Giant's Cave
From South Wales Climbing Wiki
| Giant's Cave | |
 Giant's Cave | |
| Rock Type | Natural Carboniferous Limestone |
|---|---|
| Climbing Style | Trad |
| Approach Time | 25 minutes |
| Area | Gower |
| Sub Area | Rhossili |
| Local Area | Fall Bay to Mewslade |
| Geodata | |
| WGS-84 Location | 51.561734, -4.288136 |
| OS Grid Ref. | SS 414 872 |
| WGS-84 Parking Location | 51.565848, -4.270856 |
| GR Parking Location | SS 427 876 |
| Parking Postcode | SA3 1PJ |
| Base Elevation | 0 metres (Other) |
| General Info | |
| Faces Direction | South |
| Aspect | Partially Sunny |
| Wind Sheltered | Seldomly |
| Climbing Type | Normal |
| Seepage | Quick drying |
| Tidal | |
| Before/After Low Tide | 2.5 hours (See Note) |
| Crags Within a Half Mile. | |
|
Block Buttress, Catacomb Gully, Cathedral Wall, Conglomerate Cliff, Devil's Truck Area, Eyeball Wall, Four Gullies, Giant's Cave, Grey Wall, Hairy Dog Wall, Jacky's Tor, King Wall, Lewes Castle, Mermaid Wall, Mewslade Short Wall, Molar Wall and White Edge, Richards Rock, Rolly Bottom Buttress, Shipwreck Cove, Tears Point, Thurba Head, Thurba West, Trident Gully and Ridge, Upper Jacky's Tor, Yellow Wall | |
Contents
TIDAL STATUS
2½ hours either side of low water.
BOLTING POLICY
No bolting.
PREAMBLE
The enormous square-cut cave east of Lewes Castle and round the (east) corner from King Wall. It contains a high concentration of Gower’s harder testpieces, along with some of its most spectacular.
DESCENTS
Descent is to the left (west) at the top, passing down the path running down and east of Lewes Castle to the Great Terrace.
THE ROUTES
The first feature is a pile of blocks, the remains of Flake Route (J.Talbot 1963).
- Flake Corner - VD
The first corner right of the remains of Flake Route. 9m. - Wall Climb - VD
The wall right of Flake Corner. 9m. - Slight - HVS,4c
Just to the right is a shallow corner with a hairline crack. 9m. - Killing Time - E2,6a
To the right of Slight is a vague hanging arête. 10m. - Red Admiral - E3,6a *
The more defined arête to the right. 13m. - Wierdo - E5,6a
The cracks in the slight wall right of Red Admiral and left of Errant. 12m. - Errant - E2,5c *
A good technical pitch up the clean corner just right. Scramble off left at the top. 14m. - Super Rock - E6,6b **
The line of old bolt holes up the wall between Errant and Masterpiece. A good nut at three-fifths height and a crucial Super-rock 5 in one of the pockets high up are required. 30m. - Masterpiece - E6,6b ***
A fierce route based on the left arête of the cave. Start at the base of the arête and either swing in from the left, or more logically climb thin cracks on its right side to gain a thin, pocketed crack on the arête itself. Move up and use some pockets on the left to gain flat holds higher on the arête, above which more hard moves lead to the horizontal break. Climb the groove and continue straight up to finish. 31m. - Napalm In The Morning - E7,6c ***
An impressive route. Start up Masterpiece, but then follow the hairline cracks in the wall to its right on crimps and tinies, to join the traverse of Thriller, up which the route finishes. A Friend ½ may prove useful. 31m. - Thriller - E4,6a **
An excellent adventure up the left side of the cave. Start at the wide crack at the seaward end of the left wall of the cave that leads to the roof. Climb the crack to the cave roof, traverse strenuously left to gain a hanging groove and follow this to the top. 31m. - A Rush Of Blood To The Head - E6,6b **
As for Thriller to the roof then launch out along the roof, move 1m right to a crack and hole and finish up a groove. 31m. - Can't Buy A Thrill - E5,6b **
A strenuous exposed pitch requiring good footwork. As for Thriller to the roof then launch out along the roof, TR, on buckets and jams, pull over the lip and finish rightwards. 31m. - The Divine Guiding Light - E6,6b ***
