Jacky's Tor

Gower

Fall Bay to Mewslade

GR SS 417 872

TIDAL STATUS

Routes left (west) of V-Groove and right of Plot 13, 1 1/2 hours either side of low water. Routes on the front of the buttress 1/2 hour either side of low water. Routes in the cave of Shock And Awe are non-tidal.

BOLTING POLICY

No bolting.

PREAMBLE

Jacky's Tor is the prominent headland to the right (east) of Great Boulder Cove. It provides a number of good quality climbs. There is a deep cave left of the large front buttress and a lower subsidiary buttress left of the cave.

DESCENTS

For Agamemnon and routes to the left (west) either scramble down the west side of the tor with extreme caution, or use the abseil descent above Eyeball Wall. For routes to the right, either abseil off the shaky spike above Plot 13, or walk off right (east) and descend down ridges to Cathedral Wall. Routes between Pluto and Slab And Wall have problematic descents - see the text.

THE ROUTES

Subsidiary Buttress

There is a large sloping platform at the foot of the buttress. 2m above this and running along the left side of the buttress is a ledge. Rateau De Chevre starts below the left end of this - the old boulder problem of Lambert (J.Talbot 1969) takes the wall left again.

1. Rateau De Chevre 12m M
   Climb to the left-hand end of the terrace, move up left and finish up a short corner.
   
   
2. Angel Flake 12m M
   The vague rib to the right of Rateau De Chevre.
   
   
3. Slanting Corner 15m D
   The first prominent diagonal groove to the right of Angel Flake.
   
   
4. Left Ramp 15m D
   To the right is the prominent red groove of Red Corner. Start up this, but step left and take the left-trending ramp above.
   
   
5. Red Corner 21m VD
   The prominent red groove. Gain the ledge and climb a groove above to a recess. Surmount the overhang and follow the slabby groove above to the top.
   
   
6. Wall And Crest 24m VD
   Climb a very faint groove 2m right of Red Corner to gain and finish up Kinder.
   
   
7. Kinder 24m S
   Climb the centre of the front of the pillar to a large recess below the groove in the upper half of the buttress. Take the corner to the top.
   
   Kindergarten (J.Talbot 1970) is a rather pointless link-up of Kinder and Red Corner at half-height.
   
   
8. Guardian 24m S *
   Start below the groove in the upper half of the buttress. Climb it to the large recess and traverse right to the arete. Follow this to the top.
   
   

Cave Area

To the right is a gully containing a cave. An old route on the left wall is largely superseded by others (Wall and Crest, J.Talbot 1963). The following route can be used to access the floor of the cave.

1. Cave Corner 30m D
   Scramble up from beach level to the cave then climb the easy left wall to finish up a groove.
   
   
2. Chantilly Lace 21m HVS,5b **
   A cracker, taking the steep corner left of the cave with good protection and good rock.
   
   
3. Shock And Awe 21m E6,6c *** ?
   Spectacular climbing up the central cave system to the right of Chantilly Lace, 3TRs.
   
   
4. Possessed 22m E4,6a *
   A sustained pitch, with plentiful but indifferent protection. Start right of the cave. Climb a flake crack to a small ledge, step left to gain a thin crack, PR, and climb this, PR, to easier ground.
   
   
5. Repossessed 22m E4,6a *
   From the step left of Possessed continue up the groove between this and the Damned. Finish up Cave Traverse.
   
   
6. The Damned 22m E2,6a
   A good, varied route. As for Possessed to the small ledge, move right and climb the crack to a small roof. Battle up the corner crack above and finish along the traverse line of Cave Traverse.
   
   
7. Cave Traverse 39m HS,4a *
   An exposed route. Climb into the cave and traverse rightwards to the first corner crack. Follow this to a recess, level with the top of the wall above the cave. Traverse left to ledges, 2PR.
   
   The following routes are on the wall to the right. The finishes are obviously lethal, so it is assumed that climbers will either abseil off, leaving some gear, or descend down and to the right. The descriptions are therefore terminated at the end of the solid rock.
   
   
8. Pluto 16m VS,4b
   At sea level and below the cave of the tor, is a vague rib on the right wall, left of a narrow slab. Start up this, but swing left onto a knob at 5m and finish up grooves above to the ledge.
   
