Craig Llong : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

Overview

Table of Contents

Overview

Rock Climbing

Craig Llong

Trwyn Llong

Weather Conditions and Tides

Weather Forecast

Tide Times

When to Climb and Essential Gear

Getting There

Red Tape and Access

Camping and Accommodation

Maps

Guidebooks

External Links

Images

With its rough and wild position, and battered by the relentless waves of the Irish Sea, there are few crags in Wales that can match Craig Llong (Ship's Rock) for raw atmosphere. Reputed to be the finest crag in northern Pembroke, it's home to a series of gravity defying overhanging buttresses of hard igneous rock, which sport one of the highest concentrations of three star routes anywhere in these parts. The routes are generally in the higher grades, however, easier breaks can be found in-between, providing something for the less experienced climber too. To it's south is a second promontory known as Trwyn Llong (Ship's Nose), or Fisherman's Ridge, which offers further routes, mostly in the mid grades. Be aware though, the easier routes are prone to friable and loose rock, adding an element of danger to what should be relatively straightforward climbs. The gem of the area is almost certainly the Asteroid Wall, a massive 50 metre high celestial beast of pillowed rock, which gives the some of the most sustained, committing and technical climbing anywhere in Britain. This quality, coupled with its largely non-tidal nature and sheltered southerly aspect, make it an ideal winter venue, especially for the discerning expert.

Rock Climbing

The climbing in this area can be split into two areas, Craig Llong itself, and Trwyn Llong, a peninsula to the south. For Craig Llong, only the slabs left of the Asteroid are affected by the tide, while Trwyn Llong is entirety affected by it, the degree of which can depend on the time of year and weather.

Climbs are listed from right to left, and are graded and rated with the aid of the Climbers Club Guide to Pembroke and the Pembroke Supplement, so for full descriptions, please refer to those books. Technical grades are generally only given to climbs graded adjectivally as Hard Severe (HS) or above.

Routes are rated using the British Adjectival Grading System. With the exception of Tenby South Beach Quarry, bolting is strictly prohibited everywhere in Pembrokeshire, so don’t even think about it here. A conversion table of international climbing grades by SP member Corax is available HERE!

Route Symbols:

	A so-so route, neither good nor bad. Not unpleasant unless otherwise stated.
	A good route which is definitely worth a climb.
	A very good route, one of the best on the crag and well worthy of attention.
	An excellent route, one of the best in the area, and probably in Britain too.

	No Restrictions Used to indicate that there are currently no restrictions, either seasonal, temporary or permanent, affecting a route.
	Restrictions Used to indicate that there are restrictions, either seasonal, temporary or permanent, affecting a route. See the Red Tape and Access Section for more details.

The various walls of Craig Llong. For a clean version of the photo click HERE (Photo by Nanuls)

Craig Llong

Descend from the coastal path along the grassy ramp that runs down the southern side of the crag. The first feature encountered is the smooth looking overhanging wall of Walk on By which is terminated on the left by the broken corner of Chimney Route. The next feature is the huge overhanging wall overlooking the almost horizontal flake of Classic Walks. Set below this is the easy angled slab that gives Corkscrew, then to the left again is the amazing Asteroid Wall, an overhanging behemoth of bubbling dolerite which is bounded on the right by The Cambrian, while to its left is the Seaward Cliff.

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
1.	Walk on By	18m	1	E2	5c
2.	Wait on the Corner	18m	1	E4	6a/b
3.	Strangers	18m	1	E6	6b/c
4.	Impetus Now	18m	1	E6	6b
5.	Chimney Route	24m	1	HS	4a
6.	Classic Walks	40m	1	S
7.	Extreme Walks	43m	2	E4	6a
8.	Go Take a Running Jump	21m	1	E6	6b
9.	Can You Walk Like You Talk?	21m	1	E4	6a
10.	Corkscrew	55m	2	HS	4a
11.	The Count	43m	2	E1	5a, 4a
12.	Grand Duke	37m	1	E2	5b
13.	Souls of the Departed	43m	1	E4	6a
14.	The Cambrian	46m	1	E5	6a
15.	Moonstruck	46m	1	E6	6b
16.	Moonie	40m	1	E6	6b

Seaward Cliff

The following routes are located on the tidal seaward slabs to the left of the Asteroid Wall.

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade
17.	Trainer Slab	37m	1	S
18.	Flake Slab	26m	1	VD
19.	Cold Climb	24m	1	VD

Craig Llong
(Photo by Nanuls)

Trwyn Llong
(Photo by Nanuls)

Trwyn Llong

Descent to the base of Trwyn Llong can be made by scrambling down the crest of the ridge so a stake in the first gap. Abseil from this stake either down the north side to a rock platform or via the south side. At low tide its base can be reached by traversing in eastwards from the foot of the abseil.

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
20.	Pocket Slab	60m	2	S
21.	Heather Slab	34m	1	S
22.	Den's Dyke	34m	1	HS	4a
23.	Acapulco	30m	2	HVS	5a
24.	Garibaldi	27m	1	VS	4b
45.	Roland Rat	27m	1	HS
26.	Recess Slab	27m	1	S
27.	Thrift Slab	40m	2	HS	4a
28.	Not Worth Abseiling For	40m	2	HS
29.	Velcro	46m	2	VS

Weather Conditions and Tides

Weather Forecast

This section displays the weather forecast for Trefin, which is located just to the east of Craig Llong. This gives a pretty good indication of what the weather will be like on the crag, as both Trefin and Craig Llong area sit at around sea level.

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar | Hurricane Center

Tide Times

Tide times can have a significant impact on where and when one climbs. It is therefore extremely important to check the timetables before embarking on trip to the area. UK tides information for all standard and secondary ports is provided by the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), and displayed on the BBC's website. The link below provides a link to the nearest port to Craig Llong:

Fishguard (SM 955 375)

When to Climb and Essential Gear

The most reliable conditions are in the summer, but the low altitude of the crag may make it a viable option in winter. The gear needed depends entirely on the routes you plan to do. Easier routes will only require a moderate rack, while harder routes will require a something more comprehensive; a good compliment of friends or other camming devices will certainly help. A singe 50 metre rope should serve well on most easy routes, however, twin or double ropes would be a wise choice for the harder stuff. In addition to your usual gear, you might want to bring along an abseil rope to speed up access to the base of the crag.

Craig Llong
(Photo by Nanuls)

Corkscrew (HS 4a)
(Photo by Nanuls)

Craig Llong
(Photo by Nanuls)

Getting There

When approaching from Carmarthen (SN 405 196) take the A40 Truck Road signposted for Saint Clears (SN 274 160). At the Saint Clears roundabout, take the A40 Trunk Road towards Haverfordwest (SM 961 159). At Haverfordwest, continue on the A40 north. Just after Scleddau (SM942346) turn left and take the A4219, and then left again once you reach the T-junction for with the A487 (SM 933 358). Continue towards St. David's and turn off right at Square and Compass (SM 844 310) for Trefin (SM 839 325). Park at Trefin and take a footpath north to join the coastal path (SM 834 329). Walk east along the coastal path to Trwyn Llong and Craig Llong.

Red Tape and Access

No red tape here!

Although unlikely it's worth checking the countryside access map provided by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) regarding whether or not any restrictions on movement in the area are in place.

Countryside Access Map

Pwll Llong (Photo by Nanuls)

Camping and Accommodation

There’s an almost unlimited supply of accommodation within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park so it would be inappropriate to list it all here. For budget accommodation it’s worth checking out some of the following sites:

Youth Hostel Association in Wales
Independent Hostel Guide
Campsites in Pembrokeshire

For everything else and more see Visit Pembrokeshire’s website.

Maps

Open Space Web-Map builder Code

Navigation Maps

OS 1:25k Explorer Series OL 35 North Pembrokeshire/Gogledd Sir Benfro

OS 1:50k Landranger Series 157 St David’s & Haverfordwest/Tyddewi a Hwlffordd

OS Road Map 6 Wales/Cymru & West Midlands

Guidebooks

	Pembrokeshire Coast: The Official National Park Guide by Alf Alderson, John Cleare and Ian Mercer. A handy book full of useful information and interesting facts about the National Park.
	Climbers Club Guides to Wales: Pembroke by John Harwood, Dave Viggers et al. An extremely comprehensive two volume guidebook to the area which describes most of the routes at Craig Llong.
	Climbers Club Pembroke Supplement by Dave Viggers A little book containing updates to the Climbers Club Guide and costs around a fiver.