In a day and age of the internet forums, online databases and new routes being done less frequently, the role of the new routes book has not just changed as much as it has all but disappeared. Their place in climbing history is significant though, documenting far more than just the development of new routes.

New routes books, and the establishments in which they were located, were a focal point and culturally important places for the climbing community. It would have been all too easy for these new routes books to have been lost and with it our connection to a rich era of climbing folklore and legend.

Thankfully, Phil Kelly stepped in to avoid that happening. We asked Phil a few questions about the project and how it came to fruition.

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Could you tell us a bit about the role that the new routes book played in the climbing community?

Probably a majority of climbers these days wouldn't fully appreciate the relevance of these books back in the day.

These books served as the jungle drums, the forums of the day. They were our 'instant' access to the latest news, but you had to be there, in person. The reward was almost relationship-like access to the climbers making the headlines; sometimes you'd actually witness a big new route being written up, and you were almost part of it. You *were* part of it. These books were special in so many ways.

Times change though, and like Richard McHardy said to Giles Barker when he interviewed him for [what became] Peak Rock, the most significant influence on the increase on climbing grades wasn't equipment per se, it was the motor car. In terms of communication these days and fast access to news, sadly it's not magazines these days it's the new-fangled sites like UKC and UKB, meaning that route books these days don't have the same relevance, although some do still exist.

What made you begin the process of tracking down and digitising them?

Way back in the late 1990s, Ian Lonsdale kindly lent me the new route book that used to be in the Black Dog pub in Belmont (that's in Lancashire by the way). At that point it wasn't for any real reason that I can remember, but just seeing those pages again brought that connection with the quarries, the times, the people and the controversies come flooding back.

I moved back to Sheffield in 2008, keen to get back into climbing, and within a few weeks of getting back I took a trip out to Stoney, bringing back memories of the café and the books. I guess that just got me thinking, and I can't remember how but somehow I heard that Graham Hoey might have had a couple of the old Stoney books, so I called him and we arranged to meet up in the café at Outside in Hathersage.

Graham brought with him a box. In that box were basically nearly all (more on that later maybe) of the remaining Stoney books; eight physical books from 1982 to the café's closure in about 1994. To me those books were just as iconic and reminiscent of the eighties at Stoney as those two fabulous black and white photos that hung on the walls inside; Andy Barker on Circe and Tom Proctor on Menopause, both by John Kirk.

Anyway, Graham said he'd been thinking about getting the books cleaned up, and doing something with them. I managed to convince him that years of tea stains, the odd splash of vinegar or baked bean juice added so much authenticity to the look that just scanning them and publishing them online would be a great alternative, and luckily Graham agreed. I think he lent me the 1982 book that day (Beau Geste on one of the early pages – wow!), which I scanned quite quickly, and then we just did the rest of the Stoney books and put them up online really quickly. Mick Ryan did a piece on UKClimbing about it at the time.

From Stoney I think I went to Outside – they agreed immediately, then Pete's Eats, Eric's and slowly the others. The incredible thing really was that every single one of the holders/owners agreed that the books were valuable and historical and that they should be made available to the public. They all agreed to them being published, so there was a real project on.

The thing that surprised me right from the start though was that this was new. No-one had done this before. I just couldn't believe that; these books were – ARE – so bloody important, yet not one of the custodians had ever been contacted previously for this purpose. I couldn't believe that one of the big clubs, or the BMC, or the Mountain Heritage Trust hadn't thought about getting a project together to make sure all this valuable 'raw data' was preserved in some way for the future.

THAT gave me a sense of purpose.

Interestingly – and not part of the planned project, was a book that turned up during work on Peak Rock. I never expected to see this book – the one from Tanky's (Bryan Stokes) shop in Sheffield - because it had been unceremoniously 'removed' from the shop where it had lived back in 1979. I was really chuffed to add that one to the collection, but still don't know where it was for all those years, just that I was given access to it for one evening by a 'fixer'.

How long did the process take?

Over the years it's taken quite some time, because some are easy, others not so, and need careful handling.

I was quite lucky though because I was able to do it whilst working for much of the time.

Was it a process you enjoyed or one that you're glad to have got done for the 'greater good' of the community?

Are you kidding?! It was bloody awful, back-breaking work sometimes.

I figured out quite quickly that if I stopped to read every single page before it got scanned, it'd just never end, so I just knuckled down and got through it. I suppose yes, for the 'greater good', but not sure whether people be even remotely interested in the finished product.

Each new route book focuses on a different area and each had its own character. Could you provide a short summary of each?

Lover's Leap Cafe, Stoney Middleton
The Stoney books were a product of the café-dwelling mentality from the 1970s to the time of its closure in the mid 1990s. Entries could be diverse, sometimes acidic and highly competitive, critical and humorous in equal measure, but they were pored over repeatedly by the climbing public, many of whom (such as me) who could only dream about being able to do some of the routes in the books.

Outside, Hathersage
In many ways, stepping out the shadow of Stoney Café this one, so largely operating outside of the macho, often rain/angst/bravado-driven mentality that place endured.

Having said that, it does have its moments and definitely served its purpose; it was where John Dunne first wrote up Parthian Shot for example.

