Gower Rock: Selected Rock Climbs
Product Description
BY: Stuart Llewellyn & Matt WoodfieldISBN: 978-1-906095-36-9
Gower Rock aims to showcase the depth and quality of rock climbing on this wild, beautiful yet somewhat unknown peninsula. The area contains a wide variety of climbing on an enticing array of venues. On some routes you can step straight off golden sands onto classic lines; in other cases you can wend your way across peaceful cliff-top paths before dropping into some pretty demanding terrain just a stone’s throw from ice-cream-scoffing tourists and pastoral picnic spots.
The magnificent areas of Fall Bay and Three Cliffs have enough classic routes to keep you busy on many visits to the peninsula. The sport crags of Southgate compliment and add variety to the well-established hard routes of Oxwich and Pwlldu. The selection of venues and climbs included in this guide will provide plenty of adventure for all climbers, among some of the best scenery in the UK.
In 1956 the Gower peninsula was designated as the UK’s first Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty (AONB). Any visitor to the area will see why: it is packed full of stunning beaches and welcoming villages and provides a breath-taking backdrop to numerous outdoor activities including surfing and paragliding. There are miles of fantastic coastal paths to walk along (a perfect way to explore the many treats of the peninsula) and copious amounts of climbing.
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Nanuls - Dec 24, 2014 4:53 am - Voted 5/5
Super guidebook, doesn’t disappointDespite having AONB* status, Gower is one such venue, always remaining peripheral and consequently, just outside the conscience of the most prolific guidebook writing companies and organisations. Consequently, it has been left to the local South Wales Mountaineering Club and other local individuals to document the area’s climbing.
For nearly 10 years, it was the South Wales Mountaineering Club’s Gower and South East Wales that offered the best option for those visiting Gower, comprehensively documenting what the area had to offer. However, I think it is fair to say that as a publication, its style was out-dated before it was even published and many will know the frustration that came from trying to decipher many of its descriptions and diagrams.
So in come local activists Stuart Llewelyn and Matt Woodfield with the answer, Gower Rock: Selected Rock Climbs. This is a guidebook in the modern sense; for each crag it contains clear photographic topos, maps to help find the crag, information on climbing restrictions and other considerations and beautifully taken photos. All of these are clearly and logically presented and it is a credit to the skill and enthusiasm of the authors that they have managed to put it all together so effectively. I should at this point raise a small conflict of interest, I have met the authors and spent a day at Tor Bay helping with some route checking, consequently a photo of me on Stella (VS 4c) appears in the book. Nevertheless, the reception of the book within the local climbing community has been nothing but positive, and therefore any bias I might have is at least backed up by the weight of general opinion.
Of course, as a selected guide, this book lacks the comprehensive coverage of the Gower and South East Wales guide and many of the smaller, more esoteric crags have found themselves left out. The South Wales Mountaineering Club’s book, along with the wiki it maintains, still have a place in the cannon of publications available to the climber and it is therefore still recommended for anyone who intends on doing a lot of climbing in the area.
In conclusion, Gower Rock is a super guidebook and an invaluable resource to both regular and occasional visitors to the area.
*Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty