Gower Bouldering - Recently Updated Pages

Rotherslade to Limeslade

chris3d — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:05:28 CDT

Areas 1-3

For this area park as for rotherslade and walk east on the coastal path, the paths leading of to the bouldering areas have been marked with red dots, the problems that follow are just a selection of what i think are the best in each area.

Area 1

Line 1 V3, Sit start with both hands matched on small edge throw left to rounded knoble then take the wall direct via a triangular sloper.

Line 2 V2, start as for line 1, follow the arete and finish up the blocks above, the starts and grades to these problems depend on the stone level.

Left arete V3, sit start and take the arete direct easier with a heel hook out left.

Right arete,sit start for a fridge hugging V3.

Cave line 1 V3, sit/hanging start depending on stone level, this takes the obvious rising traverse line to the left.

Cave line 2 V4, start as for problem 1 but go straight up taking most direct line through the roof.

These are the most obvious lines but there are also good eliminates to be had.

Gulley line 1 V3, start hanging on the far right of the slopey ledge, traverse left, slap up to slopey holds then again to finish on the ledge above.

Gulley line 2 V3, start as for line 1 but keep traversing left, finish as far left as possible.

Line 1 V2, use small edges and balancy moves to gain a flat block followed by the top.

Line 2 V2, the arete direct.

Area 2

I have not listed any problems for this area but there are problems to be found.

Area 3

Take the same exit of the main path as for rams tor crag, i have only listed 1 problem for this area but there are more to be found in the gulley under the main face of the crag, but this area suffers from severe run off from the high tides.

Undercut eliminate V3/V4 harder for short people,

without using the arete on the left use undercut and

small holds on face to gain good crimp half way up

slab above, finish direct.

Areas 4-8

This area is reachable from either rotherslade or limeslade.

Area 4

This area is quite easy to find and can be seen from parts of the footpath or if you look east from the top of rams tor crag.

Line 1 V2, sit start under roof gain two small holds near lip from these throw to flat jug on face above or perhaps a long reach for the tall.

Line 2 V3, start as for line 1 but traverse right below the lip, finish up the groove above.

Line 3 V4, sit start as low as possible with both hands on sidepull brake, gain flat hold on corner of face then take a low traverse line leftwards finishing as far left as possible.

Quantum physics V6/7 FA chris allen, sit start under the roof to the far right, traverse leftwards under roof then use cunning footwork followed by a series of crimps and pinches and a long reach to gain slopey ledges above, finish direct.

Nexus project, this breaks out to the left via a small pocket and takes on the blank slab.

Area 5

Thumb thing V4 FA chris allen, sit start at base of groove line, use small holds in groove to gain thumb slot, from here take on the bulge, finish at the horozontal brake above, or top out for the highball finish.

V3 traverse, sit start as far right under the roof as possible, using pockets in roof traverse left, pull out from under the roof and take on face on the left, finish at the high pocket on the far left.

Area 6

This area is a small cove with high steep walls and a pile of boulders at the back which can be found by walking east along the reef at low tide from area 5 about 100 meters, i have not listed any problems for this area but there are good things to be found.

Area 7

V4 traverse, a low hanging start at the far left, traverse right using small crimps

and pockets, finish in the far right corner.

Area 8/limeslade point

Line 1 V2, traverse leftwards rising crack line.

Line 2 razor V5, without using vertical crack line use small slopey edges

to gain small sharp crimps at about half height, throw for the top from here.

3 Bolo V3 FA geraint james, sit start on the arete, reach out left for a sharp crimp

on the face, throw for the top from here.

