of the pubs that didn't allow dogs so we ended up eating outside.I also agree re: Fox Hole not looking the best although unhelpfully Nat managed to knack her ankle walking out of somewhere else whilst I was looking at this.

shark

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#7 Re: Gower trip report
August 07, 2018, 07:24:20 pm
Yes we did Marine Layer and it was wet at the start and greasy the rest of the way and felt 7b. Still brilliant.

No hardship eating outside - we did - it has a nice aspect.

Fiend

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#8 Re: Gower trip report
August 07, 2018, 08:19:17 pm

When did you do Blockiness? There is now a large block from it on the ground still with a bolt in !


What are you implying, you bastard??  :P

(After the block. Errr, May this year?)

sdm

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#9 Re: Gower trip report
August 07, 2018, 11:30:31 pm
When did you do Blockiness? There is now a large block from it on the ground still with a bolt in !

Did you try the bouldering at Oxwich? Some really good problems with bolts all over the place as you are bouldering on what was once the crag.

We didn't have a bouldering topo since the rockfall so no idea what we climbed but there were some decent board style problems.

Finished off with dinner at the Oxwich Bay Hotel. I think it was a little pricey but my meal was good. Was surprised they let us in given that we looked every bit like we'd spent 4 days climbing and sleeping in a van with no showers. Dog friendly too.

duncan

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#10 Re: Gower trip report
August 08, 2018, 07:21:41 am
Thanks for this. I really should go to Gower more often (like more than twice in twenty years). Trouble is, and I know it’s apples and spanners, it’s only a few minutes further to Pembroke...

shark

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#11 Re: Gower trip report
August 08, 2018, 09:43:08 am

Did you try the bouldering at Oxwich? Some really good problems with bolts all over the place as you are bouldering on what was once the crag.

We didn't have a bouldering topo since the rockfall so no idea what we climbed but there were some decent board style problems.


I didn’t know there was any bouldering so didn’t take pads. That collapsed crag at Oxwich is something else! The bouldering potential is obvious there which is what sparked my interest. Is it the main bouldering location on the Gower do you know?

My sons only boulder so keen for a family trip at some point. Be good to have more info to limit faff and potential mutiny.

Duma

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#12 Re: Gower trip report
August 08, 2018, 09:54:07 am
Neath Abbey isn't far for bouldering, not sure on access situation atm tho. There's obviously the stuff at Dinas too.
The stuff at preseli would fit better with a N Pembroke trip, but is ace (if less extensive than appears on first impression)

shark

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#13 Re: Gower trip report
August 08, 2018, 10:30:28 am
Trouble is, and I know it’s apples and spanners, it’s only a few minutes further to Pembroke...

Or like comparing nuts and bolts

Duma

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#14 Re: Gower trip report
August 08, 2018, 10:35:18 am
it’s only a few minutes further to Pembroke...

This is surprisingly true, it always seems to take longer than it should to get from the M4 to Rhossili

SA Chris

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#15 Re: Gower trip report
August 08, 2018, 11:30:19 am
Especially on a busy Bank Holiday.

I've always had a soft spot for Gower though, it somehow feels a bit more rugged, wild and remote than Pembrokeshire.

 

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