Pant Quarry
From SWMC Guidebook
GR 895 760
Contents |
BOLTING POLICY
New sports routes allowed.
PREAMBLE
Unfortunately at the time of writing the quarry is being re-used for various industrial purposes. This is a shame because the right-hand main wall is one of the most impressive vertical sheets of limestone in the country. It is mostly a natural face of strange scalloped rock, which was revealed when the quarry exposed the natural joint that created it. Most of the routes are sports routes, many of which are 40m long. There is loads of scope for development if access is ever secured in the future.
A topo has been produced by SUMC and available from the following link:
http://www.sumc.org.uk/gallery/v/other/guides/Pant+Quarry+Topo+.doc.html
ACCESS
From the A48 near Bridgend, take the B4625 through Ewenny and continue past a working quarry on the right. Pass through some woods either side of the road and then about 1/3 mile after the woods finish and ½ mile before St. Brides Major is this large quarry on the right. Sadly there are access problems.
DESCENTS
All routes have BBs so lower off or abseil. Be very careful as a 60m rope will not always get you down.
THE ROUTES
These are described as approached, i.e. from right to left, starting with the right wall of the crag.
The League Of Gentlemen Wall
This is the short wall on the right hand side of the right wall of the crag, starting from a terrace at 8m. Somehow attain
the terrace to end up at a BB.
1. Special Stuff Fr6b
The right-hand crack system on the wall. 12m
2. Precious Things Fr6b
The featureless slab to the left. 12m
3. Welcome to Royston Vasey Fr6c+
The next crack system, directly above the BB. 12m
4. Gentlemen’s Relish Fr6a
The crack system on the left side of the wall. 12m
Pantyhose Wall
Is the short wall to the left of and a slightly lower level than The League Of Gentlemen Wall.
5. Ladder Of Desire Fr6b+
The right-hand line on the wall, currently missing hanger No. 2. 14m
6. Bask Seperatist Fr7b
A thin sharp line in the centre of the wall, made slightly harder recently by the diminishing of a good hold. 14m
7. Pantyhose Fr5+
The cheesy groove system on the left side of the wall, currently missing bolts. 14m
Domino Wall
To the left again is a rectangular wall, housing two routes.
8. Pantyliner Fr6a+
The right-hand route. 15m
9. Drip Free Fr6b
The left-hand route. 15m
Terrace
At the right-hand side of the main face of the crag, is a continuation, located above a terrace. The terrace can be gained at its left-hand side by scrambling up a loose groove below a tree. Starting from a platform at a much higher level than the rest of the terrace is the line of I Can I Can’t.
10. I Can I Can’t Fr6b+ *
Jolly climbing with an interesting crux move at two-thirds height. 16m
11. Totally Invalid Fr6c **
The face just left of the gully marking the right-hand end of the terrace proper. 27m
12. Angela’s Ashes Fr6c **
The line immediately left of Totally Invalid. 25m
13. Ponty Pandy Fr6c *
Hard for the grade. The line left of Angela’s Ashes, starting below an arch shaped overlap. From the end of the
groove at 18m, traverse right for 3m then make a tricky move up left to a thin flake and the finish. 27m
14. Llandfill-A-Gogoch Fr7b **
To the left of Ponty Pandy is a blocky groove, pull up this and make awkward moves to gain a blank headwall. Continue direct to a tenuous finish. 25m
15. Project (Knot Tonight) E6,6c (Fr7c+)
The undercut wall left of Llandfill-A-Gogoch has been done with one fall (actually two, but the second one was a deck out to the quarry floor). It awaits the re-activation of the crag to be completed (Hands Off!). 27m
The wall just left is still a project.
16. Time To Dai Fr7b+ **
A line with an awkward crux, starting just right of the tree at the left end of the terrace. 27m
Main Wall Proper
This huge expanse of rock runs from the left hand end of the terrace to the obvious bounding corner (Clampitt Corner) on the left. Be careful when lowering off as a 50m rope will NOT get you down from ANY of the routes right of Welsh Fargo (inclusive) and 2 lowers are required on some routes even with a 60m rope. This is one of the most impressive limestone sheets anywhere in the UK, with strange climbing on water-worn scallops, requiring a certain amount of forearm stamina! The routes are described from right to left. The first route starts down and left of the left hand end of the terrace, below a prominent overlap at 25m.