Words by Chris Allen and photos Geraint James.

limeslade to pwll du pics

chris3d — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:47:28 CST

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

!media!

chris3d — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:37:46 CST

if you wish to add any action picture or videos, create a new page in this directory and add a link to the bottom. Please make sure your photos are a managable size!

caswell pictures 1

three cliff bay

skirtchaser — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:03:45 CST

ben hows attempt at (v6 brother in arms) at three cliff bay.		Type your photo caption or credit here.
		Type your photo caption or credit here.
Type your photo caption or credit here.	Type your photo caption or credit here.	Type your photo caption or credit here.

caswell

Alun — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 08:11:03 CST

use map controls to pan and zoom

Famous for its golden sands and pounding surf, one of Gower’s most picturesque beaches is also its finest bouldering spot. Caswell has seven sectors, each with its own individual style; all replete with excellent problems. The rock is surprisingly varied, with quartz slabs, pocketed overhangs and slippery water-washed walls all lying within a 5 minute walk of each other. The result is an excellent circuit of around 50 problems on one of the most beautiful beaches in the country.

Caswell is ideally situated as one of the closest beaches to Swansea, and only a five minute drive from Mumbles. This has its downside however, as during the summer months the beach is invariably crowded, and it will not be possible to climb on many of the more accessible sectors - Crystal Wall and The Wave are two areas where only a mid-week winter visit can truly eliminate the possibility of falling on a sandcastle/small child/surf school. Fortunately many of the other areas tend to stay quiet, so it should be possible to get some problems done on any day of the year.

All sectors are accessible three hours either side of high tide, though it is possible to reach the majority of them outside of these times. On neap tides, climbing is possible on Crystal Wall and the Wave even at high tide. The recently opened Surfside Café provides tea, proper coffee, cakes, toasties and sandwiches.

1: the scoop and the block

The scoop may not look like much when you first approach it, but for the V4-6 boulderer it is a real gem, with three powerful problems. The landings are okay and it's all over once you reach the jug line, but take care when topping out as the rock quality diminishes. From left to right:
V6 - using the obvious side pull for the right hand and finishing on jugs out to the left.
V4 - starting off a flat hold, use a thin crescent crimp to reach several sharp, deep pockets (finger tape advised!), and then to the top. One of Gower's best problems.
V3/4 - slight eliminate on more pockets.

The block is an obvious draw for boulderers, but the problems are high and the landings are populated by large uneven boulders - even if you move them out of the way the sea shifts them back twice a day. A big stack of mats and some burly spotters recommended! The climbing is generally harder than the rest of the bay, with the pick of the problems traversing the obvious rail of the seaward face before tackling the arete (V3 on the right, V4 on the left).

2: crystal wall and the wave

These two areas are usually the first area encountered at Caswell, and its combination of excellent slab climbing and soft sandy landings is a perfect introduction to the bouldering in the bay, or a good warm up for other areas. Crystal wall has several fine slabby problems around the V0-V1 range. Pick of the bunch is the sit start out of the cave, which is worth about V3, highball and brilliant. The wave is not very high but slightly steeper and has plenty of interesting problems up to around V2, with lots of eliminate possible.

3: the gulley

No real strong lines but there are a couple of fingery problems that start on the steep seaward wall and rock-over on the slab above, around V1/2ish. The slab opposite is good for beginners/kids.

4: the grotto

Dank, dark, difficult to find and smelling slightly of fish, the grotto is not everybody's cup of tea. However there are some decent hard, highball lines which make it worth a visit if you've climbed everything else. Sandy landings but spotters and mats are recommended.

5: split towers

A couple of excellent crack problems around V1/2, and some very highball problem/routes nearer E4/5.

6: the square

One of the best spots for bouldering on the peninsula, the square has a nice variety of problems on slick, dark limestone. The best area is the slightly overhanging east-facing wall, which has a good variety of straight-ups up to around V2, and a great traverse weighing in around V3. Loads of eliminates possible.

7: the far east

A bit of a trek but worth it just to do one of the best problems on Gower - the superb and obvious arete on the south-west facing wall. Not using the ledge on the right it is a cracking V5. Just to the left is are a couple of good face climbs. The rest of the area is hit-or-miss, there are some fine problems up to around V3 but the landings are generally poor. Don't forget to squirm through the blow-hole for a bit of fun!

