[petejh]

I noticed someone over on the other channel asking about the status of the NW Limestone guide so I thought it'd be worth letting people know where it's up to.

The guide's about 90% written and about 75% laid-out. I've got almost every photo I wanted except for a top-down view of Wall of the Evening Light and someone DWS'ing Primeval. Massive thanks are due to Mike Hutton for being a total wad and driving over from the peak numerous times to get certain shots at certain times of day. Mike's a ledge and the guide would be significantly inferior without his efforts. Doing this book has made me realise how North Wales severely lacks numbers in terms of motivated and reliable climbing photographers prepared to go off the beaten track; there's a niche to fill there for some keen youth!

Keith on ukc mentioned I'd not be keen to publish the guide until the less well-trodden crags had been re-equipped. That was true last year but is no longer so. There's still plenty of lesser-known crags that could be sorted out but realistically it won't happen. The biggest recent development has been Dave Lyon getting re-psyched and blitzing Observatory Buttress with loads of good new routes as well as re-equipping nearly all the older stuff. A keen crew including Martin Doyle, Andy Boorman and Norman Clacher have also done lots here. This is now a brilliant, sunny afternoon venue for mid-grade sport routes in a truly beautiful location. The bird restriction is gone (one tiny area still restricted for a nesting chough).
As one of the UK's original sport-climbing areas, in a marine environment, and with some adventurous cliffs away from the easy access Pen Trwyn and LPT, it's inevitable that there would come a time when this mix of high-maintenance variables would need to be addressed if the less well-known routes weren't to be left to history. It just so happens it coincided with doing the new guide. Steve Mayers did a brilliant job of partially re-equipping some crags including LPT in the 90's - the time of generators and 18mm eco-bolts. The Omes area has really suffered from the massive amount of sub-standard equipment that was placed when bolted routes first started to be put up on the Ormes, and it didn't seem right to do a guidebook to an area where literally nearly half the routes were unclimbable or neglected because of bad equipment. However even the good crags which are just slightly off the beaten path, like Pigeon's Cave, got neglected for 20 years because no-one wanted to venture away from the trade routes/crags when all the other options have shite-looking bolts. It's hard not to look back with hindsight and wonder if the people involved with bolting at that time realised they were creating completely unsustainable routes when they were bolting on the Ormes. The other unsustainable practice was for partially equipped 'trad' routes with the odd rusty bolt protecting the crux, on sea-cliffs.
It's been an epic 5 years ridding the best routes and crags of shite equipment and replacing it with good quality kit. I'd love it if people had leaped into action to re-equip, or just climb, stuff on The Ormesman wall, Lower St. Tudno's, Un Named crag, Craig y Don Lower, Seal Point. But it'll likely be a case of chicken and egg - the new guide will get people thinking about climbing on these crags and, when they realise the bolted routes on these crags are completely fucked and the trad routes need to be either like-for-liked with stainless kit, fully bolted, or often just need a belay/lower-offs sorting out, hopefully a couple of them will have the motivation to do something about it.
 
The only thing now delaying the book being finished is how quickly I can work. Which means chipping away at it on the laptop for a couple of hours most evenings. I'm confident it will be out for Spring. It's looking really good and I think it's going to showcase this unique area   

[Doylo]

Knighthood for Harrison 

[petejh]

A beach holiday will do. Not west shore.

[Doylo]

Not until you've done some more re-equipping 

[stvey1987]

Just out of interest will this guidebook cover all of the venues in the A55 sport crags guidebook??

[petejh]

It will.

[ducko]

look forward too seeing this, good job

[Wood FT]

Seconded, good shit ahoy

[BenF]

Outstanding efforts Pete.  Its all very much appreciated by the scouse element who consider the Orme as basically local for us.

[James Malloch]

Just wondering if there is any news on potential release dates? I'm eager to start flicking through and would rather wait a while for this than get the older version.

[Reprobate_Rob]

And while we're on the subject, where's the bouldering guide got to?

[Pantontino]

And while we're on the subject, where's the bouldering guide got to?

We've got to finish Gogarth South first I'm afraid. Don't worry, it'll be well worth the wait. I've written an article for the Climb mag Secret Bloc series as an appetizer.