1. Dai Laffin Fr8a **
Much harder than first appearances suggest with a depressingly hard crux sequence at the top. Start below and left of the left-hand end of the terrace at a slight corner, below small overlap at 10m. Make razor moves up to the overlap, then follow the bolts out right to easier climbing. Follow the crescent shaped line with increasing difficulty to eventually gain the overlap, which is surmounted at its centre. A good semi-rest and easier climbing gains the increasingly difficult headwall and eventually a lower off. 37m
2. Maesteg-A-Saurus Fr8a **
As for Dai Laffin to the overlap at 10m, but pull out left and climb the fingery wall to a good shakeout. A series of big holds leads to a shakeout on undercuts at 20m. Swing right and move up with extreme difficulty to gain the big overlap just right of Dai Laffin. Finish as for Dai Laffin. 37m
The wall to the left of Maesteg-A-Saurus is still a project.
3. Total Pants Fr7a+ **
To the left is a prominent banana-shaped groove starting at 15m. Just right of this and at a higher level is a prominent corner. Start down and right of the corner and follow a line of flakes to a ledge at 15m. Take the right -hand line of bolts directly up the wall on pockets. 30m
4. Panteon Shot Fr7a *
As for Totally Pants, but continue up the left-hand line of bolts to gain the obvious corner groove high up. 30m
5. Matt’s Groove Fr7a+ ***
A superb route with interesting moves and a pumpy crux. Follow Totally Pants to the ledge at 15m. Hand traverse the ledge to gain the bottom of the banana shaped groove. Climb this for 6m, until it is possible to move out onto the left wall and make hard moves up to the double bolt lower off. The direct finish is still a project. 30m
6. Three Turd Slab Fr8a *
A searing route up the blank wall below Matt’s Route, finishing just below the base of the groove. 14m
7. Welsh Fargo Fr7c+ ***
A swaggering route up the centre of the most exposed area of the main wall. Start from a gravel heap about 4m right of a prominent line of holes at 27m. Make a hard move to start and pleasant slab climbing to gain a semirest at 15m. Blast up to the pockets to a shakeout, then move up and right to a sustained sequence to finish.37m
8. Thieving Little Scrote Fr7c ***
A superb route which gains the corner high up on the crag via some very thin moves. Start up Caught Mid Shot, but then work right along the ledge to gain the start of the difficulties. Climb direct to the corner past an unbelievable crux and finish up the corner. 38m
9. Caught Mid-Shot Fr7a *
Climb the short groove which gains the right-hand end of a vague terrace to the left of Welsh Fargo to a lower off. 14m
10. For Whom The Siren Goes Fr7b+ **
From the lower off of Caught Mid Shot, amble up left then climb the desperate wall to a lower off in the middle of nowhere. 18m
11. Shot Yer Load Fr7b *
The wall to the left has a very hard and reachy crux at half-height. 17m
12. Her Helmut Schmutt Fr6b
The short wall to the left. Lower off the visually stunning equipment. 10m
13. Helmut Cheese Fr7a **
A sustained route to the left again, swinging in from the base of Pinch The Helmet. 32m
14. Pinch The Helmet Fr6b *
To the left is a prominent groove. Climb this to an optional lower off at the top of the initial groove (Fr6a). From the lower off, move diagonally out right to gain a ledge and a lower off. 21m
15. Radical Re-Entry Fr7a **
A hard, sequency route up the centre of the faint pillar. From a sloping shelf at the top of the pillar, climb the diagonal crack above to a small shelf and a lower off. 24m
16. Twisted To Fit Fr7a+ **
Start up a faint groove below and left of Pinch The Helmet. Continue up the wall to the left to reach a diagonally sloping ramp, leading left to the base of a prominent pillar of rock. 27m
17. Flick The Frenulum Fr7a
The digonal curving crack on the lower wall of the crag. Harder than it looks. 15m
18. Barrybados - Fr.7c
Pretty intense with 3 crux sections. spice at top. 35m.
The rest of the routes on the wall to the left are currently unrealised projects.
