UKC

Heading to Pembroke next weekend. Can I get by on the Rockfax app or is it worth buying one of the books as well? (I hear the Wired guide is particularly good?) For me the major selling point would be: Do they give much more detail on the approaches/abseils? Figuring that out is always the biggest time-suck for me...

Also would love people’s recommendations on favorite HVS’s and E1’s. 

Ones I've done and would recommend - 

• Riders on the Storm (HVS 5a)
• Heart of Darkness/New Morning (E1 5b)
• Sunny Corner (HVS 5a) - bit of a blind abseil in and a feeling of abject terror as you see the route. It's all there, though!
• The Arrow (E1 5b) - there are various comments in the logbooks about an apparent lack of protection. For what it's worth I found it straightforward to protect and E1 is about my limit (though am used to Gritstone - maybe it's a relative thing).
• Beyond the Azimuth (E1 5b)

In my experience - the Wired is a nicer guidebook, and much more comprehensive in terms of North Pembs/Range West, but if you're just looking at ticking classics in Range East/Penally then the Rockfax app does the job well. Manzoku (E1 5b), Riders on the Storm (HVS 5a) & Rock Idol (E1 5a) are all great and classics for a reason, The Arrow (E1 5b) is somewhat overrated (imo) but definitely still worth doing, and Magic Flute (E1 5b) is a hidden gem!

Manzoku (E1 5b)

Cool for Cats (E1 5b)

Both of these E1s are brilliant. No need to abseil in at this crag btw. 

Haven't done that much at Pembroke, but I thought these were good...

The Strait Gate (E2 5b)

Calisto (E1 5b)

Hangover '77 (E1 5b)

Rock Idol (E1 5a)

As I thought of them;

B-Team Buttress (E1 5b)

Manzoku (E1 5b)

Chakademus and Pliers (E1 5b)

Bludgeon (HVS 5a)

Shape-Up (E1 5b)

Front Line (HVS 5a)

I would have thought the app is good enough, as you say it's the location e.g Bludgeon that's the hard bit. Have fun.

Chris

With Range West being open to all comers, the wired guide is the only choice if you want a single book.

For repeat visitors the cc definatives are the way to go. Much easier to handle being a more appropriate size, cover them in fablon like a school book first.

Pet rant, I didn't have to do this to guidebooks when I was a boy such is progress. 

The wired guide is fantastic, definitely worth buying, you'll get loads more out of the trip if you have it. But you'd get by on the rockfax app for sure.
As for finding the abseils if you're going to any of the usual crags on a weekend, unless you're up early you'll see an ab rope. Head for that.
Apart from esoteric places, the only popular but tricky one is at Mother Carey's but there's a picture in the book to help find it.

In reply to planetmarshall:
The Arrow is a funny one - it's fine but you could come to grief if you don't place gear on the easy bit because there is none when it suddenly isn't any more. I think that's why it has the rep.

If you're operating at HVS/E1, Iron Age Fort is a great place to go. Quite a big day out though.
If you're being modest and can actually push out to E2 then there's a whole world of awesome at St Govans, but some of them are not soft.

if you talking BH weekend I’d avoid St Goves. It gets very busy. Turn right and go onto range east. 100s of classics. 
I don’t use any of the apps, prefer a real book. The wired guide is excellent. It gives excellent descriptions of the routes and approach.  
make sure you pick up a nesting restriction leaflet at the gate. It’s up to date and is a handy map.

enjoy. Pembroke is one of the best climbing areas in Britain 

Get the Wired guide, written by the people who put half the routes up there.

I don't know what it's like now, but St Govan's East used to be quite a good spot for nice HVS and E1 routes, and much less popular than its neighbour. 

Carreg-y-Barcud Area is worth a visit for slabby, technical climbing, and Sinecure (E1 5b) should definitely be on your list if you do go. There's a bunch of other high quality stuff around E1 at Barcud too. 

Agree with this. I found Ethos (HVS 5a) good and Beyond the Azimuth (E1 5b) equally so.

Don't think anyone's said Rear Wind (HVS 5a) yet.

I agree. Some great routes on Goves east. It’s very handy when there is a breeze from the west. Sheltered on the crag. 

Unfortunately, the old style plastic covered guides would cost a lot more to print...

Another vote for the Wired guide - produced mainly by the CC (who write the definitives, which form a 5 volume set...) - much more comprehensive and easier to use than the rockfax IMO.

I am pretty sure this is actually a myth. Every plastic-covered guidebook I had split pretty early on and needed holding together with tape.

Alan

Looks a lot like most of my guides. 

Thanks all! Now let’s hope for sun this weekend  

Some absolutely mega E1s not mentioned yet are Sealhunt (E1 5b) and Wishful Thinking (E1 5b) and Lucky Strike (E1 5b).

If you go down the Leap, I wouldn't bother with Shape-Up (E1 5b) - it's been upgraded to E2 in the Wired guide (maybe not quite justified), has a pokey start crux followed by awkward climbing and a chossy muddy gully to finish. You're better off getting on The Beast from the Undergrowth (E2 5b) which has a harder move, but it's high up and well-protected rather than being an ankle-twister off the deck. Much better experience of a cool crag.

Excellent, added to the list. Is it an issue at all that Mowing Word seems less trafficked than other places, i.e. do the routes get dirty? Otherwise of course I’m happy to be away from the crowds. 

If you are fairly new to Pembroke then you'll understandably want to get on some of the classics already mentioned. However, it's worth pointing out that this year's covid-compliant process for accessing Range West is massively more convenient than ever before. Hopefully the new streamlined Web-based approach prevails post-pandemic, but it might just be the best chance you get to visit this amazing adventure land (it's the first time we've made it in over 20 years of wanting to!)

A few pics and some more beta on the access logistics here: https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2021/05/22/range-west/

Meanwhile, kudos to The BMC, MoD and National Park for adapting in the circumstances! Great work! Please stick with the new system for 2022 and beyond! 

PS in answer to your original question regarding guides, if you want to explore Range West with a selected climbs guide it would have to be Wired, but you'd be much better off investing in the definitive CC volume as we discovered... 

Great stuff. Some of that rock looks like the Gunks in New York. 

Great heads up about range West as long as you remember to print off the required sheet or some very helpful couple let you have a couple of spare copies to facilitate entry 😂😊

Wishful Thinking is a fine reminder that Gary G has contributed a lot more than several thousand not particularly special sport routes. I thought it was excellent.

Martin

Hi mate.

The Rockfax app contains routes that are not covered by the Wired guide (Myola for example at the outside entrance to Huntsman's leap) but if u have the app then this should be covered in there. Therefore if you will have your phone and the app at the crag I would go with the Wired guide to supplement it. The latter also contains Range West too but I think a debriefing session with the MOD remains necessary to climb there... 

Can't help much on the recommendations but please look at BMC  RAD as some recommendations above are wholly or partly affected. There have been some big gains in access this year and it would be a shame if that progress was reversed by climbers ignoring agreements. As an example:

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/modules/rad/view.aspx?id=429

Too late for you, but I'm just back from North Pembroke and we did a brilliant pitch that made a change from the usual favourites:

The Pear (HVS 5b)

Unusual (for Pembroke) slate-style climbing and fairly well protected with small (and very small) wires and cams but pretty technical for 5b.