Molar Wall and White Edge

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Molar Wall and White Edge
Despite its appearance here, White Edge is not a pinnacle but is the end of a narrow ridge.
Despite its appearance here, White Edge is not a pinnacle but is the end of a narrow ridge.
Rock Type Natural Carboniferous Limestone
Climbing Style Trad
Approach Time 20 minutes
Area Gower
Sub Area Rhossili
Local Area Fall Bay to Mewslade
Geodata
WGS-84 Location 51.561316, -4.283165
OS Grid Ref. SS 418 871
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
Tidal
Before/After Low Tide 2.5 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, Grey Wall, Hairy Dog Wall, Jacky's Tor, Little Block, Mewslade Short Wall, Molar Wall and White Edge, Rolly Bottom Buttress, The Aisle, The Prows, The Pulpit, Thurba Head, Thurba West, Trident Gully and Ridge, Upper Jacky's Tor, Yellow Wall, Zero Gully



ACCESS

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 at the entrance to the car park. Walk a short distance down a farm track then bear right past farm buildings to gain the path leading through a narrow valley to the eastern end of Mewslade Bay (12 mins walk).

From the bottom of the path, continue onto the beach and head westward across the beach for about 400 metres.

TIDAL STATUS

White Edge is non-tidal. Molar Wall 2½ hours either side of low water.

BOLTING POLICY

No bolting.

PREAMBLE

This is the area of rock 100m east of the Cathedral Wall Area. White Edge is the obvious (pinnacle looking) white ridge set up above the sea and Molar Wall is the long, low, lower wall.

DESCENTS

Scramble down gullies (well) to the west or east.

THE ROUTES

Molar Wall West

The small but clean west-facing facet.

Rampe (J.Talbot, B.Talbot 1966) and South West Corner (J.Talbot, B.Talbot 1966) could not be located.

  1. Don't Blow It - E2,6a ?
    At the landward end of the inlet facing the Bochlwyd facet is a cave. Start from the non-tidal platform, immediately right of the cave. Boulder up to the obvious projecting flat hold. Proceed direct on pockets and then jugs to broken ground. Walk off right. 10m.

  2. Bochlwyd - HVS,5a
    Take the thin, narrow, leftward-trending crack on the left facet of the west-facing face. 12m.

  3. He Man - E2,5c
    Climb the crack-seamed wall via a straight line directly up the middle of the centre. 12m.

  4. Muscle Man - VS,4c
    Climb the slab 3m right of He Man, then up the leaning overhanging wall and overlap via a long, tall reach. 12m.

  5. Christa - HS,4b
    Start right at the right side of the wall where rocks project outwards protruding into the sandy sand. Climb left of a corner to below an overhang, cross it rightwards or, much harder, leftwards (5b). 13m.

South Face

  1. Left Buttress - D

  2. Straight Crack - VD
    Where the wall projects out south west, is a narrow recessed wall with a wide, deep, thin, narrow crack. 9m.

  3. R-essed Wall - VD
    The wall right of Straight Crack. 15m.

  4. Right Buttress - D

  5. Sharp Corner - D
    The corner right again.

    In the centre of the South facet is a recess with a cave at the back and a square-cut chimney groove to its right.
  6. Blocky Corner - VD
    This takes left-corner of the Curving Corner feature. 12m

  7. Curving Corner - HVS,5a
    Fun. Climb the steep, smooth corner left of the cave until it is possible to gain the arête on the right. 12m

  8. Cavity Edge - D
    The chimney to the right of Curving Corner.

  9. Cavity Crack - S
    The square-cut groove right of the cave, or move left at 7m up the left edge (Narrow Rib S, J.Talbot 1963) 15m.

  10. Narrow Rib - VD

  11. Two Step Wall - HS,4b
    Start on the right side of the wall and strenuously climb an overhang to a ledge. Climb the second overhanging section by a committing move right to a slippery ledge, then leftwards to the top. 13m.

  12. Deception Crack - S
    Start at an easy recessed slab and climb a vertical narrow crack. 12m

Molar Wall East

The wall to the east.

  1. Thrutch - HS,4b
    Based on a definite concavity 4m before Hairline. Climb to the overhang direct and then up to the upper ledges. 7m.
  2. Hairline - S
    Follow the smooth wall to where a cleft is formed by a pinnacle. Climb a shallow blind Captain Cat on the left wall just before entering the cleft. 7m.
  3. First Corner - S
    The first corner in the upper wall left from Thrutch. Gain it by the smooth wall below. 7m.
  4. Second Corner - S
    The corner just left of First Corner. 9m.
  5. Twist -m HS,4a
    Climb Second Corner to the bulge, then traverse left to reach another corner. Follow this to the top. 12.
  6. Third Corner - S
    Climb 4m left of Second Corner, bearing left at the top. 9m.

