A trip to Pembroke

I have happy memories of Pembroke, somewhat blurred by the passage of about 25 years. Army Dreamers, Joyous Gard, Jim Lind, Angus Atkinson, Matteus, Ma Weston's and so on. And also - but am I misremembering? - the trip down into a beautiful sunrise, listening to the results of the 1997 general election. Aanyway, this is now. Seeking to reinvigorate my flagging aging rock star status and pushed by something Myra wrote on fb, I bethought me of the Cambridge Climbing and Caving Club and lo! They had planned a trip to Pembroke, so I contacted them, and we (me, M and E) joined in.

As it turned out, we climbed as a three and so could have done it alone. But it was good to join in, we used their abseil rope, and it is always rather reassuring to have someone else at the crag when you're abbing down towards the sea. The trip was officially four days - arrive Fri, climb Sat-Sun-Mon, leave Mon - but we left on Sunday evening. 

My pix are in the 2022 Pembroke album on Flickr.

Friday: leave 5:30 arrive 11:30 pm. Laurent (our trip organiser) is still around say hello; tent up; toilet block; sleep.

Saturday: sleep well up 8:30 bfast porridge. I packed a box of matches from the kitchen but it turned out to be full of used matches; fortunately we can borrow some from others (and we need matches because the striker on the stove broke and got thrown away a few of E's trips ago). Here we see E attempting to squeeze "squeezy" honey from the last Ecrins trip into the porridge.

Say hello to various but I forget their names. People talk of Mythical Monster and Huntsman's Leap but happily it turns out we're all / mostly around the S-plus level so the proposal is Bow-Shaped Slab which I vaguely remember; and possibly remember failing to find it. To the far carpark and walk in 1.5 k (GPS trace) and generally agree we're there: just past the fence and cattle grid, you can see the "sandy bit" from above and then the slab. Part of the joy of Pemroke - well, of climbing in generally usually - is the scenery; here are the Elegug Stacks passed on the way (view including the beach).

[Not very useful guide to identification: here is what you can see of the slab from above, from "the sandy bit". Notice the people on the far side: you can scramble down that way, at low tide, but it is probably more effort than the abseil.] Here's a pano from just about the slab itself.

Do Bomb Corner (Diff) cos other routes are busy and ME want to start easy which it is. No problem. Here's E nearly finished abbing in. Bomb Corner is, well, the corner: roughly the line of the rope. The next route right, Inset Slab, goes up the, errm, inset slab before continuing up on the leftish side of the main slab. Our next route, Bow-Shaped Slab (HS 4b), is right of that and sticks to the middle of the main slab.

Abseil back (using prussik this time) for Bow-Shaped Slab. It is 40+ m (so I start running out of gear...) and steepens quite excitingly at the end, as the holds thin out. Testing shall we say. But I feel alive. Here's E, near the top, courtesy of M:

The person behind in purple is on Bow-Shaped Corner, also HS.

Sit around for lunch for a bit. Then, pm: back towards the car park to Flimstone slab (GPS trace) with Laurent and Alex and (after some ab rope faff, but which turns out to give us a valuable rest) do Brass in Pocket (S 4a), though it is only that for a bit near the top. Pic: on the belay at the bottom. Pic below: me from a secure stance on BiP, Laurent leading Flimston Slab (VD), Alex belaying him, M and E on the hanging belay. This pic exaggerates the steepness; there's one with a level horizon here.

5 done 6 back to car after diversion to Green Bridge of Wales; to St Govans country inn Bosterton but it is all reserved. So we three sit with drink, let others do the hard organisational work, and await Whatsapp summons to wherever. Which turns out to be Mehfils in Pembroke itself, a decent curry house.

Bed 10 sleep... Not so deeply me. 

Sunday: Up 8 loo sees departure of curry :-)

Slow b'fast - should camp on far side for morning sun, we get slivers. Here's a general view towards the campsite toilets+showers; it is a nice rural place on this quiet morning; apparently somewhat more busy of a bank holiday. View the other way.

Then various head off, we'll join Alex+Laur at Saddle Head. First a quick look at St Petrox church, which is just next to the site, but which turns out to be closed.

To Saddle Head (GPS trace) via looking at St Govan's chapel and its little cove, and Huntsman's Leap just as they've fixed up the abseil rope. There's also a scramble out to the saddle then back round that E does, just as I get down. M feeling somewhat gripped - the ab is steep / o'hanging - so sits out. With E, do Flake-Quake (S 4a) then HVD (Forgotten Chimney) that was harder. I don't have a good pic of all that. Here, from on the saddle looking back, I think we see someone on Sunset Boulevard, HVS. On the skyline, orange-helment (Alex?) is at the top of the ab rope, which is on the line of Forgotten Chimney. As you see there's a nice platform well above tide level; Blue Sky is tidal, and would be at the left, where the inlet is.

And thats us for the weekend. We're finishing a bit early, but I think all three of us have found that the long steep climbs are a bit wearing after so long away. E wants a run; so we go to the St Govan's car park, she runs; we drive to the Broad Haven carpark and meet her there. We hand over her swimming costume and she swims out to sea, which for me provides a beautiful atmospheric ending.

 While she is out I find her lost sock, and then hand over her towel and clothes. Then, one last thing, tea at Ma Weston's (though it is her no longer, but still the Ye Olde Worlde Cafe; selfie of us three); then back to pack and off 4 and home 10:30, in pretty good shape.