Witches Cave
From South Wales Climbing Wiki
Witches Cave | |
Myles Jordan repeating Phlegmatic Solution - Photo: Carl Ryan | |
Rock Type | Natural Carboniferous Limestone |
---|---|
Climbing Style | Sport |
Approach Time | 10 minutes |
Area | South Coast |
Sub Area | Witches Point |
Geodata | |
WGS-84 Location | 51.4421271,-3.605996 |
OS Grid Ref. | SS 884 726 |
WGS-84 Parking Location | 51.446124 -3.6053771 |
GR Parking Location | SS 885 731 |
Parking Postcode | CF32 ORT |
Base Elevation | 0 metres (Other) |
General Info | |
Faces Direction | North West |
Aspect | Partially Sunny |
Wind Sheltered | Never |
Climbing Type | Normal |
Midge Problem | Never |
Seepage | Needs a short dry spell |
Tidal | |
Before/After Low Tide | 2.5 hours (See Note) |
Crags Within 2.0 km | |
Black Zawn, Cave Inlet, Davy Jones' Locker and the Sea Caves, Dirty Harry Walls, Dunraven Cliff, Elephant Wall, Every Persons Wall, First Inlet, Folded Walls, Fools Fantasy Area, Mitzy Wall, Ogmore Popular End, Phaser Wall, Playtime Wall, Right Hand Wall, Second Inlet, Stone Wings Cliff, The Biscuit, The Castle Area, The Long Wall, The Western Crag, Tiger Bay, Tusker Chimney Area, Twinkle Buttress, Witches Cave, Witches Tip | |
New Sector
See Black Zawn and Folded Walls
Witches' Cave
The following routes start left of the cave on black stratified rock after a short step up.
- 0. Blaidd Drwg - HS
The arête, topping out to bolt belay. Scramble back down or follow precarious grass path to the headland.
- 0. Blaidd Drwg - HS
- Rabbit From The Hat - V.Diff
Take the most continuous line up the left retaining wall of the bay. - Fatman And Nob In - Fr 3+
Try hard not to walk up the corner,don't use the creaky dinnerplate,two twizzles. - Gay Batman - Fr. 5
Second line of bolts(hangers). Use twin P-bolts on ledge to lower-off. - Robins Yoghurt Supper - Fr. 5 *
Shares a lower-off with the next route. - Abra-Ker-Fucking-Dabra - Fr. 5+ *
Climb into the V-corner beneath the roof and escape to the right. - Sorcerer's Assistant - Fr. 6a+
Take care with slippery rock down low and loose rock above the ledge. - Magic Circle - Fr. 6a+
Has similar health warnings to the previous route if you happen to be here when these conditions prevail i.e high humidity or if low tide is before 3pm when the sun hits the crag. - Smoke and Mirrors - Fr. 6b **
An excellent steep route. Move quickly leftwards around the hanging arête and climb with interest to the ledge and a flake filled groove line above. - Great Expectorations - Fr. 6b **
The stepped roof 3m right joining the top groove Pthegthorga Phlem.BB.11.345m. - Phlegmatic Solution - Fr. 6c
Steep start leads to headwall after crossing the groove. - Pragmatic Resolution-Fr6c+
Former old trad route which started up Phlem and followed the obvious rising traverse line clipping rusty remnants en route. Now regeared and started up Phlegmatic to the new belay of Willie The Pimp 6c+ or can be extended with an extra rope to Thin Lizzy belay. - Pthegthorga Phlem - E2, 5a
Just left of Evil Ways, Bridgend Steve's route up the chossy groove. Loose. Are you sold on this one? 12m
And now into the cave proper: - Evil Ways - E5, 6b/c (Fr. 7b) *
A superbly technical proposition. Start below the left-hand end of the main crag roof. Climb easily to the lip and using a footlock, reach over the roof, crux. Stand up and teeter up the ever so slightly slabby upper wall to a baffling final move. 15m - Evil K'nee Full - Fr. 7a+ **
Awesome, with a hilarious no hands rest for the short, involving a one leg knee bar at the lip. Start right of Evil Ways, below a prominent jug on the lip of the roof. Climb up to the roof and stretch to the jug. Turn the lip and stand up to a possible no hands head jam rest below the overlap. Move up a faint rib to a tricky crux move up for a sharp edge and finish through the v-groove in the roof. At this grade, possibly the biggest sand-bag in South Wales. 18m - Closed Project
Line of staples through the middle of the roof. - Open project
A line of old bolt studs and pegs over the right end of the roof - White Witch - E5, 6b
Pull over the roof as for Thin Lizzy or abseil into the little alcove at high tide., then traverse out above the lip, 2 PRs (rusted stumps). Step down following the weakness and then up to finish as for Evil k'nee full. 31m - x Willie The Pimp -Fr 6c+'
As for Lizzie the traverse L and up.2014 eug - Thin Lizzy - Fr. 6c+ **
Start below a corner at the right hand end of the roof. Pulling off the ground, is the crux. Once established on spikey holds, lay-away up the tricky crack to get established on the slab. Before reaching the roof, traverse left to the hanging v-groove. Finish over the roof with interest, taking care with some of the flakes. 18m - Wrasse Wipe - Fr. 6c
Starting up Thin Lizzie then going up obvious groove/corner. (Wrasse Wipe; because its often got a damp bottom).
To the Right of Thin Lizzie is an undercut wall of very spikey wave washed rock. This can be climbed even when wet due to the unbelievable friction and mostly solid embedded nobs of conglomerate. - Wrasse-putins Hypodermic Typewriter - Fr. 6b+
An exfoliating finger rub. Surmount the overhang on extremely sharp holds. Use same lower-off chain as Wrasse Wipe. - Didymo Clogs Your Tackle - Fr. 6b
More of the same with a long reach to the first substantial nob.. - Fishermen Pump Their Rods - Fr. 6a+
Even more of the same. - Wrasse Bandit - Fr. 6b+
More of the same, but harder. - Sore Wrasse - Fr. 6c
Even harder, but the same. - Wrassetafarian – Fr. 6b+ *
Much easier than it looks (i.e. the same). - Little Wrasse Cull - Fr. 6a
A lot easier than most hereabouts.Short boulder type route passing the thread(same old same). - Little Wrasse Turd - H.Severe,4b
Much easier but same old nob pulling with two good nuts after the first stiff pull. - Little Wrasse Tickler - H.Severe 4b
1.69m to the right pass a blue thread and faint crack where the angle soon eases. - Chateau LeFat 69 H.Severe 4b
Gain the spike above the faint hollow with guess what?-a stiff nob pull. - Fishermen Mash Their Bait - H.Severe
Nothing like the same as little nob pulling and an obvious left sloping crack with nuts involved. - The Bedraggled Trousered Misogynist - Fr. 5+
A real route at last.Two of life's greatest pleasures, bolts and nobs, above the lowest of the weed encrusted steps.
FIRST ASCENTS
0 curon
- R.Thomas(solo) 1986
- R.Thomas (solo)Aug 2013
- D Emanuel, R. Thomas, R. Philips 28/06/2009
- D Emanuel, R. Thomas, R. Philips 28/06/2009
- D. Emanuel 2009
- R. Thomas R.Phillips R.Leyshon2009
- R. Thomas R.Phillips R.Leyshon2009
- R. Thomas R.Phillips 2009
- R.Thomas ET Jones 18/06/2013
- R.Thomas E.T Jones Myles Jordan
- S.James, E.Travers-Jones 00.00.1996
- M.Crocker 19.07.1986
- R.Thomas G.Ashmore 02.09.1996
- project closed
- project open
- R.Thomas, G.Royle 00.07.1986
- M.Crocker, R.Thomas 19.07.1986
- R. Thomas 2009
- D. Emanuel, R. Philips 28/06/2009
- R.Thomas, N. O'Neill 2007
- R.Thomas, M. Hirst 2007
- R. Thomas, G. Ashmore 2006
- G. Ashmore, R. Thomas 20061
- G. Ashmore 13.06.2009
- R.Thomas Myles Jordan july 2013
- R.Thomas solo 1986
- R.Thomas solo 1986
- N.O'Neill R.Thomas 06/08/2013
- R.Thomas solo 1986
- R.Thomas N.O'Neill 06/08/2013