Platform Area
From South Wales Climbing Wiki
| Platform Area | |
 | |
| Rock Type | Natural Carboniferous Limestone |
|---|---|
| Climbing Style | Trad |
| Approach Time | 30 minutes |
| Area | Gower |
| Sub Area | Rhossili |
| Local Area | Rhossili Sea Level Crags |
| Geodata | |
| WGS-84 Location | 51.56528, -4.30439 |
| OS Grid Ref. | SS 403 876 |
| WGS-84 Parking Location | 51.569301, -4.28840 |
| GR Parking Location | SS 415 880 |
| Parking Postcode | SA3 1PP |
| Base Elevation | 0 metres (Other) |
| General Info | |
| Faces Direction | North West |
| Aspect | Partially Sunny |
| Wind Sheltered | Seldomly |
| Climbing Type | Normal |
| Seepage | Quick drying |
| Tidal | |
| Before/After Low Tide | 0.5 hours (See Note) |
| Crags Within 400m | |
|
Black Buttress, Calcite Bay, Carbon Slab, Evening Wall, Fat Lady Wall, Keel Buttress, Kitchen Corner, Lifebuoy Buttress, Platform Area, Poser Buttress, Retribution Wall, Sheepbone Wall, Silent Fright Buttress, Silent Walls, Sinister Sister Zawn, Sinners Walls, Trial Wall, Wedge Wall, Windy Buttress | |
Contents
Tidal Status
0.5 hours before/after low tide.
Bolting Policy
Preamble
These routes lie on a small rock promontory, directly below the prominent arête of An Audience of Sheep and north of and parallel to the very obvious large flat sea level platform. Approach is best made by following a path down to a good platform, on the south side of the promontory.
Access
Descents
The Routes
- Avoid Meeting The Portuguese Man Of War 40m VS,4a,4c,- **
When deep water soloing the sea is normally used for protection. Here it is used as a hold. High tide is essential. Best soloed for obvious reasons.
- 15m Drop down into the v-groove below the end of the path and traverse left at a low level under an obvious arête. Step up to belay in the through-cave.
- 12m Crawl through the through cave, then traverse the left wall (looking out to sea) to a platform on the arête.
- 13m Jump into the sea, at the lowest point of the buttress, swim across the zawn and finish easily up the wall on the far side of the zawn. (The leap can be made from the belay stance instead for added underwater time as The Leap Of Faith Finish).
- 15m Drop down into the v-groove below the end of the path and traverse left at a low level under an obvious arête. Step up to belay in the through-cave.
- Stardust 24m HS,4a **
A classic little pitch. Follow Avoid Meeting The Portuguese Man Of War until 5m before the arête visible from the start. Pull up over an overlap, then move left to gain cracks just right of the arête. Follow these to finish. - Year of The Snail 24m VS,4b *
Start as for Stardust but continue up the centre of the wall.
First Ascents
- Avoid Meeting The Portuguese Man Of War - L.Davies & P.Thomas July 1989
- Stardust - A.Sharp & J.Harwood 18th October 1981
- Year of The Snail - M.Ward 16th August 1987