19. Clampitt Corner HVS,5a
Somehow gain the ledge below the impressive corner bounding the left-hand side of the main wall. Belay and climb it to a BB, then abseil off. The only trad route on the crag. Shame on it! 40m
Some 100m the left of the main wall is a slab.
20. Opening Shot Fr6b *
Climb the slab it with some interesting technical moves. 17m
Rusty Walls
On the left side of the crag are a number of lesser walls. These are gained by following the gravel track up from near the quarry entrance. At the second bend the track splits to give access to a lower and an upper tier. About 200m along the lower tier are a clutch of routes on a buttress which is bounded on its right-hand side by an area of red earth. These routes are described from left to right as approached.
36. Red With Age 18m E1,5b Fr6a The left-hand route, rising from a fin. R.Thomas 00.00.1999
37. Runnel Vision 18m E5,6b Fr7a+ Up the faint depression in the centre of the wall, to gain easier climbing above. The small have to make some really nasty moves on slopers, in which case the technical grade is more like 6c. E.Travers-Jones 13.06.2000
38. Rusty Roy 18m E2,5b Fr6a The right-hand line on the wall. R.Thomas 00.00.1999
100m right is a black wall, containing the routes below:
39. Young And Tender 12m E1,5b Fr6a The corner groove. R.Thomas, N.O’Neill, M.Hirst, R.Jones 00.08.2000
40. Tough Old Meat 12m E3,6a Fr6c The wall to the right. R.Thomas, N.O’Neill, M.Hirst, R.Jones 00.08.2000
The wall to the right is still a project.
41. Chew On This 12m E2,5c Fr6b The arete at the end of the wall. R.Thomas, N.O’Neill, M.Hirst, R.Jones 00.08.2000
The Cheesy Tower
Going back to the split in the track and not far up the upper tier, is a grey tower with an undercut start.
42. Top Cheese 20m E2,5c Fr6b The left-hand line R.Thomas 00.00.2000
43. Bottom Cheese 20m E1,5b Fr6a The right-hand line is quite good. R.Thomas 00.00.2000
FIRST ASCENTS
1. S.James 00.00.2000
2. S.James 00.00.2000
3. R.Phillipps 00.00.2000
4. J.Richards 00.00.2000
5. Ladder Of Desire R.Thomas 15.06.2000
6. Bask Seperatist G.Ashmore 12.05.2001
7. Pantyhose R.Thomas 19.06.2000
8. R.Thomas 00.00.2000
9. R.Thomas 00.00.2000
10. S.James 12.06.2000
11. G.Gibson 22.10.2000
12. S.James 10.06.2000
13. G.Ashmore, M.Jordan 06.04.2000
14. G.Ashmore, I.Fisher 27.04.2000
15. Project G.Ashmore
The wall just left is still a project.
16. G.Gibson 00.00.2000
MAIN WALL PROPER
1. G.Ashmore 27.06.2000
2. G.Ashmore 08.07.2000
The wall to the left of Maesteg-A-Saurus is still a project.
3. G.Gibson 00.00.2000
4. R.Thomas 00.00.2000
5. Matt Hirst 00.00.2000
6. T.Starke 00.00.2000
7. G.Ashmore 29.05.2000
8. C.Savage 00.05.2001
9. M.Hirst, I.Fisher 10.06.2000
10. M.Hirst 13.06.2001
11. M.Hirst 09.07.2000
12. R.Thomas 15.07.2000
13. R.Thomas 29.07.2000
14. R.Thomas 13.07.2000
15. R.Thomas 01.07.2000
16. G.Gibson 00.00.2000
17. R.Thomas 00.00.2000
18. R. Lambey 23.06.2009
The rest of the routes on the wall to the left are currently unrealised projects.
19. S.James, R.Philipps 00.00.2000
20. M.Hirst 05.06.2000
RUSTY WALLS
36. R.Thomas 00.00.1999
37. E.Travers-Jones 13.06.2000
38. R.Thomas 00.00.1999
39. R.Thomas, N.O’Neill, M.Hirst, R.Jones 00.08.2000
40. R.Thomas, N.O’Neill, M.Hirst, R.Jones 00.08.2000
The wall to the right is still a project.
41. R.Thomas, N.O’Neill, M.Hirst, R.Jones 00.08.2000
42. R.Thomas 00.00.2000
43. R.Thomas 00.00.2000