Home

Alun — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 08:09:01 CST

Click on the markers to see a summary of each area. Use the controls to zoom in and out to find exact locations

welcome to the gower bouldering wiki

Bouldering on Gower is not well known and rarely discussed, but in fact there is a wealth of excellent problems to entertain both visitors and locals alike. Much like the majority of the trad climbing around here, the bouldering is best in the easier grades, mainly due to the generally slabby nature of most of the rock, and the abundance of holds that limestone provides in general. Thus, the majority of the problems are below V3 - although there are some excellent challenges for the V4-6 climber also.

To use this guide, either click on the links in the side bar or use the google map to navigate. The wiki is open access but you will need a wetpaint account (registering is free and takes seconds) as this stops spam. If you make any changes please update the latest changes on the !news! page. Any comments should be emailed to me via my UKC profile.

Much credit should go to Adrian Berry, who produced the first guide to gower bouldering, and in reality this is merely a work-in-progress update on that, with some photos and a few new problems and areas. The older guide still exists, so if you'd like to see it then take a look. For more bouldering in the South Wales, check out the South Wales Bouldering Guide, which is still updated periodically and is full of good info.

where to go

In terms of quality of climbing, the first time visitor should put Caswell on the top of their list. It is both the most extensive and best area on the whole peninsula. The biggest problem with it is that on a warm summer's day it is packed full of people - though you'll usually have the square and the far-east areas to yourself. For a quick hit in a quiet spot Limeslade is great, and if you've still got beans then nip over to Rotherslade. More dedicated boulderers would do well to head to Oxwich to tick the excellent face and arete problems there, while the ultra hardcore can slug the mats all the way down to Pwll Du and tick some new problems.

grades grades grades

Grades are always a hot topic. The general goal of this guide at the moment is to give info on areas and inspire people to actually get out there and do some bouldering. So, there aren't grades every problem, merely guideline grades for each area, while highlighting/grading particularly good lines. You might point out that Adrian's guide grades every problem, so why doesn't this one? Well, apart from the fact that Adrian's grading was occasionally rather dubious(!), my opinion is that given the lack of really strong lines and the general abundance of holds, the majority of the bouldering fits nicely with the idea of the 'climb this bit of rock anywhere around this grade'.

The nature (and the whole point) of a wiki page is that if somebody wants to come along and grade every problem, draw lines on every picture, do whatever, then great! A wiki guide is a joint effort and any contribution is welcome.

Hwyl am y tro,

Alun Evans

pwll du

Alun — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:41:09 CST

Pwll Du is a long walk from the nearest parking spot, but at dead-low tide there is a huge monolith of a boulder which, to current knowledge, has never been climbed. It is quite high and the landings consist of rather large 'pebbles' - so you'd have to lug a few mats along with you and it's a looong walk. Also the boulder is only properly exposed for an hour or two at dead low tide. But the rewards would be great, the boulder is solid, mostly clean and has several obvious lines from ~V3ish upwards. Get to it!

caswell pictures 1

Alun — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:20:25 CST

Paul Mealor on the rail->arete traverse (V3) on the block at Caswell	Dave Jennions topping out on the block at Caswell
Dave Jennions on the left hand line (V6) at the scoop, Caswell	Paul Mealor topping out on the right hand line (V3/4) at the scoop, Caswell
Damien de San Miguel holding his nerve coming out of the crystal wall cave, Caswell.	Ian Lau on the wave, Caswell.
Ian Lau swapping feet on the crystal wall, Caswell.	Add photo caption or credit here.

limeslade

Alun — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:44:06 CST

Easy to find and close to Mumbles, Limeslade has a fantastic little craglet that offers a nice range of problems, mostly in the lower grades. The landings are on pebble beach so a mat is useful to take the sting out of them, though spotters aren't needed. The beach is covered at very high tide but accessible for the rest of the time and mostly quick drying, though a few streaks can hang around in cold/damp weather.

