Hairy Dog Wall

Hairy Dog Wall
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	51.561910 -4.286631
OS Grid Ref.	SS 415 872
WGS-84 Parking Location	51.565848, -4.270856
GR Parking Location	SS 427 876
Parking Postcode	SA3 1PH
Base Elevation	0 metres (Other)
General Info
Faces Direction	South
Aspect	Sunny
Wind Sheltered	Seldomly
Climbing Type	Normal
Seepage	Quick drying
Tidal
Before/After Low Tide	2.0 hours (See Note)
Crags Within 400m
Block Buttress, Catacomb Gully, Cathedral Wall, Conglomerate Cliff, Devil's Truck Area, Eyeball Wall, Four Gullies, Giant's Cave, Hairy Dog Wall, Jacky's Tor, King Wall, Lewes Castle, Little Block, Molar Wall and White Edge, Rolly Bottom Buttress, The Aisle, The Prows, The Pulpit, Trident Gully and Ridge, Upper Jacky's Tor, Yellow Wall, Zero Gully

TIDAL STATUS

2 hours either side of low water

BOLTING POLICY

No bolting.

DESCENTS

Either finish up P2 of Hairy Dog (not pleasant) and descend as for Great Boulder Cove, or scramble down and left, or reverse Pollux.

THE ROUTES

Just right of South Cracked Pillar is an acutely overhanging wall with a cave at its right end. This is Hairy Dog Wall. An obvious rightward-slanting groove breaks this wall near its right side. The first route takes the deep crack on the left side of the wall. Taped hands are advisable on the harder routes.

1. Castor 18m VS,4c
   Climb the wide crack to an overhang, passed via the crack on the right.
   
   
2. Pollux 18m S,4a
   The overhanging crack right of Castor.
   
   To the right are a series of very steep cracks, the most prominent of which is Hairy Dog, with a jammed block at 3m.
   
   
3. King Of Pain 15m E6,6b *
   Start 5m left of the start of Hairy Dog below a pocket at 3m. Climb the wall past the pocket to good holds and move right to finish up a desperate crack.
   
   
4. Pump Up The Gower 15m E5,6a **
   Start up Hairy Dog, then swing left to climb the flake-line between Hairy Dog and King Of Pain.
   
   
5. Hairy Dog 33m E5,6a,4a **
   
   1. 12m Climb onto the block at 3m and continue up the left-slanting crack to large ledges. Now lick your wounds.
   2. 21m Continue easily to the top.
      
      
6. King Swing 18m E5,6b **
   As for Hairy Dog to the block, but take the right-slanting crack and the wall above
   
   
7. Hound Of Hell 15m E5,6a *
   Climb the steep crack in the centre of the wall right of King Swing.
   
   
8. Sense Of Doubt 36m E3,6a *
   Start below the slanting groove, at the foot of the overhanging wall, well right of Hound Of Hell. Gain the groove and follow it to its end. Finish up the loose wall on the left.
   
   
9. Without A Doubt 35m E5,6c
   The groove 3m right of Sense of Doubt. A boulder problem start leads to good holds at 4m (these can be lassoed for protection). Follow these holds to a break, traverse left and finish up Sense Of Doubt.
   
   
10. Cerberus 30m E5,6b
    At the back of the zawn is a prominent hanging groove. Start at the offwidth and follow this past a thin crack to a roof. Climb leftwards to the base of the corner, then hand traverse leftwards on undercuts to gain easy ground. A Friend 2 is useful for the belay.
    
    

FIRST ASCENTS

1. Castor - J.Talbot, B.Talbot 1965
2. Pollux - J.Talbot, B.Talbot 1965
3. King Of Pain - A.Sharp, P.Lewis 1985
4. Pump Up The Gower - M.Richards, J.Brown 1996
5. Hairy Dog - A.Sharp, J.Harwood AL 07.10.1984
6. King Swing - A.Sharp, P.Lewis 1985
7. Hound Of Hell - A.Sharp, P.Lewis 1985
8. Sense Of Doubt - J.Talbot, R.Corbett - Great Cave Corner 1962, FFA A.Sharp 00.10.1978
9. Without A Doubt - A.Sharp, P.Lewis 00.08.1987
10. Cerberus - D.Thomas 08.05.1989