White Edge

White Edge

The obvious pillar of White Edge is above Molar Wall. The first two routes have not been checked and only the original descriptions are given.


  1. Herring Gull - HS
    This takes the first distinct diedre on the west side of White Edge, approaching from the cliff top. Start on easy broken rock, then go up the smooth steep wall just right of the corner. Move back left to the corner after a difficult move exit right to a small shallow recess. Move left to the natural continuation of the corner and finish by an awkward move. 50m.

  2. Yearling - HS
    Start as for Herring Gull, but climb the rounded wall direct to the recess, avoiding the lower corner. Now move up to the right and exit up the steep broken wall. 50m.

  3. Real Men Laugh at Rain - VS,4c
    To the left of the start of Ha-He … is a left trending flake line in clean rock. Follow this to an overlap. Pull over this and rightwards to a recess (could this be the recess of Herring Gull and Yearling?). Continue with some care to the top. 25m.

  4. Now I'm 64 - VS,4c
    Climb the groove with a hanging block at the top in the left arête of Ha-He… 25m.

  5. Ha-He Verschneidung - VS,4c
    Takes the central groove in the upper half of the west flank of White Edge. Move right at the top. 27m.

  6. White Edge - VD
    Very loose. It takes the knife-edged pillar with short excursions right or left. Bear left at the top. 36m.

    On the east flank are the following routes:
  7. Stretching Sargeant Ryan - E4,6b *
    Takes the narrow white pillar face right of the upper section of the arête. Start 8m left of White Elephant beneath a 4m groove. Climb to a ledge below the pillar face. Follow jugs up the centre of the face to a hand ledge. Pull up to a slanting line of shallow pockets. Make a hard move up to a superb flake, pull up, swing left, then climb directly up the pillar face. 27m.

  8. White Whale - E1,5b
    Start 6m left of White Elephant. Start below three black streaks high on the buttress. Climb straight up via two ledges to reach a steep crack leading to the top. 21m.

  9. White Elephant - E1,5b
    At the extreme right side of the east flank is a prominent corner, bounded on the left by a clean wall. Start at the centre of the wall. Climb straight up past an old PR to a ledge, step right and climb the groove. 21m.

  10. Pigeon Crack - VS,4c
    The prominent corner on the right side of the east flank. 21m.


Additional Photos

  • White Edge and Block Buttress

  • White Edge


First Acents

Molar Wall West

  1. Don't Blow It - M.Crocker solo 5th December 1998
  2. Bochlwyd - J.Talbot 1964
  3. He Man - A. Richardson & S. Lewis 1987
  4. Muscle Man - A. Richardson & S. Lewis 1987
  5. Christa - J.Talbot, B.Talbot

South Face

  1. Left Buttress -
  2. Straight Crack - J.Talbot 1963
  3. Recessed Wall - J.Talbot 1963
  4. Right Buttress -
  5. Sharp Corner - J.Talbot 1963
  6. Blocky Corner - J.Talbot 1963
  7. Curving Corner - D.Baines 1963
  8. Cavity Edge - J.Talbot 1963
  9. Cavity Crack - J.Talbot 1963
  10. Narrow Rib -
  11. Deception Crack - J.Talbot 1963
  12. Two Step Wall - J.Talbot 1963

Molar Wall East

  1. Thrutch - J.Talbot 1963
  2. Hairline - J.Talbot 1962
  3. First Corner - J.Talbot 1963
  4. Second Corner - J.Talbot 1963
  5. Twist - J.Talbot 1963
  6. Third Corner - J.Talbot 1963

White Edge

  1. Herring Gull - J.Talbot 00.00.1970
  2. Yearling - J.Talbot 00.00.1970
  3. Real Men Laugh at Rain - Gwyn Evans, Richard (Dick) Renshaw 4 Oct 2011
  4. Now I'm 64 - J.Talbot 00.00.1970
  5. Ha-He Verschneidung - J.Talbot 1970
  6. White Edge - J.Talbot, D.Lewis 00.00.1964
  7. Stretching Sargeant Ryan - M.Crocker, C.Ryan 27.11.1998
  8. White Whale - J.Bullock, L.Moran 31.05.1987
  9. White Elephant - L.Moran, J.Bullock 31.05.1987
  10. Pigeon Crack - J.Talbot 00.00.1970

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