Deborah's Zawn
| Deborah's Zawn | |
 | |
| Rock Type | Natural Carboniferous Limestone |
|---|---|
| Climbing Style | Sport |
| Approach Time | 35 minutes |
| Area | Gower |
| Sub Area | Thurba to Overton |
| Local Area | Three Sisters |
| Geodata | |
| WGS-84 Location | 51.553892, -4.263138 |
| OS Grid Ref. | SS 431 863 |
| WGS-84 Parking Location | 51.561586, -4.242797 |
| GR Parking Location | SS 446 871 |
| Parking Postcode | SA3 1PE |
| Base Elevation | 0 metres (Other) |
| General Info | |
| Faces Direction | Various |
| Aspect | Rarely Sunny |
| Wind Sheltered | Mostly |
| Climbing Type | Serious |
| Seepage | Needs a short dry spell |
| Tidal | |
| Before/After Low Tide | 4.0 hours (See Note) |
| Crags Within 400m | |
|
Deborah's Overhang, Deborah's Zawn, First Sister, Paviland Way Out West, Rams Grove Crag, Rams Grove Seaward Crag, Seaspit Small Cove, Second Sister, Sister 2 and Half, Stallion Cove, TV Zawn, The Crag That Time Forgot, The Hole, The Knave, Third Sister, Tooth Fairy | |
ACCESS
From Pilton Green
Access from the free parking at Pilton Green, (SS 446 871 or 51.561586, -4.242797). On the right-hand side of the B4247, approx. 2 miles before Rhossili. Park on the grass at the edge of the track leading to a farm. Cross the road, bear left and take the public footpath (signposted to Foxhole Slade) through the 'kissing-gate' on the left of the sandy-coloured house (Clifflands). Reach the top of a dry valley after about 20 minutes and numerous gates. (1.34km). At the landward end of the valley is a wooden kissing-gate (SS 438860).
Go through the gate and then, after a few metres of descent, join the Wales Coast Path' and then go through a green-painted steel gate on your right (signposted to Rhossili) and then go up the steep path 30 metres to the top.
At the top, head west along the wide and grassy path until you reach a gate/wall after 300 metres. Go through the gate/wall and, at a split in the footpath after 90m, take the left fork and follow the Coast Path for a further 300m as it winds through patches of gorse. Go down a short section between high gorse and hawthorn bushes to another gate. You can check your location by looking down the dry valley to your left; you will see a small pinnacle on the far side of the valley and also an agricultural roller in the corner of the field to your right. (8 minutes and 800m from steel gate)
Go through the gate and then cross the top of the dry valley and follow the path up and round to the left for about 110 metres until you come across a large abandoned steel roller (there are actually two). From here, head down towards the sea and down the steep grassy slope. Third Sister Main is on your right and the Tooth Fairy a little way down on your left. (Approximately 2.3 kilometres and 35 mins. from Pilton Green).
Descend carefully on the left side of the zawn below Third Sister
From Great Pitton Farm
A quicker approach, involving payment of a parking fee, can be made from the parking at Great Pitton Farm.
From the main Rhossili road, turn left in Pitton (south) to Great Pitton Farm (SS 427 876 or 51.556076, -4.267799) where there is a car park. The honesty box no longer exists and a system of seasonal tariffs is now in operation. Payment is made via a machine or paybyphone Ⓡ. See Pitton Parking for information on charges. Currently a maximum of £5.00 is charged for parking from 06.00 to 22.00.
Turn left when coming out of the car park and follow the road, past some houses and farm buildings, until it then becomes an unsurfaced track. At this point, the main track appears to veer off to the right. You should take the left fork (public footpath but marked, "Private Road"). Follow the track uphill for 75m passing through two gates. Then follow the track further (for 350m) until you come to another gate. Go through the gate and either follow the sign-posted footpath directions directing you via the edges of the field or strike out diagonally rightwards across the field for 260m to reach yet another gate.
Pass through this gate to head down a shallow grassy valley towards the sea to reach another gate on the Wales Coast Path after about 50 metres. This is the top end of Rams Grove (SS 430868). 1 km. (15 mins. from parking).
Go through the gate and head down the dry valley along the stony track to the lower coast path at the bottom of Rams Grove. Then walk east along the narrow and sometimes exposed path. This approach will take you past First Sister, Second Sister, Sister 2.5 and then to Third Sister Lower. From here, walk/scramble eastwards to get to Third Sister Main and the Tooth Fairy or descend the grassy slope below to get to Third Sister Bottom. Deborah's Zawn is the deep zawn below Third Sister descend to the zawn by scrambling down its eastern side. (Approx. 1.6 kilometers from Pitton Farm).
BOLTING POLICY
Retro-bolting permissible with first ascensionist’s permission. Replacement of worn fixed gear on a point for point basis with bolts is permissible.
