[Nigel]

I have been mulling over a weekend's bouldering trip to somewhere new, I've never been to the gower so would love to check it out. I've done a bit of research and there looks to be a lot of good stuff, although without a guide or anyone to ask its hard to sort the wheat from the chaff!

So....

If you know the area, what venues / problems would you recommend, ideally looking for stuff 7b+ to 7c+, and in a perfect world with a few 6c-7a belters thrown in. Am happy to do multi crag days if required.

I like the look of neath Abbey, bacon hole, and something else I can't remember name of now! Any good? 👍

All input appreciated!

[fatneck]

Hi Neil, have a look through Skinny Dog's Esoteric Bouldering Guide blogspot (RIP) has some info on bouldering in the area. PM if you want Owen's email address for more detailed info...

[Yoof]

Hey!

Lived in Cardiff for a few years and did a fair bit around. IMHO:

Bacon Hole is good. Amazing how few holds there are in such a big cave though. Small sharp holds on the harder stuff.

Neath Abbey is not so great and access is a bit whack. The climbing is good but have a mate who got crushed by a boulder there, and know that huge boulders have shifted in the last few years, so not hugely keen on the venue.

Dinas Rock: good stuff at the grades you’re after. Comfy holds and weirdly the vert parts are the hard bits.

Biblins Cave: not in Wales but close by. Loads of good problems. Like the Tor but sharper. Can be a bit seepy on some problems but is okay at the moment.

Biblins and Bacon are really nice places to hang out, and gower in general is great for beach days. Have fun!

[r-man]

Oxwich Bay had some great stuff - house sized boulders on the coast. There was a rockfall not so long ago and I think some boulders got buried. Worth investigating though.

[SA Chris]

SWBG is still alive and well, not sure when last updated.

Not Gower itself, but the trench at Ogmore has quite cool weird frictionless things if you can get good conditions, and a minor detour from M4 if you want a break along the way.

http://www.swbg.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ogmore-by-Sea_-_The_Trench

Porthcawl is OK for a leg / arm stretcher, but nothing much hard there.

[Nigel]

Brilliant, thanks everyone, I'll make some plans. Will probably leave Biblins as an evening hit venue as I'm working in Bristol for a bit. Dinas though looks great. And SWBG looks like a goldmine for what I need, thanks Chris!