Follow thin cracks 5m right of Thriller and an overhanging flake, PR, to the horizontal break TR. Follow this, then pull up the crack to the roof, cross it on superb jams, TR, to a chimney. Squirm across into the blowhole and follow the light. 36m. - Lost Souls - A2
An aid route. Start up the offwidth 12m right of The Divine Guiding Light, then move left to gain the traverse of that route. Finish as for Divine Guiding light. 60m. - The Sistine Ceiling - E6,6c ***
Up the wall to the right of The Divine Guiding Light to the traverse. Continue straight up to the roof and work leftwards to gain the blowhole. 5BRs, subsequently removed and not repeated without. 35m. - Jesus Wept - E6,6b ***
Gain the back right-hand corner of the cave and a good rest on conglomerate. Pull out rightwards, TR, to gain a jam crack. Follow the crack to a handrail leading out right to the blowhole. 36m. - Charlie Don't Surf - E4,6a *
Low in the grade. Start below the hanging corner on the right side of the cave below where the roof ends. A boulder problem start leads to a corner and a steep exit leftwards. 18m. - Toejam Football - E4,6b *
The roof to the right of Charlie Don't Surf. 18m. - Madame Butterfly - E5,6b *
Climb an awkward narrow crack that widens to a large fissure. Climb the overhanging wall direct to a block overhang. Climb this at its centre and take the steep wall above, old PRs. - Giant's Cave Traverse - A3
Follow Madame Butterfly to the cave roof. Traverse the underside of the lip and finish as for Errant. 50m. - Nick'd - E2,5b *
A good, airy climb traversing right to left across the lip of the Giant's Cave. Start on the obvious ledges above the corner on the right side of the cave lip (Charlie Don't Surf). Climb down to the lip where easy climbing leftwards leads to a blank-looking section. Cross this and step down to a large foothold, continue leftwards past the final groove of Thriller to belay at the top of Errant.
On the buttress to the right of the cave are a number of easier routes. 50m. - Shannara - HS,4a
Start below and right of the arête. Climb steeply left to reach a groove in the arête. Gain the top via the left edge. 15m. - Betst - D
Start right of Shannara to the right of the centre of the pillar, but step left and climb the wall. 15m. - Sham - D *
Start as for Betst, but climb the groove to the right. 12m. - Ease - M
The corner fissure to the right of Sham. 12m.
The Mushroom
Immediately east of Giant's Cave is a large spike block.
- Flake - HS
On the east side of the block is an obvious traverse line. Follow it to the end, pull up and finish up the -scoops. 12m.
Additional Photos
FIRST ASCENTS
- Flake Corner - J.Talbot 00.00.1963
- Wall Climb - J.Talbot 00.00.1963
- Slight - J.Talbot, D.Lewis 00.00.1963
- Killing Time - A.Berry. G.Morris 00.00.1997
- Red Admiral - A.Sharp, P.Lewis 00.00.1984
- Wierdo - C.Savage, B.Heason 00.00.2000
- Errant - FFA Unknown Pre-1978
- Super Rock - J.Talbot etc - Peter Smartâs Route Pre-1977, FFA A.Berry 00.09.1997
- Masterpiece - P.Littlejohn, M.Campbell 13.05.1984
- Napalm In The Morning - A.Berry 00.02.1998
- Thriller - J.Talbot, B.Talbot - Twm-Schon-Catti 00.00.1966, FFA P.Littlejohn, C.Hurley 02.05.1984
- A Rush Of Blood To The Head - M.Richards, A.Sharp 00.00.2001
- Can't Buy A Thrill - A.Sharp, P.Lewis 00.00.1986
- The Divine Guiding Light - M.Crocker, M.Ward 16.08.1987
- Lost Souls - M.Heason, S.Hodges 00.10.1997
- The Sistine Ceiling - P.Oxley 00.00.1993
- Jesus Wept - P.Oxley 00.00.1989
- Charlie Don't Surf - A.Sharp, O.Jones 00.00.1986
- Toejam Football - A.Sharp, P.Lewis 28.03.2002
- Madame Butterfly - J.Talbot, R.Corbett - Tablette 00.00.1962, FFA A.Sharp, P.Lewis 00.00.1984
- Giant's Cave Traverse - E.Pardoe, M.Hogge, F.Roberts 00.00.1968
- Nick'd - A Wilson, E.Kellar 00.00.1990
- Shannara - P.Hornsby, S.Hornsby 00.00.1978
- Betst - J.Talbot, D.Lewis 00.00.1963
- Sham - J.Talbot 00.00.1960
- Ease - J.Talbot 00.00.1960
The Mushroom
- Flake - J.Talbot, B.Talbot 00.00.1965
