[Will Hunt]

***15% off pre-orders!***
https://www.climbers-club.co.uk/eshop/guidebook-store-frcc-new.php?pub=Wired

After 6 years of work by a team of over 100 dedicated local volunteers, the long-awaited Northern Rock is here! 608 pages filled to bursting with the best trad, sport and bouldering that Yorkshire Grit, Yorkshire Limestone, Northumberland, Lancashire and the North York Moors have to offer.



The latest in the series from Wired Guides, Northern Rock assembles the expertise of the local activists behind each area’s definitive guides to bring you beautiful selective coverage. All of the familiar stomping grounds are included among the book’s 63 crags: Almscliff, Brimham, Malham, Giggleswick, Wilton, Anglezarke, Scugdale, Great Wanney and the Bowdens. The guide also showcases some of the quieter spots – the windswept majesty of Callerhues, the adventurous chasms of Strans and Crook Gill, and the recently revamped Egerton Quarry among them.


Lindsay McMorran on Dental Slab. Photo: Ben Gillespie

Northern Rock champions multi-disciplinary climbing. There are heaps of trad and sport climbs within its pages but those who prefer pad to trad will not be wanting, with the world-class circuits of Caley, Slipstones and Kyloe in the Woods being just a few of the bouldering spots given detailed coverage.

Each crag is documented with beautiful topos, super-accurate maps and stunning action photos that will get you psyched like you've never been before! Clear, detailed approach descriptions will lead you to the crag without getting lost; easy-to-use symbols provide buttress and boulder-specific information on conditions (such as aspect, seepage and whether climbs stay dry in the rain), allowing you to get the most out of a day’s climbing. For those who love a list there are the Little Gems to work through (a tenner to the first person to complete them all!) and, in case it rains, then yes! There is a history section!


Al Horsfield on God Lives Underwater, Johanna Malle on Great Chimney at Crag Lough. Photo: Mark Savage

Wired Guides
Wired Guides are published by a co-operative of UK definitive guidebook publishers including: the British Mountaineering Council; The Climbers’ Club; the Fell & Rock Climbing Club; the Northumbrian Mountaineering Club; the Scottish Mountaineering Club; and the Yorkshire Mountaineering Club. Wired guidebooks bring you the accuracy and depth of knowledge found in definitive guidebooks in a familiar, easy-to-use select guide format.

Profits from Wired books directly contribute to maintaining our crags, access, and sport. When you buy a Wired guide you are supporting projects that benefit the whole climbing community. For example:
• The Yorkshire Mountaineering Club contributed to the upgrade of the Almscliff path and to the repair of the damaged Rylstone monument.
• The Northumbrian Mountaineering Club is leading the clear-up of Storm Arwen damage at several County crags, paying for chainsaw operators to tidy away wind-felled trees.
• When arriving on Lundy, repairs to the concrete road from the landing jetty were part-funded from The Climbers’ Club’s Colin Kirkus Guidebook Fund.
• Alongside commitments to protect access such as owning and managing three of the crags in this book (Wilton One, Craig y Longridge and Crookrise), when ascending Mam Tor’s Great Ridge one is stepping on work funded by the BMC’s Mend our Mountains campaign.
• The Fell & Rock Climbing Club’s Access and Conservation Fund actively supports projects
including Fix the Fells and the John Muir Trust.






Harry Brook-Dobson on Layback at Attermire. Photo: Ben Gillespie

[Will Hunt]

If anybody wants to ask a question about the book, Wired, or guidebooks and the making of them in general then fire away (cue the tumbleweed).

[36chambers]

What grade did The Keel get?

[Will Hunt]

What grade did The Keel get?

6B+

[Alex-the-Alex]

What were the most contentious crags left in/out? Must have been like a game of thrones scene getting an agreement across all that! Did you have to chop any fingers off to maintain order in the pub/ranks?

That is a magic shot of Dental Slab 

[Bradders]

What grade did The Keel get?

It's a select guide, so surely wouldn't be included.

[SA Chris]

That is a magic shot of Dental Slab 

Agree, belter. I must have been to Rylstone close to a dozen times and have done it every time I've been, either lead, second or solo, and it's always a joy.

[cheque]

Not a bad shot of Attermire either!

Really keen to get my copy of this. I swear this year will be the one where I actually make it to Rylstone  .

[Fiend]

What grade did The Keel get?

It's a select guide, so surely wouldn't be included.

Very good 

[grimer]

Looks amazing. Congratulations Will and team!

[Will Hunt]

The Dental Slab photo is one of my favourites. Such a beautiful climb and such a gorgeous evening and it turned out just as I'd thought it might.
The photographer, Ben, is a work colleague (and climber) and we'd talked about getting some drone shots. Rylstone faces north-west so only really gets the sun in the late afternoon and evening. All through June and the start of July that year I was looking at the weather and trying to get an evening when I could get up there with Ben and some willing subjects.
One evening it came together and we started off on Monument Crack (I wanted a shot from the air of someone climbing Monument Crack with the cross in view on top - that one's also in the book) before moving onto Dental Slab as the light was turning golden.

This was to be Lindsay's first onsight of a Severe and we had to give her a little pep talk to help her over the nerves first. She got on and crusied up the first bit but then started to stall towards the top - where she is in the photo there was lots of upping and downing. James and I are stood behind the big triangular boulder in the photo shouting encouragement and eventually she summoned her courage and topped out - a really fantastic moment.

Alex, I'll answer you but I'll have to think a bit more first!

[Dolly]

Lovely pic
The link doesn’t seem to work Will. Or there’s an error on the linked page ?

[dunnyg]

If I buy a copy will you highlight all the downgrades for me?

[duncan]

Looks great! If you're a soft southern jessie and only an intermittent visitor north of The Peak this is probably the only guide you need.

[Will Hunt]

Sorry for the link faff. It seems there's been an issue with the CC website today.
This one will work and is a bit more smart-phone friendly than the Wired website. This looks like a CC link but will still work.
(Please could a mod update my OP with this link?)
https://www.climbers-club.co.uk/eshop/guidebook-store-frcc-new.php?pub=Wired

[SA Chris]

I swear this year will be the one where I actually make it to Rylstone  .

Some people (me included) think this is criminal negligence. Plan a whole day up there, take a pad for the highballs / micros at the Monument end. Funny how I used to think it was a committing walk in until I moved to Scotland.

[remus]

If I buy a copy will you highlight all the downgrades for me?

Just look for the 'reachy' symbol.

[shark]

If I buy a copy will you highlight all the downgrades for me?

Just look for the 'reachy' symbol.

Bet there aren’t any

[teestub]

If I buy a copy will you highlight all the downgrades for me?

Just look for the 'reachy' symbol.

Bet there aren’t any

The ‘reachy’ symbol has been replaced by a picture of a garden gnome to denote ‘easier for the short’.

[Will Hunt]

What were the most contentious crags left in/out? Must have been like a game of thrones scene getting an agreement across all that! Did you have to chop any fingers off to maintain order in the pub/ranks?

That is a magic shot of Dental Slab 

Getting the coverage right was hard. You can't include everything and the line has to be drawn somewhere, but I was very conscious that if it was too sparse then we'd end up with something where people ran out of stuff to do at any particular crag too quickly.

We started with the idea that the guide would be 500 pages, but this isn't a book that's been produced around an RRP or unit cost or an ultra-strict budget - the main thing was always just to make the very  best book possible. So in the end we needed to go up to 600 pages to make sure that each area stood up on its own two feet as something that would keep visitors to each area going for a long time. The Lancashire and Northumberland sections will be enough for me for a long long time! The exception is the North York Moors which is a really small section - the idea there is to give people a few quick hits if they're traveling up and down the A1. If you wanted to climb properly in the NYM you'd want Franco's book.

I'm particularly pleased with the limestone. I don't want to dwell on what we don't cover (Blue Scar is an obvious omission, but given that so few people actually go it just wouldn't have pulled it's weight) but I think that our guide is the best for the area, even for locals. There are a few esoteric spots that we don't include, but the increased accuracy on what we do cover is well worth it. Crags written up by Nez, Dave M, Paul Clarke etc - often the people who put the bolts in in the first place - and hard venues checked over by people like Dunning, Ibbo, and Jon Freeman who have actually done the routes. Getting that sort of input helped clear up a number of really important things (and there was some amusing back and forth in the proof comments on Kilnsey).

I wouldn't say we had arguments (others may disagree  ) but we did have lots and lots of discussion. We'd originally planned to have less Northumberland and more Lancs but this organically changed until they had an equal number of pages. Les envisioned having lots more Lancs crags with less coverage at each but, after some long conversations going late into the night, in which we went through near enough the whole Brick MkII, we turned this into the selection that's there now, which gives a good account of the best stuff but also manages to include places like Egerton.

[Alex-the-Alex]

Nice one. The limestone coverage does look mint! Hopefully this can be the insparation to finally take a rope down to Dib Scar. And drag younger siblings up those gills in the summer 

Thats some dedication to holes in the ground by the Lancs team. Admirable. Very admirable.

