From the earliest days of the sport of rock climbing in the UK, Great Gable and Pillar have provided inspirational challenges in sometimes remote but always beautiful surroundings. Always some distance from roads and valley bustle, the crags described in this FRCC guidebook provide enjoyable climbs across the grade range to suit every climber. This book includes not only the well-known honey pots described in selected guidebooks, but also all the crags that have been developed, some equally worthy, in the Gable and Ennerdale area.
Classic routes as Napes Needle and Tophet Wall on The Napes, Engineer’s Slabs on Gable Crag, and New West Climb on Pillar Rock are of course included, but this definitive guide also describes all the recorded climbs until its date of publication. Many of these lesser-known routes are of equal merit to their better-known neighbours. A comprehensive set of colour photodiagrams of virtually every crag in the area will help you locate and follow your chosen climb. In addition, there are chapters on Geology and Conservation, together with sections on Climbing Walls, Useful Contacts, Campsites and Mountain Accidents, an annotated First Ascents List and a Crag Chart. A superb selection of action photographs, both contemporary and historical, provides added inspiration.
Why buy a definitive guide to a specific area when selective guidebooks include its most popular climbs? Well, the choice of routes in a selective guidebook is always somewhat subjective, and pressures of space dictate that many very worthwhile climbs are omitted. This pressure on space also means that historical sections in selective guides must be pared to the bone; here a comprehensive history is available, essential reading for all interested in the origins and development of the sport, not to mention the colourful characters who have pioneered the routes. The book itself is of a size handy for carrying on these sometimes multi-pitch adventures and at today’s price it represents very good value for money.
Below are some sample pages:
