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New Bouldering and Route guide to Dartmoor (Read 4855 times)

shark

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The new Climbers Club Dartmoor guide which includes 1200 boulder problems is now available online at teh CC online shop or from retailers.

By way of a personal introduction I grew up in East Devon on a hill farm and although Dartmoor was 50 miles away it featured strongly in my life growing up. From the age of 11 onwards as a scout we went for a weekend every January on “Operation Snowdrift”. The bleak, boggy and largely featureless landscape, save for the occasional granite tor, made navigation a challenge especially when you were enshrouded in thick fog or bent over double walking into driving snow. What’s not to like? I loved the place and as a teen would hitchhike out there with a friend or my brother and we would spend days on ambitious walks crossing and camping on the Moors. I was hoping that I my sons might inherit my enthusiasm for hiking and camping but it was not to be. My sole reminder of my Dartmoor adventures is a book of letterbox stamps. Enough of my rambling!

At the last Peak area meet I was shown a copy of the new Dartmoor by CC guidebook veteran Ian Smith. I’m not a guidebook buff but seeing as it was Dartmoor my interest was instantly piqued. This CC guide is standard issue Rockfax sized. The real innovation is that it printed portrait style which means they can do some interesting things with the layout which should improve ease of use at the crag and even flipping pages on the loo isn’t too annoying. 

The real area of interest to me and the majority of UKB is the bouldering. For me bouldering on Dartmoor is synonymous with Bonehill Rocks (and bleeding fingertips). No longer. Much work has been done opening up new areas in the East (towards Exeter) notably Bovey Woods and to the South towards Plymouth. In fact the problems outnumber the routes 2 to 1 (1200 vs 600) Flipping through the guide there is page after page of magnificent looking lines with some of the boulders looking they have been stolen from Font. Maybe they are less rough than Bonehill. That would be a bonus. 

If a guidebook’s prime purpose is to inspire you to go to an area then it scores 10 out 10 from me. As for usability, gradings, star ratings, definitiveness I will have to leave that to someone else. I don’t know who James Clapham is but his love for the place is evident. There are some quirky bits which I think is a nice nod to Nick White’s magnificently eccentric “South Devon and Dartmoor” guide from back in the day.

This guide is a gift for me (in fact it was – thanks Ian!). Next time we visit my parents I’m taking my sons bouldering there as it gives me the perfect excuse to drag them to Dartmoor after all.

For a more professional review of the guide go to Rob Greenwood's write up on UKC

macca7

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Great to hear it has piqued your interest in the shire and hope you enjoy getting to a lot of the new areas that many of us down this part of the world have been working on! It would be nice to see them get some attention and maybe even a clean!

Not wanting to sound pedantic but the guide has been printed in landscape other than the front cover. This has had a varied response with some loving some loathing. Personally a landscape guide works really well when used for bouldering particularly and as mentioned really this is now the majority of the guide. However as many of us will know a landscape guide when bound along the narrow edge can be a little prone to destruction at an alarming rate. I feel the bind along the long edge and therefore having to turn the guide once past the front cover will hopefully reduce this wear and increase the guides durability. I personally have no issue with this layout however I have met some folk who really don't get on with it.

Have a look for yourselves see what you think but do get down here and tell us what you think! Its worth remembering that there are still many more very good areas that haven't made it into the guide and getting hold of a local will help if you fancy getting off the now slightly, very slightly, more beaten path!

Also please don't let the endless photos of Mr Rainbow put you off heading down, he won't be at every place you visit although probably more than most!

Enjoy and I look forward to seeing you down here once the rain stops!

Cheers

Macca

tomrainbow

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I feel less bad that someone's done a huge turd under your new V5 at The Mushroom Cluster now!  :tease:

macca7

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When you say someone?

tomtom

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When you say someone?

It was Shark - whilst he was reading the new guide. ;)

Oldmanmatt

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When you say someone?

It was Shark - whilst he was reading the new guide. ;)

I prefer the Giddeon Bible for that.

Thinner, more absorbent pages...


All posts either sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek or mildly mocking-in-a-friendly-way unless otherwise stated. I always forget to put those smiley things...

Oldmanmatt

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When you say someone?

It was Shark - whilst he was reading the new guide. ;)

I prefer the Giddeon Bible for that.

Thinner, more absorbent pages...


All posts either sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek or mildly mocking-in-a-friendly-way unless otherwise stated. I always forget to put those smiley things...
(Cue Haggrid impression)

I shouldn't have said that...

Apologies to ThreeNine and Mike (I think) and any other Christian.
Atheism is not an excuse for abuse. Sorry.

It won't let me delete the post.


All posts either sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek or mildly mocking-in-a-friendly-way unless otherwise stated. I always forget to put those smiley things...

Pantontino

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I've been working in Exeter of late and bought the new guide at the weekend. Just wanted to say, good effort to all involved. Tonight I went exploring in a slightly damp Bovey Woods - loved the place and my jaw hit the floor when I saw Devon Sent. Wow, what a fucking line. Incredible!

macca7

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Wow it must have been like a rain forest in there!

Top marks for perseverance, the new guide must be good if you found Devon Sent in full damp summer foliage!

Glad you like the venue a lot of time and effort has been put into that place and it does feel very special during the freezing winter months to be climbing in there in a t-shirt!

Enjoy Exeter and I hope to see you in there in the winter!

Cheers

Macca


 

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