Beyond the well trodden confines of the Castlemartin Range, and just across the sweeping sand dunes of Broad Haven beach, is another system of famed headlands and zawns, known collectively as the Stackpole Area. Mowing Word is the most westward of these headlands and is the first reached when approaching from the Broad Haven car park, taking the form of a prominent, narrow promontory that cuts sharply into the horizon. Its steep golden walls are home to some of the finest examples of mid grade climbs in Britain, but despite this the crag is rarely busy, the gravitational pull of Castlemartin sucking in the majority of visiting climbers. Those who do come here however, will be treated to a veritable feast of high quality lines, which they can surely not cease to tire of. For the mid grade climber there is the stupendous Diedre Sud (HS 4a) and the lengthy multi-pitch voyage of the Heart of Darkness (HVS 4c), both of which are probably the finest examples of their grade in Britain. For those who climb harder, routes such as Snozwanger (E1 5b), Flax of Dream (E2 5a) and the demanding In One Door (E5 6a) offer more than enough meat to get one’s teeth into.

Because the crag isn’t in on one of Pembroke’s Ministry of Defence owned firing ranges, it isn’t subject to any midweek access restrictions; this makes it an ideal destination for times when the neighbouring ranges are closed. This does not however mean that climbing is permitted at all times, as between the 1st March and 1st August, nesting birds mean that climbing is banned on most of the faces. Restricted routes include Autumn Gold and Fools Rush In to Cormorant Flake inclusive. See the Red Tape and Access Section for more details.

Rock Climbing

The climbing at Mowing Word can be split between five distinct areas – The West Face, The South Face, East Face, Hidden Wall and the Forgotten Wall. In addition to these the West Face can also be split up into three area’s for the purposes of clarity. All of the routes are in some way affected by the tide the degree to which it is very much dependant on the time of year and the weather. Most starts will require a hanging belay just above the high tide line, o in high seas or stormy weather, the crags is probably better off avoided all together

The Hidden Wall
(Photo by Nanuls)

The West Face
(Photo by Nanuls)

The East Face
(Photo by Nanuls)

Climbs are listed from left to right, and are graded and rated with the aid of the Climbers’ Club Guide to Pembroke, the Pembroke Supplement and the new Rockfax Pembroke guide, so for full descriptions, please refer to these books. In addition to these sources, Rockfax’s website has descriptions for the routes included in their book, which can be viewed on their online route Database.

Routes are graded using the British Adjectival Grading System. Technical grades are generally only given to climbs graded adjectivally as Severe (S) or above. A conversion table of international climbing grades by SP member Corax is available HERE! With the exception of Tenby South Beach Quarry, bolting is strictly prohibited everywhere in Pembrokeshire, so don’t even think about it 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.

West Face

The West Face is Mowing Word's largest and finest section of cliff face, being host to a veritable treasure trove of star-gilded routes. Incredibly steep, uncomfortably committing, yet utterly magnetic, this crag epitomises the very best Pembroke has to offer.

For clarity it has been split into three sections – the Chimes of Freedom Area, the Diedre Sud Area and the Curver Area.

The Sections of Mowing Word's West Face (Photo by Nanuls)

Chimes of Freedom Area

The Chimes of Freedom Area constitutes the huge buttress that protrudes from the West Face.

Routes in the Chimes of Freedom Area (Photo by Nanuls)

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
1.	Fools Rush In	43m	2	E2	5a, 4a
2.	The Onion Eaters	40m	1	E3	6a
3.	The Challot	40m	2	E3	5b, 5c
4.	Crystal Grazer	40m	1	E2	5c
5.	Sea Goon	49m	2	HVS	4c, 4a
6.	Seaside Salamander	46m	1	E4	6a
7.	All at Sea	46m	1	E5	6a
8.	Crises	46m	1	E4	6a
9.	Tie me to the Tyburn Tree	43m	1	E5	6a
10.	Widowmaker	46m	2	E3	5c, 5b
11.	Chimes of Freedom	43m	1	E2	5b
12.	Stand By to Boogie	43m	2	E3	5a, 5c
13.	Blowin' in the Wind	43m	2	E1	5a, 5b
14.	Snozwanger	43m	2	HVS	4c, 5a

Diedre Sud Area

Most climbers will know of Mowing Word for its two classic routes - Diedre Sud (HS 4a) and Heart of Darkness (HVS 4c), both of which can be found on this section. If that weren't enough, the other routes of this section also have plenty to offer.

