Flimston Bay

The quiet backwaters of Flimston Bay occupy an attractive little corner of the Castlemartin Range and one that is perhaps less visited than it should to be. While the bay itself is undeniably pretty and is home to a handful of minor crags (which are of moderate interest to the climber), the bay’s real gems lie on the cliffs on either side, for here are hidden some of the best routes in all Pembroke, and dare I say it, the country. To its west are the steep crags of Flimston Ridge, which offer the extreme climber much to get their teeth into, while just to its east is Flimston Slab, home to some of the best low grade climbs in Pembroke. Further east again is Bow-Shaped Slab, a mid grade climbers paradise, which hosts some of the best Hard Severe’s anywhere. The route Bow-Shaped Slab (HS 4a) is worth the trip alone.

The climbing at Flimston Bay can be split into nine areas: Flimston Ridge, Flimston Stack, Barrel Slab, Bifters Buttress, Flimston Slab, Oribit Wall Area, Trio Wall Area, Bow-Shaped Slab and Crocksydam Point. All crags described are in some way affected by the tide, the degree of which depending of the time of year and weather. Crags and routes are listed from left to right, and are graded and rated with the aid of the old Climbers' Club Guide to Pembroke, the old Pembroke Supplement and the 2009 Rockfax Pembroke guide. Since then, the Climbers' Club have published a new comprehensive guide for this area, Pembroke Volume 3: Range East – Stack Rocks to Hollow Caves Bay, which adds a significant number of new crags and routes to the area, though the changes to this pages' crags are few. Nevertheless it is recommended that you refer to this or the Rockfax book for up-to-date information and route descriptions. In addition to these sources Rockfax’s website also has descriptions for the routes included in its book, which can be viewed on its online route Database.

Routes are rated using the British Adjectival Grading System. A conversion table of international climbing grades by SP member Corax is available: download it here. With the exception of Tenby South Beach Quarry, bolting is strictly prohibited everywhere in Pembroke, 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.

The West Face of Flimston Ridge is home to a good number of quality high end routes of both the single and multi-pitch variety. Access can easily be gained by descending the crest of the ridge from sea level and then traversing in on an obvious break around 10 metres height. The right-hand part of the face has provided some easy and short climbs for beginners but the meat of the ridge, described below, can be found further left. There is a nesting restriction between the 1st March and 15th August.

This is the larger landward of the two stacks on the western side of the bay. Flakaway takes its right side while Thieves can be found on the shattered wall behind it.

Above the beach to the east of Flimston Ridge is a convex buttress with an overhanging base and a large grassy slab above. Access all routes in this area either by abseil or by scrambling down Flimston Ridge.

Further east is a huge rotten looking slab that is set back from the main cliffs and is cut off by high tide.

A little further east again is a small overhanging wall.

The slab left of Flimston Slab has a huge overhang running across it and four chimneys on its left side at around sea-level. Approach by abseil.

A superb little slab with some fantastic low-grade climbs. Flimston Crack is just sublime. Range Rocks Keep Falling on My Head is on a buttress 10 metres to the east of Flimston Slab. Routes are best reached by abseil.

This area is directly west of the Trio Wall Area and has an obvious rock island at its top. Best approach is by abseil.

Around 100 metres east of Flimston Slab is a wall below below a grass slope which is flanked by zawns below and broken ridges above. Access the routes by abseil.

The awesome Bow-Shaped Slab lies in the eastern corner of the Flimston Bay area. It has a distinctive concave profile and is easily recognisable on the approach. Abseil in or down climb the broken slab left of Bomb Corner at about Moderate.

Directly opposite but at right angles to Bow-Shaped Slab is a small compact cliff.

Forming the west side of Crocksydam Point is an area of huge overhangs and rotten rock. Just right of this is a slanting slabby groove with predominate pink patch up its right hand side. The following routes are on the seaward arête of this slab.

This is the impressive headland separating Flimstone Bay in the west and Crystal Slabs and Bullslaughter Bay in the east. It is easily identifiable by a large rock arch which sits on a landward slanting slab. The face on the south east tip of the point is small, compact and gives some good climbing. The East Face is subject to a bird restriction wich runs from the 1st March to the 31st July. This currently only effects one route, Ring of Bright Water.

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 monitoring station to Flimston Bay:

Stackpole Quay (SR 992 957)

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 single 50 metre rope should serve well on most easy routes, however, 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.

Flimston Bay is located in the Range East portion of the Castlemartin Range.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 500m after the Merrion Camp (SR 939 968), take a left hand turn at a crossroads (SR 931 970) and drive down an unclassified road to the Stack Rocks Car Park (SR 925 946).

Park at the Stack Rocks Car Park and walk west along the coastal path, past Elegug Stacks and The Cauldron. Flimstone Bay (SR 931 946) is the first large sandy bay after The Cauldron, it can be identified by the presence of two small sea stacks near its centre. The crags of this area stretch from Flimston Ridge (SR 930 944), which is on the western side of the bay to Crocksydam Point (SR 935 942), which is marked on the Ordnance Survey map as Moody Nose. The headland is easily identifiable by a large rock arch which sits on a landward slanting slab. All crags as best accessed via abseil.

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.

Flimston Bay is located in the Range East portion of the Castlemartin Range. This area is an Army firing range, although they do not use exploding ammunition. Access is permitted whenever firing is not taking place, which is normally on weekends, Bank Holidays, and in the evenings (after 4.30). The night firing normally occurs on alternate Mon/Wed and Tues/Thurs nights. The Range is sometimes open during the week, but it is best to check before travelling. Phone the 24 hour help line on (01646) 662367.

Because the Flimston Bay area forms part of a Special Protection Area and is an extremely important site for breeding and nesting choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), parts of it are affected by seasonal bird restrictions. Between 1st March and 15th August climbing is completely banned on the west face of Flimston Ridge and the eastern side Crocksydam Point. 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.

For further information, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) runs a Regional Access Database, which holds mountain/crag specific information on matters of conservation and access, including issues such as nesting restrictions, nature designations and preferred parking:

Regional Access Database

If you are in any doubt about any particular access arrangement, or need to report an incident, you should contact your local BMC Access Representative or the BMC Access Officers for Wales: Elfyn Jones

Government Bodies and Other Organisations

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority

Council for National Parks

Association of National Park Authorities

Natural Resources Wales

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

UKClimbing

Weather and Tides

The Met Office

BBC Weather

BBC Tide Tables

UK Hydrographic Office

Tourist Information

Visit Wales

Visit Pembrokeshire

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

The Climbers’ Club

Cicerone Guidebooks

Rockfax

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