[SA Chris]

I've not climbed on any of the bits in the guide apart from Northumberland for about 6 years, but I feel I need to own it anyway. Good work everyone involved.

[EdGowSmith]

Looks great, looking forward to getting it. Will be a useful guide for many I'm sure (myself included). Great work Will et al.

[rginns]

Sorry for the link faff. It seems there's been an issue with the CC website today.
This one will work and is a bit more smart-phone friendly than the Wired website. This looks like a CC link but will still work.
(Please could a mod update my OP with this link?)
https://www.climbers-club.co.uk/eshop/guidebook-store-frcc-new.php?pub=Wired

+1 on the Dental slab shot, fantastic.
Pre-ordered, looking forward to getting it.
That's an ambitious quantity and spread of crags Will, good effort to you and the team, although why you left out W4 is beyond me 

[Will Hunt]

Thanks guys. I hope you enjoy it.

[lagerstarfish]

Everyone sounds very positive about this book, so I feel I should wade in with some whining for the sake of balance.


Nope. Can't think of anything.


(Good effort everyone)

[Will Hunt]

Bump 

The book is due at the distributor on Friday so if you're wavering on whether to buy the greatest climbing guidebook the world has ever seen then you've got till then to take advantage of the pre-order 15% off.

As you were.

[Will Hunt]

In case you're waiting by your letterbox with bated breath, we had a little issue with the covers and the printer has had to redo them. Books now expected at Cordee on the 14th. It does mean that if you haven't bought it yet there is a little longer to get a cheap pre-order.

[Catcheemonkey]

What a lovely surprise to find my copy waiting on the doorstep today.

Looks mega! Well done to everyone involved.

[Wood FT]

  I await mine too

[Will Hunt]

Cheers Catchee. Pre-orders should be with people now or after the bank holiday depending on how fast your post is.

[Fiend]

Great stuff, I was just running low on bog roll.

[Fiend]

I can confirm that 1. This should become the default guide for any outsiders visiting the area / the UK for the first time. 2. It's some feat to fit in grit / lime / northumberland / north york local crags for desperate people / and lancs in one tome and do them all justice. And 3. It's not absorbant enough and now I've got dung everywhere.

[Wood FT]

Nice one, Will et al. Great guide and covers so much.

[Will Hunt]

Thanks, both of you 

[Steve Crowe]

Northern Rock Typos:

Cover to Cover First Ascent by Dave Birkett Circa 2006

[Will Hunt]

Not sure how that happened. Give me 50 lashes (and 5 for Jim).

[Duncan campbell]

Crazy!!! I thought only RockFax books had mistakes!?

[Will Hunt]

I'm not going to be drawn into comparing the mistakes per square inch between Northern Rock and Northern Limestone. Firstly because I will let the quality of our book speak for itself; secondly because I recognise that, despite the many years of effort that go into these things, total perfection is impossible.

[andy popp]

Northern Rock Typos:

Cover to Cover First Ascent by Dave Birkett Circa 2006

What did you think of the rest of the book?

[Steve Crowe]

Northern Rock Typos:

Cover to Cover First Ascent by Dave Birkett Circa 2006

What did you think of the rest of the book?

Very well produced, 600 pages crammed with classic climbs however Blue Scar, Goldsborough and Crag Willas are missing.

[spidermonkey09]

Blimey Steve, focus on the positives!

[Duncan campbell]

I'm not going to be drawn into comparing the mistakes per square inch between Northern Rock and Northern Limestone. Firstly because I will let the quality of our book speak for itself; secondly because I recognise that, despite the many years of effort that go into these things, total perfection is impossible.

Sorry Will that wasn’t what I had wanted, and wasn’t a criticism of your book (which looks like a nice book from what I’ve seen)

More just a comment on how everyone slags rockfax off for having mistakes and yet as you say it is impossible to create a guidebook with no mistakes.

Something I am interested in though and maybe you could answer… what is the craic with these “Wired Guides”? What actually is Wired? Seems like FRCC did the Lakes one, the CC/Emma and Paul did Pembroke, did Niall and the BMC do the Peak? Did “Wired” approach you and ask you to do a guide for them?

[Steve Crowe]

Blimey Steve, focus on the positives!

I've written a short comment/review here https://climbonline.co.uk/2022/05/06/northern-rock/

[teestub]

Climbonline typos:

This impressive tomb describes all the best trad & sport climbing along with a selection of the best bouldering across Northumberland 

😄

[Will Hunt]

Thanks Steve.
I don't mind the feedback. In this case I'd defend the decision not to include those crags. Goldsborough and Healaugh sit somewhat outside the areas covered.

