Rams Tor Bouldering
From SWMC Guidebook
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TIDAL STATUS
Most of the bouldering in this area takes place 2 hours either side of low tide. There is however the china wall area which is non tidal except on springs with a heavy sea.
ACCESS
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PREAMBLE
Rams Tor bouldering
 | Tide raised breaker,
you ride into the zawn tips curled higher than its gates then break. The thunder echoed from the cave proclaims your fall. Your after-mist submerges me in rainbows
A finger slots a pocket. One foot smears friction in the faintest of scoops the other strokes an inset crystal looking for grip. My body tenses, mind controls.
pebble points to dust We are noise! Chris Wyatt 2010 |
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This can almost be described as 'adventure' bouldering. There are loads of highball, juggy, steep problems - but a word of warning - rock quality varies. If you like slabs, one of the best slab problems on gower is found here, just west of Crab island crag. The area is also very good for tombstoning/coasteering at high tide
ACCESS
Drive up through Mumbles High Street and turn left at the Baptist Church. As the road nears the top of the hill take the second of three adjacent left turns and park in the road.
Walk down to Rotherslade and take the coastal path East. After 500 yards yards a path right leads to the top of Crab Island Crag. The initial bouldering is either in the bay to the west of Crab Island Crag or on its lower tier , the zawn to its east has an amazing rock bridge leading to China Wall. behind this you will find the cracking cave. The second zawn (or is it a cove) contains an excellent white wall reminiscent of the trench at Ogmore. The third zawn has a good traverse on its east side and a series of impending towers up to 8m high on its west.
Rams Tor itself is 200m to the east of this and there are a number of problems in the caves and mini zawns between the two.
Exits: If you are climbing in the second or 3rd zawn beware of the incoming tide blocking your exit. Climbing out of the 3rd zawn is effectively a severe solo. There are exits to the cliff path above china wall (but you will be scratched to pieces), at rams tor and and crab island crag.
MAP OF AREA
THE BOULDERING
China wall has the advantages of an interesting approach, being unaffected by tides and some excellent steep problems but it also has a lot of brittle rock and seeps quite badly after rain. The rock is getting better with traffic but mats spotters and even helmets are highly recommended.
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China wall LHS
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1. 'Left wall traverse' (v2) An excellent problem; From the gravel floor reach up to a hand rail and then to a satisfying finger lock in a downward facing hole. A powerful move on a low side-pull gets you to a low jug. Continue moving left to another LH side pull and then up to two positive crimps and the finish 2. The Rattlesnake finish 3. Climb from the back of the cave out on massive - usually damp - holds 4. A counter diagonal to problem 1. shares some of the same holds. Sit start. The rock to the left of the start is out of bounds! |
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China wall between the caves
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1. The right arrete of the cave 2. Via an amazing pocket hold under the roof and a crimp just under the lip, make your way to the top. 3. The knob route. We are not sure when the knob is going to fall off but it has grappled with care numerous times Cave to Cave traverses : 4a. The traverse from the right cave to the left cave (v3), powerful moves under the roof lead to the knob. More powerful moves on the lip eventually lead to the left cave. 4b. Variation (v4) : start Right of the central cave and traverse through it. Drop down under the knob and continue left finishing on handholds under the roof to reach the left hand cave. |
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China wall RH Cave, pillar and slab
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1. From a sit start climb diagonally leftwards across the back of the cave to a thought provoking finish at the left of the overhang 2. The top half of this poses a psychological challenge. Climb the pillar in its entirety. 3. This is for those who are not interested in psychological challenges ( or perhaps just sensible) 4. Climb the slab 5. A traverse in start to problem 2. |
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The super traverse :Start of problem 5 in RH wall, , Problem 4b - cave to cave travers, Problem 1 of left hand wall. This is quite an undertaking!
China wall RH Slab
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1. From a sit start in the cave get established on the slab and trust your feet to the top |
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East of china wall there is an intersting slab and a cave containing Quantum physics. there is a U tube video of this on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDuCwSG0Rbo
Under quantum physics area
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This is a neat area with a number of worthwhile problems at low tide. There is plenty of scope for some harder problems here 1. The left arrete of the slab from a sit start under the overhang. Excellent V1+ 2. Levitate up the slab. |
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3. Take the centre of the overhang. another excellent V1+ problem
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Second Zawn
At the seaward sized of the second zawn there is a reverse facing scalloped wall with some excellent balancy/friction problems.
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Scalloped wall LHS
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1. On the left hand side of the wall a difficult leftward traverse leads to the finish 2. The Direct Version 3. Work up carefully to the left of the obvious groove line 4. The groove itself bearing slightly rightwards at the top. Deceptively hard. 5. Make for a mono pocket high on the wall. Excellent The wall gets a bit easier to the right of this but still holds a number of good problems |
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Third Zawn
60m East of the second zawn, the third zawn cuts in like a mini stennis ford. On its west flank are three blocks approximately 8m high. It's all very highball the rock quality seems to be good.
1st block
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1. Easy enough if you have courage. A positivle line of handholds leads up and right towards the arrete. Take these then amble to the top 2. Much harder, A long reach or a hard pull on an intermediate pocket gains a large pocket in the wall, high on the left. From there it is plain sailing
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2nd block
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1. Steep but fairly juggy. Its all over except the nerves once you get to the standing potition half way up the face. A good problem |
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