UKC

Heading to pembroke soon looking at getting one of the select guides, which us better Rockfax or Wired ? 

I had both briefly (sold the rockfax) and thought the wired one had a lot more coverage and was generally a nicer to look at/read book. Rockfax seemed very range west focused, but if you do most of your climbing here you may not care.

You possibly meant Range East?

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/books/pembroke-1907

Wired certainly has more routes than the 2009 Rockfax book version.

The Rockfax app Pembroke package has been significantly updated (in 2019) with lots of new routes and the DWS. You can subscribe to get it all for just £4 for a single month. It also has a much more detailed map of the area which has geo-location (on iOS).

https://rockfax.com/climbing-guides/about-the-app/

Alan

I am an idiot I do indeed mean range east.

And will add I found the rockfax app very useful for locating tops of cliffs/ab points on a recent visit.

Don't worry; I've been going there for forty years - but still paused, scratched my head, had a good think and then actually checked before sticking my head above the parapet!

Get the Wired guide. Written by the people who know the crag inside out (and put up many of the routes). Doesnt need battery or signal.

Another shout for the Wired guide

The wired guide is streets ahead of the rf guide. 

The only negative is that it "wastes" pages on Range West and to an extent on the North (rf does this too). There is more than enough high quality climbing in Range East to fill the guide. 

Those devoted enough to climb on Range West will no doubt own a definative guide. It's inclusion is a waste of pages for the occasional visitor, who is the target market. 

Thanks everyone,

I'll get the wired then ! I understand the benefit of apps however apps don't have the character of a well used guidebook with all the dings, dents and dirt ! 

Descriptions of the North Pembrokeshire climbing are not wasted.

I did state to an extent. 

It would be very hard to argue against South pembs being the main event. Climb g in the North is worthwhile but, personally, I would not make the drive from Cumbria solely to climb there. 

Yep agree, convenience fad technology is never going to have the soul of an actual book.

I have the rockfax and looked through someone elses wired guide and found that for range east the rockfax had more routes described on the crags I visited so unless you're going to climb on range west (with all the access faff that entails) then you might find the rockfax has more options.

I think it may encourage a few to go to the range west briefings and have a look, if it does its done its job. They then go on to buy the definitive guide or swear never to go again (unlikely)

It serves a purpose, same with North Pembroke section.

Wired, by a mile. More fun per £!

That’s not a criticism of RF. Wired came along a few years later (almost a decade? don’t have them to hand to check) so bound to be bigger and better. If (when?) RF do an update it will be bigger and better still!

Get the Wired one. The grades are well soft 😉

I generally prefer the wired guide. The inclusion of some of the crags near Tenby is a bonus for people climbing in the lower grades. 

The only thing I find a little odd is the omission of routes between Huntsmans Leap and Stennis Head (Myola etc), and Blockhouse Buttress between Triple Overhang and Sitting Bull. I'd rather have these included than the mythical "range west", Pembrokeshire's Narnia.

I am not sure increasing demand will help at all with Range West. 

I don’t agree with waste of paper statement. I’ve got the wired guide, use it for climbing in N Pembroke and range west.  I don’t climb in these areas enough to justify buying a def guide.

the wired guide covers Pembroke, not just range East. 

I agree. Apps are, well, just an app. A guidebook is a work of art. Something you can read the historical section while on the loo, in bed. Reading a guidebook inspires you. 

On a five or six route day in Pembroke a phone will go flat. Drop a guidebook in the sea, yes it’s a pain. Drop your phone in the sea and it could be a much bigger pain.  Also, I can’t read the display on my phone in bright sunshine. 

I did hear about an accident somewhere on the range where they tore out the relevant page of the guide to give to the rescue team.  Quite a good idea. 

Long live the guidebook. 

Go to a less well travelled route and the Rockfax guide can often be inaccurate.

I just think that there are more than 20+pages of excellent climbing on Range East which have been neglected at the expense of an area which is prohibitively difficult to access. Greatest hits guidebooks are mostly bought by occasional visitors rather than devotees. Inclusion of RW is little more than an interesting magazine article to most.

Over the last 7 years, I have spent more than 20 weeks climbing in pembroke. 3 days of this in the North. I can see why the North was included and I certainly would include it above RW but it does detract a little from the main event. 

Wired is a lush production with a minor irritation - a number of easier routes are described as ‘exciting for the grade’. Of course they are.  How else really? The same pontification does not apply above VS