A group of us did a proof reading session on Pete and Andy's NWL guide recently so it won't be long before that is released I'm sure.

[SA Chris]

Was it a group read and book club style discussion?

Be disappointed if not.

[petejh]

Si was busy eating pizza and drinking the beer provided if I remember rightly... (as well as giving very valuable advice and feedback, true ledge).

The book's written. I'm polishing it up at the moment - things like improving the topos (they were inconsistently sized - I only realised how much so on printing a full draft), make sure everything's hi-res and cmyk. Then there's the graded list, 2 pages of historical text to improve upon, tweak the main intro text, make a route index, create the Diamond topos (best till last etc.), page numbering, solve the riddle of creating the front cover/spine, get the last advert (ahem...) and try to extract the photo of John Dunne on the FFA of Detritus from its originator.  It'll be there soon - there's no date and you'll probably hear it'll be in the shops a few days before it arrives, so it'll be nice surprise then. I'm not rushing it though, and I only have so much time/energy each day after work to work on the book.

Should be long enough for Pete to have done another 10 newies...

(btw: the above may sound like a lot but in the context of the overall thing it's a drop in the ocean)

[James Malloch]

Thanks, sounds great! Love how much effort and time is going into it! 

[Doylo]

It's looking really good. Not bad for a guidebook virgin...

[slackline]

get the last advert (ahem...)

Rockfax/UKClimbing?

[Pantontino]

get the last advert (ahem...)

Rockfax/UKClimbing?

No, that was nudge in my ribs. 

[RichK]

We've got to finish Gogarth South first I'm afraid.

 

[Pantontino]

We've got to finish Gogarth South first I'm afraid.

 

At least that's one book sale I can count on! 

[petejh]

Don't count on it - remember you're losing Benllech to the competition...

[Pantontino]

Don't count on it - remember you're losing Benllech to the competition...

Wrong book you 'nana! Benllech is in Gogarth North.

[petejh]

Hello. The North Wales Limestone guidebook is now at the printers. It should be arriving in the UK in 3 - 4 week's time and will be available in all good stores shortly after. The book is being distributed by Cordee and is priced at £24.99. It weighs in at 452 pages, quite a whopper!

I'm not taking pre-orders - I've developed a taste for my new-found 'spare time' and have no appetite for spending evenings licking stamps, sorry. 

An app version of the full guide (minus action photos and background content) will be released by TheSend at around the same time that the printed book appears on the shelves. To make this happen, the staff at On Sight Publishing's large state-of-the-art IT department* are busy working away entering the book's content into Steve Golley's app editor.
*otherwise known as Tom, on his battered laptop, while on P-y-b night-porter

The app will be for android and iPhone and it will be available to download via TheSend website (price TBC), as well as from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

There are a few app guides available in the US, and in the UK the Climbers' Club have small sections of some of their print guides available in app format. However I think this will be the first print guidebook in the UK to be fully downloadable as an app.

Where did 4 years go. I hope you like it!


Here's our info blurb:

'North Wales Limestone: The Definitive Guide covers all of the climbing along the North Wales A55 coastal corridor - from Benllech in the west to The Devil’s Gorge (near Mold) in the east, including the popular Great and Little Ormes of Llandudno. The book details nearly 1000 sport routes and over 500 trad routes in this varied climbing area, including the nationally significant trad venue of Craig y Forwyn.

This not-for-profit guidebook has been written by a team of local climbers who all share a keen interest in showcasing the North Wales limestone area with a much-needed definitive guide. All profits from sales will be donated to the bolt fund which has enabled the high proportion of routes in this area that rely on fixed equipment to be equipped with good quality fixed gear – The North Wales Bolt Fund.

The book features inspiring action photos from leading climbing photographers, full-colour photo topos throughout, detailed route descriptions and approach maps, graded list, environmental and access information, and a historical section with contributions from many of the area’s most prolific pioneers.'




Yes!

[Doylo]

What took you so long? Rockfax would have had it out 3 years ago 

[petejh]

  We were waiting for this local punter to complete his proj...