UKC

Hi, I am planning a trip to North Wales, I have the Llanberis guide but I want a general one that covers Cloggy, the slate quarries and Tremadog. The Rockfax and Ground Up North Wales guides both look good, anyone have a strong opinion on which is better?

In reply to Brendan:

ground up i prefer. however if your operating at the harder grades rockfax

In reply to Brendan:

Groundup is less cumbersome.

In reply to Brendan:

Ground up, small local company. They need your support and its a great guide. You should buy the definitive slate guide by them too - its a real work of art. Possibly the best British climbing guide ever produced.

In reply to pete johnson:


I agree.

I'd say 'Ground Up' too.

In reply to pete johnson: you've obviously never seen the South Devon and Dartmoor guide!

In reply to Duncan Campbell:


At once the best and worst!

In reply to Brendan:


This being UKC, yes, probably.

In reply to Brendan:
They are both good guides. Rockfax has bigger topos and includes Mid Wales.

You can buy it online here - http://www.rockfax.com/climbing-guides/books/north-wales-climbs/

Alan (Editor of the Rockfax hence a vested interest)

In reply to Brendan:
As Alan says they are both good guides. One factor to be aware of is that there is better Slate coverage in the Rockfax (especially amenably graded Sports stuff) - if you are keen on doing some Slate and only buying one selective guide the Rockfax is the better option.
I would endorse the Ground Up definitive Slate guide though, if you get a taste for the Slate style it is a worthwhile investment and a beautiful book.
I have no vested interest, and although I harbour a slight preference for supporting smaller publishers I can see that the Slate coverage may give a good reason to lean towards the Rockfax. The Rockfax also (somewhat controversially) covers a fair selection of the North Coast Limestone Sport which is largely absent from the Ground Up selective - there is of course an excellent recent definitive to the Limestone if you are feeling flush.
In short, if you can afford it Ground Up Selective + Ground Up Llanberis Slate, otherwise the Rockfax.

In reply to The Ivanator:

Rockfax was a small publisher once though, should we stop supporting a business once it becomes more successful???

They are both good guides, not much to choose between them for a visiting climber IMHO.

In reply to Pylon King Against Capit@lism:


That South Devon and Dartmoor Guide is a total classic, probably the best guidebook I own.

In reply to LakesWinter:



and one of the most frustrating to use, but FULL of charisma!

In reply to LakesWinter:



Yes, give the smaller publisher a chance and not keep feeding the fatties.

In reply to Brendan:

I got the Rockfax as a lot of friends had ground up and the coverage is slightly different (RF includes the upper tier - low grade single pitch - bit of tremadog, GU seems to have better coverage of Pen Trwyn).

However, the RF guide may have better slate coverage than GU, but the map/descriptions of approach are somewhat lacking.

Specifically the maps lack key features and the approach descriptions are across several pages, e.g. Serengeti area approach is mostly via Watford Gap, however Twll Mawr (in the Serengeti area) is approached via a turning and ledges from Dali's hole, cue turn around, retrace steps for 10 min.

So if I had the choice again I'd go for GU, or individual guides. I'm not bitter about one failure to read the approach description, honest.

In reply to Pylon King Against Capit@lism:

I like it.

In reply to zimpara:


You like what?

In reply to The Ivanator:

OK, thanks everyone. Just went into my local Tiso and they don't stock either, so I might just have to get whichever I can get my hands on before we leave!

In reply to Brendan:

Buy the Ground up one in LLanberis.

In reply to LakesWinter:


Their entire staff complement is listed on their website. They're hardly Random House.

In reply to Oliver Houston:

I ended up getting the GU guide and we got lost in the slate quarries too, so maybe its descriptions aren't much better?

Happy with the guide otherwise though.