We were going to include Blue Scar (Steve and Karin were down to write it up and the plan was just to include the trad given the access situation at the time) and I actually have all the base topo photos shot from a beautiful early morning (when a flock of zombie sheep nearly ate me and Daisy alive, but that's another story) doing the rounds of Littondale. When Steve and Karin could no longer write the script it prompted a rethink. The scale of the book was becoming clearer and you have to draw the line somewhere. Although the crag is obviously very good, the trad is almost exclusively hard and seldom traveled.

I asked Dave Musgrove a while ago whether it was possible to walk into Blue another way and he said it would be arduous enough to not seem worthwhile. Jim has since been via an approach which he says is no fuss, parks in the village, and doesn't go over what's-his-name's land. If we can sort the access and someone (Steve and Karin, I'm looking at you) wants to write up the sport and trad, then I reckon we could put together a PDF download in the Wired style. Could pop it online for 50p or something. As I say, I've got all the topo photos with not a drop of seepage on the crag.

[Will Hunt]

Alternatively, we pick a sucker keen young climber (Jim, I'm looking at you) to edit a limestone definitive guide, I'll muck in and provide as much support as I can, and Blue will be in that.

[Steve Crowe]

Thanks Steve.
I don't mind the feedback. In this case I'd defend the decision not to include those crags. Goldsborough and Healaugh sit somewhat outside the areas covered.

We were going to include Blue Scar (Steve and Karin were down to write it up and the plan was just to include the trad given the access situation at the time) and I actually have all the base topo photos shot from a beautiful early morning (when a flock of zombie sheep nearly ate me and Daisy alive, but that's another story) doing the rounds of Littondale. When Steve and Karin could no longer write the script it prompted a rethink. The scale of the book was becoming clearer and you have to draw the line somewhere. Although the crag is obviously very good, the trad is almost exclusively hard and seldom traveled.

I asked Dave Musgrove a while ago whether it was possible to walk into Blue another way and he said it would be arduous enough to not seem worthwhile. Jim has since been via an approach which he says is no fuss, parks in the village, and doesn't go over what's-his-name's land. If we can sort the access and someone (Steve and Karin, I'm looking at you) wants to write up the sport and trad, then I reckon we could put together a PDF download in the Wired style. Could pop it online for 50p or something. As I say, I've got all the topo photos with not a drop of seepage on the crag.

Karin and I would certainly be happy to contribute an up to date definitive description for Blue Scar. You could make it free as a sampler for the printed guide and written in the same style if we could keep the Wired production team together for one last gig?

[Fiend]

Alternatively, we pick a sucker keen young climber (Jim, I'm looking at you) to edit a limestone definitive guide, I'll muck in and provide as much support as I can, and Blue will be in that.

Eagerly awaiting this so I can finally bin Northern Limestone and then I'm down to the two actually valid Rockfaxes in the UK - South Wales Sport Climbs and Clwyd Limestone.

[Will Hunt]

Something I am interested in though and maybe you could answer… what is the craic with these “Wired Guides”? What actually is Wired? Seems like FRCC did the Lakes one, the CC/Emma and Paul did Pembroke, did Niall and the BMC do the Peak? Did “Wired” approach you and ask you to do a guide for them?

Bit more on Wired:

The total market for guidebooks hasn't changed hugely, but a greater and greater share of that market goes to select guides (and also apps now I guess). When you consider the amount of effort that goes into producing a guide, there are a number of definitives which might very well dwindle out as not enough people are interested in buying them.

Wired is something which the definitive-producing clubs and organisations formed together. It's a co-operative that allows them to produce select guides under a common brand and hopefully reclaim a bit of that market share (when it comes to selling books a recognisable brand is hugely important), from which the proceeds can go back into climbing-related projects such as producing definitives.

To say that Wired aims to document the whole of the UK is a bit of a stretch in my view, but most of the UK's major areas are covered in definitives produced by Wired members and thus you'd expect them to feature in a Wired select.

Scottish Rock is just slightly bigger than Northern Rock (by 8 pages I think, I was livid when I found out  ) and will be out soon; Welsh Rock is in production at the moment though I'm not sure how far along they are.

Having access to that network of experienced people was really useful. Steve Scott of the FRCC was particularly helpful, as were Ken Taylor and Al Davis who did a ridiculous amount of proof-reading. They're all FRCC members but they all mucked in and did a tonne of work for our book.

[spidermonkey09]

The chances of me getting involved in a limestone definitive in the next few years are slim to none, but I am confident the approach to Blue I scoped out is legitimate. I meant to go last year but ran out of good weather.