Stallion Cove (Paviland Wild West)

Contents

Gower

Paviland and Juniper Wall

TIDAL STATUS

Routes on the west side can be approached 1 hour either side of low water. Machine Gun Kelly and Devolution 2 hours either side of low water, other routes on the east side are non-tidal. The tidal status of The Hole is unknown.

BOLTING POLICY

No bolting except on the back wall of the cove (i.e. the steeply overhanging wall left of Machine Gun Kelly).

DESCENTS

Descent on the west side is best done by reversing Ron The Common Man. Descent on the east side is either by abseiling off slings or by walking off to the right (east).

The Routes

The Hole

This lies somewhere to the west of Stallion Cove, but was not located at the time of writing.

1. Le Sewage Pudding 15m E1,5a
   Start at the base of the hole. Step onto the slab and move up to a deep slot. Continue slightly left to reach the groove and overhang. Move right onto the subsidiary slab and climb direct to the top.
   
   
2. Raspberry Nipple 10m VS,5a
   Atmospheric. Scramble down the western ridge of the hole until it is possible to traverse back right towards the cave and a belay ledge. From a short crack make a committing reach to jugs on the lip of the overhanging wall. Finish more easily in a direct line.
   
   

West Wall

There are two routes somewhere on the seaward face west of the main section of this wall, Outside Leg (VD) and Last Over Before Tea (VD), soloed by C.Evans. Descriptions were unavailable at the time of writing, but they are probably quite pleasant.

1. Chill Air 80m S
   A long route with good positions but some alarmingly loose rock. Climb the bounding ridge of the west wall of Stallion Cove with a short detour right at 60m.
   
   The most obvious feature of the west wall is the huge chimney of Ron The Common Man. To the seaward side of this is a 20m high wall. The first route is on the left side of this wall. There is a spike belay at the base.
   
   
2. Meg's Route 24m VS,4b
   At the seaward end of the west wall are two slanting grooves. Climb the left-hand groove to a rightward-trending diagonal crack. Continue left of this, to finish up the leaning wall past a matchbox-shaped hold.
   
   
3. Rachel's Route' 24m VS,4b
   The right-hand groove, finishing a metre or so to the right of Meg's Route.
   
   
4. Line Of Totality 24m E3,5c *
   To the right of Rachel's Route is a third route running up to a steep crack.
   
   
5. Unnamed I 24m E3,5c
   A line up the wall to the right of Line Of Totality
   
   
6. Parenting Orders And Bribery 24m VD
   The grooves left of Ron The Common Man, linked by a slab.
   
   
7. Ron The Common Man 24m VD **
   The huge chimney dominating the west wall.
   
   
8. Unnamed II 24m E1,5b
   As for Ron The Common Man to two-thirds height. Pull out onto the right wall and climb a groove to finish.
   
   
9. Machine Gun Kelly 31m E5,6b,5b *
   P1 takes the vicious leaning crack above the base of the rift, P2 takes the centre of the headwall.
   1. 6m From the base of the rift reach and follow jugs left to the arete at the foot of the crack (a sling flicked onto a spike protects the start). Power up the crack to massive holds over the lip. Scramble 6m to belay at the base of the inset headwall. Almost as hard as Undercut Crack at Bamford.
   2. 15m Climb totally direct up the fawn coloured leaning wall to a ledge at 5m. Continue straight up, keeping about 2-3m right of a broken black crackline to easier ground and a belay in the niche. Traverse right and climb down the ledge to the usual descent.
      
      
10. Devolution 18m E6,6b **
    The thin diagonal crack running through the roof right of Machine Gun Kelly to join the top of Colt 45 P1, 2PRs.
    
    
11. Colt 45 40m E2,5c,4c *
    1. 25m From 2m further up the rift, transfer onto an obvious rightward sloping ramp. Follow the ramp over a bulge to reach a rounded grey jug. Move right and pull up to easier ground. Climb easily leftwards to belay on a good brown spike below a wide crack right of the headwall.
    2. 15m Climb the wide crack for 4m then swing left onto a flake on the headwall. Continue up on pockets and sharp rock to a ledge. Fix gear, then traverse right to a belay on a large rock spike at a slightly lower level. Finishing direct from the headwall is Room 101 (4b, C.Evans, J.Williams 1999).
       
       
12. Marco Golo 25m E2,5b *
    Start halfway up the rift, at a low TR. Step across the rift into sharp cracks and follow these, stepping right at 5m to thinner cracks leading to the left-slanting break. Hand-traverse the break rightwards for 2m then climb straight up the bulge to a serrated sloping ledge and old golo. Continue directly up slabby grey rock to a belay ledge.
    
    
13. Marco Golo Direct 23m E3,6b
    Gain the rightmost cracks of Marco Golo just below the break, from directly below, avoiding holds in the start of the parent route. Contrived, but nice climbing on razors.
    
    
14. Moacs Are Extinct 18m HVS,5a *
    Start at the top of the rift. From a good flake on the wall climb to the base of a right-facing groove rising from a deep right-slanting break. Ascend the groove past an old in-situ Moac, to a ledge at the top of the wall.
    
    
15. Dinosaurs Don't Clip 18m HS,4b
    The wall and groove to the right of Moacs Are Extinct.
    
    

FIRST ASCENTS

The Hole

1. M.Richards, J.Williams 00.05.1999
2. M.Richards, J.Williams 00.05.1999

West Wall

1. R.High, J.Harwood 06.03.1999
2. C.Evans, J.Williams 00.00.1999
3. C.Evans, D.Morris 00.00.1999
4. M.Richards, T.Milner 00.07.1999
5. J.Williams 00.07.1999
6. C.Evans, J.Williams 00.00.1999
7. A.Sharp, P.Lewis 00.05.1999
8. A.Sharp, P.Lewis 00.05.1999
9. M.Crocker - Pitch 2 10.10.1998, M.Crocker - Pitch 1 07.02.1999
10. A.Sharp, M.Richards 00.00.1999
11. M.Crocker - Pitch 1 18.10.1998, M.Crocker, J.Harwood - Pitch 2 07.02.1998
12. M.Crocker 18.10.1998
13. A.Sharp, P.Lewis 00.05.1999
14. M.Crocker 18.10.1998
15. M.Richards, T.Milner 00.05.1999