Pete's Eats, Llanberis
What can I say?! Llanberis back in the days was a hot-bed of activity, both on and off the rock, so you often got it all in these books! Irreverence often doesn't go far enough to describe the contents of these books sometimes.

Eric's Cafe, Tremadog
I always thought the Tremadog books were rather understated, but they don't half cover some incredible routes.

The Black Dog, Lancashire
As a climber who spent the majority of my time on the crags and quarries of Lancashire, this book more than any other means so much. To me, practically every single person that signed their name against a new route, derisory comment or whatever (and some that weren't signed of course) was someone that I knew, and in many cases had climbed with. Special memories that one.

Brian Cropper's YHA Book, Manchester
Some great things in these books across a number of areas, but majoring on Peak grit and lime, Staffordshire and Lancashire.

Brian told me that Gary Gibson turned up one day and asked for the books, then took about 20 handwritten pre-prepared pages out of his jacket pocket and slotted them in. The first of many no doubt!

Tanky's Shop, Sheffield
The missing book returns, covering a lot of mid/late 70s action and 'household names!

Rock 'n Run, Ambleside
Three books of Lake District and 'northern Lancashire' activities, wit and repartee. The great and the good of the Lakeland scene are in this book, their words interspersed with a good number of Al Phizacklea's cartoon caricatures of the times. 

Joe Royle's Shop, Buxton
Plenty of Staffordshire stuff in this one; expect lots of Gary Gibson activity, but plenty of other folk in there as well.

Al Parker's Shop, Glossop
An interesting one this one, with a character that's completely different to all of the others. I've always thought that to be a result of its location, and it's 'majoring on' the slightly backwater style of the Kinder/Bleaklow/Chew Valley/Tameside areas, where things just moved at a different pace. 

Don't let that fool you though – it still has some big routes and big numbers in it.

Lyon Brother's Shop, Llandudno
Puts first-hand words to swathes of developments across North Wales Limestone in the eighties boom years, including the '6 days, 6 bolts, 600 ciggies' write-up of Statement of Youth by Ben Moon. Great times.

You've selected someone from that scene to write the introduction to each. Who did you choose and why?

Well, before I answer that, let's just remember that they haven't all been published yet, so I don't want to ruin some surprises. 

The books published so far have included introductory sections by Johnny Dawes, Paul Pritchard, Nick Dixon, Ian Lonsdale, Andi Turner and Chris Gore; all of them well-known and well-respected in their specific areas, and with experience spanning probably longer than they would like to admit collectively.

The introductions for the outstanding books are being written at the moment and should be finished and published by the end of November. 

Eric's Cafe, Tremadog
Rock 'n Run, Ambleside
Al Parker's Shop, Glossop
Lyon Brother's Shop, Llandudno

Do you have a personal favourite new routes book?

I'm going to give you two – one because it's obvious – the Black Dog book – my formative years.

Also, Brian Cropper's book is special.

Who, in your opinion, wrote the best accounts of their first ascents?

Well, overall, each of the books has it's own 'feel', and within that feel then comes each climber's own personality.

Some days you see terse descriptions, sometimes eloquent ramblings – they're all in here.

What would win the award for:

'the most entertaining' entry?

There are so many, but one entertaining entry is written by Andrew Woodward in Brian Cropper's books, where he has a bit of a go about the recent (for the time) grading issues, and ends by signing off suggesting that the local ego-trippers should approach his new routes with "neck line tie-ins, preferably with a slip knot." Passions were running high at the time!

The most iconic entry?

For me that has to go to Beau Geste in the Stoney 1982 book, but there's another notable entry that actually isn't there. Instead, there's a replacement page in its place – I'll let people find that for themselves – it's in a Pete's Eats book.

The longest and shortest entries?

Ian Lonsdale's Gasherbrum entry in the Black Dog probably takes some beating.

What would win the award for the most controversial?

Again, more than one answer to that one!

It will no doubt disappoint some folk to hear that one or two book entries just wouldn't get past the censors these days, and I just couldn't have them published so they're in my back pocket.

Times have changed and new routes books aren't commonplace anymore. Do you think there's still a place for them and if there is - is it within a physical book or online?

To me, much of the authenticity of these books is the very fact that you get to see the actual writings of the people concerned, without editing, written at pace, and whilst emotions are often running hot. You simply can't do that online.

Having said that, there isn't the same call for this type of book these days. The pace of development has slowed for sure, plus, it's often just as quick these days to get new routes up on your Facebook page or YouTube channel, or even UKClimbing, but you know what, with respect to route reporting all of those platforms are just standing on the shoulders of these giants.

A couple of things to wrap up – thank you to all of the folk mentioned above for writing the introductory sections! The context and memories you've written are fabulous and well worth reading in their own right.

Also, thank you to the owners and custodians of these books, for allowing their publication. These are truly brilliant, historical documents, that deserve to be seen and read by climbers past and present – THANK YOU again!

n.b. all net profits from the Black Dog book are donated towards the maintenance and management of the climbers' memorial area located in Wilton One and each of the other books sees a percentage of net profits donated to mountain rescue charities in the areas covered by the books.