Access is straightforward, park on Plunch lane if there is no space in front of Forte's Ice Cream Parlour, walk down the steps and rock hop leftwards (looking out ) for 50m or so until you see the crag.

main area

Despite no strong lines there are plenty of pleasant straight-ups in the V0-1 range - be careful in the centre though as the crag gets a little high. There are a couple of trickier problems just to the right of the bulb (left image), around about V2, unfortunately they take a bit of seepage.

the bulb

The Bulb juts out prominently on the left hand side of the crag and gives a couple of good hang/sit starts. Friction is rubbish and the many pockets range from sinkers to slight dents. The top-out is invariably a desperate grovel!

The best two lines revolve around the obvious low sloper, either using it for hands and finishing off up right, or for feet and finishing up and left, both around V5, both from a sit/hang start. There are some sinker pockets under the roof to help with the sit starts.

One project is to start right in the back of the cave (no bridging) and traverse low along the bulb til it is possible to top out. Very hard and the holds invariable need a really good dry out before any attempt.

!news!

Alun — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 06:28:23 CST

IF YOU ADD TO THIS WIKI PLEASE MENTION WHAT YOU'VE DONE, AND THE DATE, HERE, ABOVE THE LAST UPDATE:

1/3/07 - Caswell pictures added

1/3/07 - Rotherslade, Pwll Du and Fall Bay roughly described. Happy St Davids Day!

28/2/07 - Caswell, Limeslade and Oxwich updated. Alun

oxwich

Alun — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:56:34 CST

google earth is great isn't it?

Oxwich is a rarity on Gower in that the bouldering there is actually bouldering, in that you get the satisfaction of topping out! The boulders were man-made and a result of the nearby quarry which, incidentally, contains a fine array of sports climbs. They are rather disappointing on first acquaintance - because they are covered at high tide there is plenty of barnacles and seaweed about. Fortunately a few of the faces and aretes are clean and offer an excellent group of problems. Oxwich is definately better for the mid-grade boulderer - the cleanest lines are mostly above V3, and there is little to interest those operating in the V0-V2 bracket. One boulder in particular stands out as having the lion share of the best lines, and this is one that is focused on here.

The numbers in the diagram correspond to those given in Adrian's guide. The photos below have number/letter tags that relate to the boulder face combination in the diagram. The majority of the best bouldering is concentrated on boulder 5, with a few bits and bobs on boulder 1.

boulder 1/a

The nearby arete is a fine sit start V3, the right hand side of the face, eliminating the right arete, is a project at a suspected V7/8.

The opposite side of this boulder is a pleasant V2/3ish up the centre of the face

In the background of the photo is boulder 5.

boulder 5/a

Boulder 5 has some of gower's best problems. The centre of the face is the main attraction and is worth V4. The right arete is also superb at around V4/5.

The groove on the left is useful decent, although the arete proper is a tricky project above a both a small rockpool and big rock!

boulder 5/b

The obvious ramp, heading up to the left arete, is barnacle-y to start but gives good climbing at around V2. The arete direct is horribly barnacle-y but is around V3/4. Right arete is project as mentioned above.

boulder 5/c

The blunt arete gives a balancy sit-start worth V4, you might need to clean the mussels out of some of the pockets!

The wall to the right is good at V1ish.

boulder 5/d

A fine wall at around V1/2. The right edge is useful for decent. Left arete, mentioned above in 5/a, is brilliant at V4/5

fall bay

Alun — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:47:48 CST

Rather disappointingly, there isn't much good bouldering at Fall Bay. There is some interesting traversing in the 'cave', an enclosed square to the west has some great kids/ultra-beginners stuff, but not much else. To the west of the square there is a leaning wall with some obvious lines that are more like routes that have been climbed, re-climbed and never claimed - best leave it that way for others to discover.

rotherslade

Alun — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:30:12 CST

A good venue for the lower grade boulderer, Rotherslade offers a small selection of fine problems. Access is simple: park at the bottom of Rotherslade Road and walk down the promenade step to the beach. Rothers Tor is the obvious isolated rock and has a few generally uninspiring problems, but the main attraction is round to the right (west) where you'll find a small enclosed pebble bay.