Routes in the Diedre Sud Area (Photo by Nanuls)

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
15.	Diedre Sud	43m	2	HS	4a
16.	Sour Milk Dill	21m	1	E2	5c
17.	The Right Wall	43m	2	HVS	4b, 5a
18.	New Morning	55m	2	E1	5a, 5b
19.	Dawn Chorus	21m	1	E6	6b
20.	Ice Breaker	52m	2	E4	5c, 6a
21.	Ski Sunday	52m	2	E6	5c, 6b
22.	Razorbill	55m	3	VS	4b, 4b, 4c
23.	The Flax of Dream	61m	3	E2	4b, 4c, 5a
24.	Heart of Darkness	80m	4	HVS	4c, 4b, 4c, 4a
25.	In One Door	46m	2	E5	6a, 6a
26.	Heart of Darkness/New Morning Connection	48m	2	E1	5b
27.	In the Heat of the Night	40m	1	E5	6a
28.	Betrayal	38m	1	E6	6b
29.	Sealhunt	37m	1	E1	5b
30.	The Liquidator	37m	1	E5	6b
31.	Seal of Approval	37m	1	E3	5c
32.	Culinary Delights	40m	1	E2	5b
33.	Small Man's Burden	37m	1	E4	6a
34.	Black Cat	37m	1	E3	6a
35.	Maninwhite	37m	1	E1	5b

The Curver Area

This southern most section of the West Face also has some interesting routes.

Routes in the Curver Area (Photo by Nanuls)

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
36.	Seal	30m	1	VS	4c
37.	Ships that Crash in the Night	49m	2	E3	5b, 5b
38.	Rose in Bloom	33m	1	E3	5c
39.	Cormorant Flake	34m	1	VS	4c
40.	The Curver	40m	3	VS	4a, 4b, 4c
41.	Nijinski	27m	1	E1	5b
42.	Horse Feathers	27m	1	E1	5b
43.	Inside the Final Hurdle	27m	1	E4	6b
44.	The Horse's Mouth	30m	1	E2	5c
45.	The Beak	34m	2	VS	4c
46.	The Pecker	24m	1	E2	5b
47.	Over the Top	24m	1	E1	5a
48.	Contradiction	24m	1	E4	6a
49.	What the Butler Saw	27m	1	E4	6a
50.	Poor Relations	27m	1	E1	5b
51.	The Arête of Mowing Word	37m	1	VS
52.	Odour Cologne	37m	3	E4	6a, 5b
53.	Stubble Trouble	37m	3	E6	5b, 6c, 6b
54.	Slip of the Wrist	37m	3	E5	5b, 6a, 6a

South Face

The following routes are located on the most southerly tip of the headland.

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
55.	Close Shave	37m	3	E4	5b, 6a, 5a
56.	The Razor's Edge	37m	2	HVS	5a, 5a
57.	Severed Head	35m	2	E4	5c
58.	On the Brink	21m	1	E5	6a
69.	Plain Failing	30m	1	E3	5c
70.	Relaxation Class	24m	1	E5	6c
71.	So This is War	27m	1	E6	6b
72.	The Olive Branch	27m	1	E4	6a
73.	Special Branch	24m	1	E5	6a
74.	If You Can't Crank It, Spank It	24m	1	E4	6a
75.	Charenton Crack	24m	1	E2	5b
76.	Finger Fiend	24m	1	E5	6b
77.	One More Nail	24m	1	E5	6a
78.	Steep Pace	27m	1	E4	5c

East Face

Smaller and generally less fertile than the West Face, the East Face of Mowing Word has a few worthy offerings for the visiting climber.

Routes on the East Face and Hidden Wall (Photo by Nanuls)

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
79.	Night Boat to Penfro	27m	1	E5	6c
80.	Go Slo	21m	1	HVS	5b
81.	Titanium Head	27m	1	E4	6a
82.	Mental Block	27m	1	E1	5b
83.	Mental Block Direct Start	27m	1	E1	5b
84.	Logos	27m	1	HVS	5a
85.	Fanatic	24m	1	HVS	5a
86.	Pilgrim's Chorus	21m	1	VS	4c
87.	Corner Crack	27m	1	VS	4c
88.	Square Chimney	21m	1	VD
89.	Ledgeway	21m	1	D
90.	Illusion Corner	24m	1	VS	4c
91.	Arête and Groove	24m	1	S	4a

Hidden Wall

This fine, overhanging wall lies in a zawn to the right of Square Chimney.

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
92.	La Militaire	30m	1	E1	5b
93.	Street Legal	30m	1	E2	5b
94.	Crack Division	33m	1	E4	6a
95.	The Good Soldier	34m	1	E2	5c
96.	Knocked Out Loaded	30m	1	E1	5b
97.	Black Crow Blues	30m	2	E3	6a, 5a
98.	Puppy Dog Blues	27m	1	HVS	5a

Forgotten Wall

Despite its name the Forgotten Wall is far from forgotten. Find it between the Hidden Wall and Stackpole Head's West Face.

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
99.	New Balance	24m	1	HVS
100.	Plain Sailing	24m	1	VD
101.	Haystacks	24m	2	VS	4b
102.	Guillibility	24m	1	VD
103.	Sulky Poos	24m	2	VS	4c
104.	Easy Peasy	24m	2	VS	4b

Weather Conditions and Tides

Weather Forecast

This section displays the weather forecast for Bosherston, which is located just to the west of Mowing Word. This gives a pretty good indication of what the weather will be like on the crag, as both Bosherston and Mowing Word sit at pretty much at 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 Mowing Word:

Stackpole Quay (SR 992 957)

When to Climb and Essential Gear

Because the crag is an important breeding and nesting site for bird species such as Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), between 1st March and 1st August climbing is completely banned on most of the faces. Climbing outside this period is however, completely unrestricted, with late summer early autumn generally offering the most stable weather. Since most of the routes start with a hanging belay just above sea level, Mowing Word is probably better off avoided in high seas - unless of course, your belayer doesn’t mind receiving a good soaking.

