Pembroke epitomises all that our eclectic world of climbing can offer: isolation, wonderment, freedom, space, and a feeling that you're poised on the very edge of nowhere, a place that only the circling gulls and the diving seals can call home. These hinterland qualities, combined with the nuances of the wide-ranging tides, give the region that magical wild-coast flavour.

This adventurous aspect has contributed to an air of intimidation in the shape of scary free-hanging abseil, 10m tide swings, greasy rock, loose finishes and mostly hard routes at HVS or above. It is certainly true that many of Pembroke's jewels are in the upper grades, but the area is so vast and varied that there is plenty on offer for those who want to experience this magical area in the Diff to VS range without terrifying abseils and worryingly short tide windows.

The list of crags below contains some lesser-known venues as well as a few old favourites. These are scattered across the various areas from St. Davids to Penally. The game range of the routes available, the approach to the cragged, whether it needs an abseil and tidal aspects are all considered.

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Porth-y-Ffynnon - Organ Pipes

The well-named Organ Pipes at   St. Non's Bay are unlike most of the easy-angled red slabs on this coast. These two walls offer slightly steeper climbing laced with parallel cracks that swallow all the gear you can carry. An easy scramble approach to the base makes it an ideal spot to get used to leading routes in a sea cliff environment. For extra excitement, the west wall is situated above a tidal zawn, which often has some swell in it, adding an exciting but easy traverse element to some of the routes. Being on the east-facing side it can be quite sheltered from westerlies winds as well. The climbing here is easily combined with the Main Slab at Porthclais Area.

Pen y Cyfrwy - Sun Slab

The headland to the east of St. Non's Chapel has the well-known Initiation Slabs at  St. Non's Bay, which have some good crack climbs but awkward access and tides. Much less known but more friendly is the nearby Sun Slab - a non-tidal slab with a set of nice crack climbs. The setting here is majestic and exposed, so one to avoid when it is windy and rough, but the position means you can enjoy the full sea cliff experience without worrying about tides. Nigel Elliot Seagull (VD) is the best of the routes but they are all fairly similar. There is also the nearby West Slab, which has similar graded crack climbs, although this is tidal.

Newton Head - Upper Tier

This wall at Newton Head has been hidden under the radar for years, possibly due to the routes never being given proper guidebook coverage. It is a small wall set amongst some much grander things but it has a series of steady Severe to VS routes, with good gear in a non-tidal location with easy walking access. As a bonus, it is 2 minutes from the car park! The routes may not give the full sea cliff experience, but there is probably no better place in Pembroke to get used to the rock and gear placements. Just watch out for how sharp it is!

Giltar Slabs

Way to the east end of the Pembroke coast, almost as far as Tenby, is a section of coast by the Penally Training camp. There is nothing here with the grandeur and impact of the big areas further west, but nature has created some great titled slabs offering easier routes with lots of cracks for protection. Chief amongst these slabs is the huge sweep of Giltar Slabs at  Penally East. A very easy-angle left side offers some good climbs, but it is the right side where the tiered slabs form grooves and aretes where the real quality is. The superb Giltar Slab Route (S 4a) tackles an exposed edge where you are hugely exposed, yet the angle is friendly enough that it never gets too worrying. A long 50m abseil gains the tidal base, but the lower slab section is very gentle and a higher hanging belay is easy to arrange if the tide isn't playing ball.

Porth-y-Ffynnon - Main Slab

The Main Slab at Porthclais Area is a classic and well-known venue. It offers two great slabs with a big ramp between and several good routes from Diff upwards. Rising Damp (D) follows a distinct diagonal line and you can work out where the route The Crack (VD) goes. Both are worth the approach, which is by abseil or awkward scramble to the base, which is covered at high tide. It can also easily be combined with a trip to the Organ Pipes.

Porthclais - Red Wall

The superb Red Wall in the Porthclais Area is a well-known classic Severe tackling a beautiful, clean slab in a block buttress. The climbing and position are all you could wish for, with plentiful protection to boot. It is a tidal spot though, and getting to the start can be tricky, with a short abseil required. As an added attraction, there is the clean grey slab nearby offering slightly harder routes up diagonal cracks.

Flimston Slab and Bow-shaped Slab

Flimston Bay is a picturesque, wide bay at the Stack Rocks end of Range East. The bay itself is a wonderful setting, with a perfect beach that is awkward to reach but fun to spend time on if you are relaxing. There is not as much on offer in terms of great climbing apart from two very similar tall grey slabs - Flimston and Bow-shaped. The slabs have four main routes each, which have a bit of a 'climb anywhere' feel about them. This lack of distinct line means that everyone climbs them a little differently, but since the rock is so good, there are no bad moves. Both slabs do require a long 40m abseil approach. At low tide you can belay from the boulder beach, but at higher tides, a small hanging stance above the water is required, making it a slightly more advanced location.

Becks Bay - Rusty Point

Another great set of slabs in the Penally area is the triple, or is it quadruple, iron-shaped slabs of the Rusty Point Area in Penally West. There is plenty to go at here, although much of it is in the VS to HVS range; however the right-hand end has a nice, virtually non-tidal slab with some good crack routes, and the left-hand end has a great Pembroke curiosity in the shape of Sea Tube (VD). This squirm up a narrow blow hole is worth doing for its oddity value, but keep away if you are a larger-than-average climber since it is a pretty tight squeeze! Abseil approaches are needed for all areas, and the crag base is particularly inconvenient, making it very difficult to navigate along so you will need separate abseils for the routes described here.

Saddle Head

Saddle Head is the best known location for easier routes in Pembroke and has the UKC logbook ticks to match - Sea Mist (HS 4a) is the most popular tick in the whole area! It is well known, a little polished, can get very busy, but the climbing is great. The bonus of a non-tidal base for most routes and a scramble approach makes it appealing all round. There is also the mega classic VS of Blue Sky (VS 4b) to aspire to, although the approach and tides for that are anything but straightforward.

St. Davids - Craig Coetan

Near St. David's Head West is the big gabbro slab of Craig Coetan. This has plenty in the Diff to VS range, some with two pitches and a lower section that you can connect to make three-pitch routes. It is non-tidal and in a beautiful location. The downside is that the abseil approach is awkward to find and set up and the route-finding once you are climbing is tricky and easy to get a bit lost on.

Guidebook

Pembroke and Gower Trad

A huge book covering nearly 2100 routes on the coastal crags of southwest Wales. The main section covers the magnificent cliffs of Pembrokeshire from the North Coast slabs and walls, through the superb Range East and on to Mowing Word, Stackpole and the Lydstep and Penally areas. Added to this is the beautiful cliffs of Gower and the impressive crags of Ogmore and Box Bay.

More info