Pembroke

In advance of our trip to France we took a chqance and headed down to south Wales last weekend hoping for a break from the constant Rain! We were in luck! Saterday morning we got up extra early (6am) to do an 8 mile run before having breckfast and hitting the road... Caroline did a load of the driving and Rocky even enjoyed the long 3.5 hour journey on winding roads through the welsh hills.

Rocky Enjoying the view out the car window

Another first this weekend was the fact that we decided to try another campsite - this time within walking distance from the beach AND the Crag! Check the view out from out tent...

The View

After checking out the campsite and pitching the tent we headed for the crag - 5 mins walking later we were ontop of St. Govans and basking in the Sunshine. the mission for this evening was to refamiliarise ourselves with Trad climbing... half a dozen Overhanging E3's later we still wern't pumped but our confidence on trad was back and the gear placements and ropework was back to scratch! We still got it!

Playing on the Beach

I managed to postpone the ritual swim in the ice cold sea untill tomorrow but we did go for a walk around the coastline - it felt like years since we had been here - Man i love that Place!

The Ab into Huntsmans Leap before the cloud-burst

The next morning we decide to go into the Leap to see if i can test myself on any of the long sustained Steep routes in the Mid E-Grades. I have done two E5's before down there and i felt like as the years have passed i've been getting better at them - the last one was a good solid Onsight over a year ago that left me pumped stupid and a fair bit scared in places. I ab in and check a line out but think better of it and sit at the bottom of the Zawn waiting for Caroline to Ab down - What will i do? we could do the E2?? as soon as caroline touches the ground the sky darkens and it LASHES Rain! SHIT!! Stuck down in the Leap with all the non-overhanging routes totally aturated and the steeper routes rapidly getting wet too! What to do? I start climbing - thats what. Some time later we emerge after onsighting an E6 6b with optional extra direct finish (Basicially i just climbed straight up on the dryest holds i could find). The Witching Hour into Bloody Sunday into Scorched Earth. Hmmmm.... Interesting, thats the Second Trad 6b route that i've onsighted in the last few weeks and deffinately the hardest one i've done and yet it felt OK.

Needless to say we were glad to get out and back to Rocky who wa tied up at the top of the cliff sheltering inder a little tent Caroline had fashoned out of my rucksact before she abbed in. After that we just spent the Day swimming in the Sea and chlling out on the beach - that was the Hardest route Caroline had ever been on and she was rightly scared even seconding.

What to do after a awesome day like that? Go and have a slap up meal in the Ever Friendly St. Govans Inn of Course!!

Man what a class weekend! Plus we got to test run out camping habbits before going to France.