The gear needed depends entirely on the routes you plan to do. Because most of the pitches are quite long, a well stocked rack with plenty of quickdraws is advisable; a good compliment of friends or other camming devices will also certainly help – smaller ones will generally be of most use. A set of double ropes of at least 50 metres in length is pretty much essential for all climbs and in addition to your usual gear; you will also need an abseil rope to access to the base of the crag.

The West Face (Photo by Nanuls)

Getting There

Mowing Word lies around midway between Broad Haven Beach and Stackpole Quay, but is best reached from the beach in the south. 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 A477 Trunk Road towards Pembroke Dock (SM 969 036). Before reaching Pembroke Dock, turn left onto the A4075 (SN 019 027) to Pembroke (SM 989 012). In Pembroke, drive straight over the first small roundabout you reach and drive along the A4139 a few hundred metres and turn left and take the B4319 south towards Castlemartin (SR 915 983). Around 2.5km after Saint Petrox (SR 971 975), take a left hand turn (SR 965 964) signposting Bosherston (SR 965 9470). Drive through Bosherston (or stop for a cup of tea at Mrs Weston's Olde Worlde Café) to the Broad Haven Car Park (SR 975 939).

Leave the car park and cross Broad Haven Beach, from here follow a path along a fence that leads to Saddle Bay (SR 983 942). From Saddle Bay follow the coastal path past Raming Hole (SR987944) to a small sandy bay. From here you will be able to see the narrow headland of Mowing Word (SR991942) protruding far into the sea. The coastal path will now take you along the cliff tops to said headland where you will be provided with a choice of stakes for abseiling and belaying.

Red Tape and Access

The Crumbling Stack
(Photo by Nanuls)

Mowing Word is owned by the National Trust and classified as open access land meaning that the public has a right to access it more or less at any time. However, it also forms part of a Special Protection Area and is an extremely important site for breeding and nesting choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), therefore between 1st March and 1st August climbing is completely banned on most of its faces.

It should be noted that Pembroke nesting restrictions are complex and vary annually. Please check the notice boards in Stack Rocks or St Govan’s car parks for more information. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority also produce an excellent annual information leaflet illustrating the restricted areas on a clear map - download it from this LINK.

It is also available from the BMC, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and Mrs Weston’s Ye Olde Worlde Café in Bosherston.

The Hidden
Wall
(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. The city of St. David’s and its hinterland is particularly well provided for. 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 36 South Pembrokeshire/De Sir Benfro

OS 1:50k Landranger Series 158 Tenby & Pembroke / Dinbych-y-pysgod & Penfro

Road Maps

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 on Mowing Word.
	Climbers Club Pembroke Supplement by Dave Viggers A little book containing updates to the Climbers Club Guide - costs around a fiver.
	Rock Fax Guide: Pembroke by Alan James and Mike Robertson Not quite as comprehensive as the Climbers Club guides, but lavishly illustrated with tons of large photo diagrams and topos.

External Links

The West Face (Photo by Nanuls)

Restriction Markers (Photo by Nanuls)

Government Bodies and Other Organisations

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority
Council for National Parks

Association of National Park Authorities
Pembrokeshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council
Ceredigion County Council
Countryside Council for Wales
Forestry Commission Wales
Environment Agency
CADW

Royal Commission on Ancient & Historical Monuments in Wales
Dyfed Archaeological Trust
The National Trust
Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Outdoor Organisations and Companies

British Mountaineering Council
Pembrokeshire Climbing Club
Pembrokeshire Outdoor Charter Group
South Wales Mountaineering Club
The Climbers Club
UKClimbing

Weather

Weather from the Met Office
BBC Weather
Weather Channel UK

Tide Tables

BBC Tide Tables
UK Hydrographic Office

Tourist Information

Visit Wales
Visit Pembrokeshire
South West Wales Tourism Partnership
Local Information from Pembrokeshire Pages
Local Information from Pembrokeshire Online

Travel Information

Welsh Public Transport Information
Uk Train Timetable

Accommodation

Youth Hostel Association in Wales
Independent Hostel Guide
Campsites in Pembrokeshire

Maps and Guidebooks

Ordnance Survey
Cicerone Guidebooks
Climbers’ Club Guidebooks
Rockfax Guidebooks
Mid Wales Climbing
Cordee Travel and Adventure Sports Bookshop

Wildlife and Conservation

Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre
South West Wales Wildlife Trust
Sea Trust
Pembrokeshire Bird Group

Welsh Language

Welsh Language Board
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg Welsh language pressure group
Cymuned Welsh language pressure group
Yr Urdd (Welsh Youth Association)
Welsh-English / English-Welsh online translator
Welsh-English / English-Welsh Online Dictionary
Welsh-English / English-Welsh Online Lexicon

Images



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"In this short span between my fingertips and the smooth edge and these tense feet cramped to a crystal ledge, I hold the life of a man." --G.W. Young