PREAMBLE
Deborah's Zawn offers a selection of high quality sport routes. The zawn is situated just below the path running beneath Third Sister. Easy scrambling down the east side leads to the bottom. The routes are accessible about 4 hours either side of low tide, but be warned, the tide does come in very quickly. The most obvious features are the rightward-rising traverse line of Silent Echo and the steep leftward-leaning crack of Resisting Arrest. There are innumerable link ups and doubtless more to follow, so try not to get confused.
THE ROUTES
- Debbie Likes It Wet - Fr. 6a+
The extreme L bolt line (very high first bolt), steepens at the top to a single ring bolt LO. - Charlie Barking - Fr. 7a
Short slim groove to shared LO. - Empty Your Pockets - 7b *
Link up between Charlie Barking and Debbie Reynolds. - Silent Echo - E1, 5a *
A strenuous pitch, for which a couple of small Friends are handy. From the left-hand end of the higher section of the zawn, climb steeply to the rightwards traverse line. Follow it across the face to a BB. 19m - Prison Bitch - Fr. 7a+
Pocket pulling prow. - Debbie Reynolds - Fr. 7a *
15m - Silent Echo Direct Start - E2, 5b
Start at a vague weakness which bounds the left-hand side of the steeper right-hand section of the crag. Climb this awkwardly to regain the traverse line at the base of the groove. Follow the groove to the BB. 16m. - Happy Valley - Fr. 7a
15m - Valley Uprising - Fr. 6c+
Last bolts crossing the Silent Echo ramp line. 16m - Bolder Boulder - Fr. 7a *
Start at an obvious archway. High first bolt. From holds above the arch, move left with difficulty and gain a series of large holds. From the niche, move up and right to a distant feeling (look down at the opposite side of the zawn) bolt and L.O. 18m
from here on in the route lines cross each other like a spiders web, best go with somebody who has a good knowledge of the many permutations that exist. - Under Arrest - Fr. 7c **
Start right of boulder boulder, tricky moves gain "wide eyed", a hard sequence on pockets and crimps gains jugs, move slightly left and finish directly up the wall before moving left to silent echo belay. - Wide Eyed And Legless - Fr. 7b+
Lower diagonal line left of Resisting Arrest, joins Bolder Boulder to finish. 18m - Resisting Arrest - Fr.7b+ **
Soaring diagonal crack right of Wide Eyed.. Follow the sustained diagonal crack to join and finish as for Bolder Boulder - Underdog - Fr. 8a
Start up Resisting Arrestfinish at Dog Days Are Over - Dept. of Correction - Fr. 7b+ ***
An awesome series of moves lead up and into a prominent groove high up. New bolt belay shared with The Salubrious Passage Advisable to stick clip first bolt. - Support Your Local Sheriff - Fr. 7b+ **
Powerful start and finish. - Dog Days Are Over - 8a+
Yet another link up, start Support Sheriff finish Dept Corr. - Line Of Duty - Fr.7c
Short line to R. - Deputy Dawg - Fr. 7b+ **
Start as for Support Your Local Sheriff, pull up to obvious break, clip 2nd bolt and then head leftwards along a line of undercuts to join with Dept. of Correction by its fourth bolt, finish up this. - The Salubrious Passage - E5, 6a **
Starts at the back of the zawn and follows the obvious overhanging crack heading out towards daylight and finishing at a bolt and peg belay. A head torch may be found useful altough wasn't used on the F.A. Well protected, pumpy climbing.
FIRST ASCENTS
- Debbie Likes It Wet - Roy Thomas Rich Phillips
- Charlie Barking - M.Richards, A.Sharp, M.Shewring & D.Morris May 2011
- Empty Your Pockets - M.Richards 9th October 2022
- Silent Echo - A.Sharp, P.Lewis 00.00.1985
- Prison Bitch - A.Sharp & M.Richards 6th June 2015
- Debbie Reynolds - M.Crocker 31.05.1998
- Silent Echo Direct Start - R.Powles & A.Hughes 10th October 1987
- Happy Valley - M.Richards & A.Sharp 28th May 2017
- Valley Uprising - A.Sharp & M.Richards 6th June 2015
- Bolder Boulder - A.Sharp, P.Lewis, J.Harwood 11.10.1987
- Under Arrest - M.Richards & A.Sharp 25th September 2010
- Wide Eyed And Legless - A.Sharp, P.Lewis, J.Harwood 01.10.1987
- Resisting Arrest - A.Sharp 1988
- Underdog - M.Richards & A.Sharp 18th Jun 2016
- Dept. of Correction - M.Richards & A.Sharp 28th February 2010
- Support Your Local Sheriff - A.Sharp & M.Richards 11th June 2010
- Dog Days Are Over - M.Richards & A.Sharp 05th June 2011
- Line Of Duty - M.Richards & A.Sharp 2nd June 2018
- Deputy Dawg - M.Richards & A.Sharp 17th April 2010
- The Salubrious Passage - M.Richards, A.Sharp & P.Lewis January 2005
