UKC

I know this is a question done to death, but there are a few particulars of our visit.

Although I grew up in the UK and trad climbed for five years, including doing such Pembroke classics as The Hole, I have lived in Thailand and Switzerland for the last fifteen years, and besides a two-week trip to Yosemite in 2003, where I scared myself silly climbing trad for the first time in years, I have been clipping bolts for far too long and will find trad climbing quite scary.

My wife, who is best described as a single-pitch sport climber, and is known to utter such words of sacrilege as 'I prefer climbing indoors as it is less scary', and I are in Wales next weekend and we should be able to get a couple of days climbing done in Pembroke, assuming the grandparents can come good for baby-sitting.

As it has been 15 years since I have been to Pembroke, and I can't remember what the crags are really like, I wanted to ask a few questions. I imagine we would want to climb from HS - HVS, although we might want to put a rope over a few harder climbs. I can't imagine that I will have the trad skills anymore to climb E1 or E2, but it would be nice to climb something a little harder, as I normally climb around F6b in the Alps.

So, considering that my wife will not be comfortable on anything more than one pitch, and that although she will be okay abseiling in, scary atmospheric places are not her scene, which crag would be best?

We will get one day without kids for sure, so which crags is the best for HS - HVS single pitch routes?

I can't remember a single crag where you can walk comfortably to the bottom in Pembroke. Is there one? The kids and grandparents may want to come one day for a look.

I have brought the Rockfax guide, but I am in Switzerland and the book is in the UK - therefore, it is no use right now We are staying in St David's, but have a car.

Sorry, for the long message, but any recommendations would be most welcome.

Simon

In reply to simonfoley:

I have happy memories of Red Slab and Grey Slab at Porth Clais (Nr St Davids). Enough at S-VS for a day. Friendly abseil access for Grey Slab and good viewing positions from the path and little cafe when I was last there.

In reply to simonfoley:

Stennis head, easy but scrambly appraoch, climbs from vdiff to e numbers

The old chestnut of Saddle head, is walkable in but usually abseiled into, again stuuf there from diff (mod?) to E2.

Very little in Pembroke that is walk in only, htere is a bit at Newton head but barely covered by the old CC guide and not touched by rockfax.

There are some non coastal crags near Wolfscastle in North Pembs, Wolf rock and Castle rock but not been up there.

In reply to simonfoley:

+1 to the viewing platform at Porthclais, you need a low tide, and a weekday or it will be rammed during the summer.

In reply to simonfoley:

Have a look at Bow-shaped slab at Flimston bay, south Pembroke. It offers 3 really nice HS climbs with straightforward abseil access or scramble down if tide out. Take care with gravelly slope at top of climbs. Slab is viewable from other points of the headland and there are safe grassy areas well behind the top out.

If you want to crank up to VS move a few minutes along the headland to a careful scramble descent to Crystal slabs, non tidal,( but I would not recommend this area with children in tow.)

In reply to Ann S:

what about the gower? Beaches for the kids/grandparents. Nothing particularly family friendly in Pembroke that I can think of

In reply to Max factor:

Never been to the Gower- an omission I would like to correct if I ever get to climb again. Can only reply as per OP's request