UKC

The long awaited new Climbers Club guidebook for Baggy and the Culm landed on my doormat today.

Just to say thanks and well done to all those involved in putting it together. This thing is a work of art! A visual treat! 

That's it really. Can't wait to get out exploring  

Fully agree, a masterpiece. 

Thank you, I've sent a link to this thread to the rest of the team. I hope you get out to test it in the field soon!

Got mine through yesterday and can't stop browsing away. Great to see all the parts of the coast that have been developed since I was active down there. Two things that struck me straight away - the quality of the images from the likes of James Mann and Mark Davies particularly of the easier graded routes. Secondly is there a better place for modest grade adventures in the country? The picture of the HS, Half-Mast, with the climber rising above the crashing breakers sums it up perfectly. What an area, what a guide!

Thanks Ian, yes, the quality of Mark D’s and James’ images really makes a difference they both often went out on photo shoots when we decided there was a gap in the guide that needed filling. However the contributions of other climbers (like yourself p49)are equally important. 

The person I feel is most responsible for the quality of the guide is Mark Davies  - as page setter he turned a collection of word documents and photos into the finished book. 

Got mine and hoping to take it out for a spin next weekend. I thought the aerial photos really useful for working out the landscape. Great job. 

One small suggestion for the next edition might be to highlight approach times and tidal info more. This might be via symbols on page headers, or putting the tide info in a box. I'm sure visitors would find it super useful. The tide info for oldwalls is an example. It lies after the route descriptions,with no hint at the start of the section. I kind of bumped into it. Walk in times would be great on the crag description table IMHO and common these days 

Thanks for the feedback. We decided against walk-in times as most approaches include at least some boulder-hopping along the beach. The time for this varies massively from person to person and with conditions - when it’s wet my approach time almost doubles. 

Tides - general rule for the Culm nearly all crags are half tide or lower. 

Got to agree, the guide is absolutely superb and well worth the wait.  Going to keep me amused for years to come on the culm (assuming it all doesn't fall down this winter!).  Thanks so much to all the team involved - well done on a fabulous, inspirational guide.

Yes, I've got to agree with all that has been said above. A beautiful guide and the images just make you want to go out there and climb! Well done to all involved.

Brilliant guidebook.  True work of art. The drone shots for the approaches work fantastically well.

Amazing job.

Thanks Franco.

Actually the aerial photos were taken from a plane by Bude photographer Tim Martindale. He kindly allowed us to use them. We (the CC) now have a drone which we’re using for the Atlantic Coast guide. 

Amazing work all round!

Well worth the wait and has really got me inspired to explore the culm more. Have been climbing in the culm for 20 years now and thought I’d “done everything” in my grade range on the coast and spent the last few years repeating routes.

So far this week I’ve climbed 15 routes I’ve never climbed before and am of for more today!

Cant wait, well done team!

Just waiting for my copy, so I can start putting it to good use! 

I might have to buy one for nostalgia purposes, in the meantime can someone tell me what grade it gives Soft Touch on Long Rock - for years it was E4 but I am sure I saw it downgraded to E3, but weirdly the UKC logbook gives it E5?

E5 6a Nic, more grade creep? Always felt E4 but maybe the pegs deteriorated?

Very fall offable I always thought.

Soft Touch (E5 6a) - Only recently upgraded following feedback about the state of the rock and gear. 

I can vouch for that!

I'm pretty sure that Mr Peters will climb on the culm crags at any state of tide!

Says he who was forced to wade ashore from Fohn!

There's an amazing photograph in the next Culm Dancing article (written by Mark 'man of the moment' Kemball) of Iain wading out from a crag on the Culm, which really is something to behold...

Hmm, I guess if the peg is deteriorating that makes it a much riskier proposition, when I did it some 20+ years ago the peg seemed fine, and if I recall the moves up to the first overlap were much sketchier and unprotected. Probably *not* my first E5 then (although I must be able to claim some E points for having some f*ckwit drop an abseil rope on me, luckily when I had clipped the peg!)

At least you haven’t got the photo Iain took of me, I didn’t want to get my clothes wet...

If you need a allie in the Historic photos of yourself from Iain Peters Camera not to be published I have incriminating photos of Iain Peters from a few years ago in Cornwall.

Not got the guide yet but will be coming to me soon and from what has been said above, well done to all the team on such a difficult coast to photograph and check which adds another dimension to guide book production and effort.

Keith s

Thanks Keith, always happy to have suitable blackmail material!