Fell & Rock Climbing Club

Please release an erratum for the FRCC Wired branded guidebooks “Lakes District Rock” and “Lakes Sport and Slate”.
Here’s my list: Moonchild Buttress Bleep and Booster is probably (a subjective opinion) better using its 7a (original?) way, as drawn on the topo in “Lakes Sport and Slate” (but given 6c in that guide) rather than the (6c, probably 6c+) way drawn on the topo in “Lakes District Rock”.
Incidentally, the topo [P460] in “Lakes District Rock” is poor, especially as it, inexcusably, does not make it clear where the marked routes are in relation to the routes shown on the topo on P458.
Route of All Evil Wall The line of Route of All Evil is completely wrong from where it meets The Borg onward (the two leftward traverses are both higher than marked). Excluding that (which is unchanged), the topo in “Lakes Sport and Slate” is an improvement over the woeful “Lakes District Rock” topo on [P462].
Great Buttress (Left) Witherslack Alice is probably marked too far right for its first 60% in both guides, it is also probably 6c+. The link-up of Witherslack Alice into Up Town is probably the best route on the wall (does not change the grade, but both probably 6c+). The link is likely shown too high in “Lakes Sport and Slate” and not described at all in “Lakes District Rock”.
Great Buttress (Main) The same underlying (very wide angle) image has been used in both guides. This image is very poor both because:
i) it is such a wide angle taken from a terrible angle (mounting a camera on a pole would have given a far better result and/or two separate shots for left and right sides to reduce distortion);
ii) the crag is sopping wet in the photo (i.e. it doesn’t look like that if it’s climbable).

My main gripe is, however, the nonsense descriptions (lack thereof)/regrading of all the routes affected by the (unlicensed) felling of the Android Tree. The main issue is that the authors seem to take for granted that readers will understand that these routes were formerly started above the low overhang, accessed by climbing a tree – the guidebook text is actually rather cryptic as to what routes were affected and -if you are unaware/don’t read the text- the topo gives no hint whatsoever.
Moreover, the grades are a nonsense: For When the Tree Goes was hard 7b+ to the belay at the lip of the lowest overhang (at 5m-ish) and pretty unpleasant. Linking this into the routes that formerly started up the tree certainly bumps the grades to [as follows]: Perverse Pepere, 7c, A Song for Europe 7c, La Mangoustine Scatouflange 7c.
It would make more sense to describe most of the the above routes as starting up the more pleasant (and slightly easier) Perverted Start [to Perverse Pepere] but this is certainly true for Perverse Pepere, since the Perverted Start was done as a “from the floor” start to that route in 1986 (so predating the For When The Tree Goes start by 6 years; and also Stretchy Perineum by a year).
The Perverted Start is 7b to the lip, and to the top of: Stretchy Perineum, 7c [as I write, above, this is really a (harder) variation to the Perverted Start to Perverse Pepere, which predates this route by a year – the topos mark it as the primary route which does not make logical sense) Perverse Pepere 7b+, A Song for Europe 7b+/c, La Mangoustine Scatouflange 7b+.
The topo (same in both guides) for Prime Evil is pretty poor, it breaks off right lower on Super DuPont and then stays slightly further left than shown until reaching the short corner under the left side of the obvious roof. It goes hard right immediately under this roof to the point at which it is currently shown crossing the roof – this matters as it is really not clear where you are meant to breach the roof (it is actually much further right [of the bolt] than one would normally expect on a sport route). The belay is also further left than marked (it is shared with Super Duper DuPont) where the belay for SDD is marked in the “Lakes District Rock” topo (i.e. the wrong belay was removed in the “Lakes Sport and Slate” guide).
I’d agree with the “Lakes Sport and Slate” guide that Doctor Evil is 7c+ rather than the 8a given in the “Lakes District Rock” guide – that is at least more consistent with the rest of the grading at the crag.
Cheers, Tony