   
9. Narrow Slab 15m VD
   The narrow slab itself.
   
   
10. Seaward 18m D
    The obvious corner 5m to the right of Narrow Slab, gaining a ledge off to the right.
    
    
11. Slab And Wall 17m VD
    The wall right of Seaward.
    
    
12. Agamemnon 27m VS,4c ?
    Follow the steep broken groove just left of the front of the buttress taking care with the rock, to a traverse line
    
    

leading rightwards at 25m. Belay. Either finish direct or traverse right to reach easier ground.

Front Face

The following routes are on the superb rock of the front seaward face of the Tor. For V-Groove and Plot 13, keep a very close eye on the tide.

1. V Groove 27m E3,5c **
   One of Gower's earliest classic hard routes. Delicate and technical at first, then more exposed and strenuous. Start below the rib left of the overhanging corner in the front of the buttress, climb it and the thin crack to gain the v-groove. Exit leftward from the notch and climb a shallow groove above to a ledge. Either traverse off rightwards or abseil from a shaky block.
   
   
2. Plot 13 27m E4,6a ***
   A good addition, which is just shy of E5. Start at the overhanging chimney just right of V Groove. Bridge up the constricted chimney until it is possible to step down right below a sharp fin of rock. Climb the thin crack on its left side to the overhang. A hard move leads to a hidden hold above the overhang. Step right to the arete, PR, then move leftwards onto the face and make hard moves up and left. Continue up the face to the walk-off ledge.
   
   

East Wall

Right (east) of the front face of Jacky's Tor is a bulging wall with a thin crack on its left side and a shallow groove at its right.

1. Promise Of A Miracle 25m E5,6a
   Start 5m right of Plot 13. Thin cracks lead to a large roof, which is passed on the right to reach an open corner. Move left into a shallow groove to finish.
   
   
2. Crank The Hummer 24m E3,6a *
   Take the thin crack right of Promise Of A Miracle. Climb to the start of the crack, PR, move over a small overhang and follow the crack to the top. The name is not a misprint.
   
   
3. Stuntmaster 18m E5,6a
   Start 3m right of Crank The Hummer. Climb just left of an arete, to enter a groove in the arete. Move left at the top.
   
   
4. Cut Across Shorty 19m E3,6a *
   The groove left of Red Diedre. Gain it by climbing the arete. The PR is on its last legs. The name is correct.
   
   
5. Red Diedre 18m HVS,5a *
   A steep corner skirts the overhanging area to the right of Cut Across Shorty. Climb easy rocks to gain the corner and climb it directly.
   
   
6. Mittel 18m VD
   As for Red Diedre, but move right to finish up the arete.
   
   
7. Awry 15m S
   The wall right of Mittel.
   
   

FIRST ASCENTS

Subsidiary Buttress

1. J.Talbot 00.00.1963
   
2. J.Talbot 00.00.1969
   
3. J.Talbot 00.00.1963
   
4. J.Talbot 00.00.1963
   
5. J.Talbot, D.Lewis 00.00.1963
   
6. J.Talbot 00.00.1963
   
7. J.Talbot 00.00.1963
   
8. J.Talbot, D.Lewis 00.00.1963
   

Cave Area

1. 9. Unknown Pre-1981
   
2. A.Sharp, J.Harwood 23.10.1982
   
3. M.Richards, A.Sharp, M.Jones, P.Lewis 27.03.2003
   
4. J.Talbot, P.Perkins - Cave Overhang 00.00.1964 FFA A.Sharp, J.Harwood, D.Hillier 30.10.1982
   
5. M.Richards, A.Sharp, M.Jones 27.03.2003
   
6. A.Sharp, D.Hillier 00.00.1982
   
7. R.Owen, C.Andrews, C.Edwards 00.00.1960
   
8. J.Talbot, R.Corbett 00.00.1961
   
9. J.Talbot, R.Corbett 00.00.1961
   
10. J.Talbot, R.Corbett 00.00.1962
    
11. J.Talbot, R.Corbett 00.00.1961
    
12. E.Pardoe, L.Costello 00.00.1969
    

Front Face

1. E.Pardoe, D.Ellis 00.00.1966
   
2. R.Thomas, J.Bullock, L.Moran 31.05.1987
   

East Wall

1. M.Crocker, R.Thomas 24.10.1993
   
2. A.Sharp, J.Harwood, P.Lewis 14.04.1984
   
3. M.Crocker, R.Thomas 24.10.1993
   
4. A.Sharp, J.Harwood 12.03.1983
   
5. J.Talbot, D.Lewis 00.00.1963
   
6. J.Talbot, D.Lewis 00.00.1963
   
7. J.Talbot, R.Corbett 00.00.1962