UKC

The excellent new Symonds Yat guide is out. I believe there is a 'guide book launch day' - any details anybody ? or have I missed it ?

In reply to alec roberts: I'm afraid launch day is a misnomer. There is a private 'thank you' party for those who have helped in its production and their guests; but it's by invitation only.

In reply to Removed UserJohn Willson:
>There is a private 'thank you' party for those who have helped in its production and their guests.

And well deserved too - it is an excellent guide !

In reply to alec roberts:


thank you - there was a lot of hard work put into that guide by everyone and hopefully it will now inspire people to go and explore the area.

In reply to Dark Mavis:

Will be looking forward to getting my hands on copy, though for the life of me I can't understand why this isn't in the scope of the Wye valley guide. is it just that case that doing Symonds Yat properly would have delayed the publication of the 2007 Lower Wye Valley guide?

In reply to Max factor: They are in a series. The Lower Wye is volume I and Symmonds Yat is volume II. I guess the two areas are split by an area with less climbing and it just works to do it this way.

In reply to RickyJ634: I think The Sandstone Outcrops of the Forest of Dean is volume 3 of the series.

In reply to Max factor: LWV 432 pages; SY 320 pages; total 752! (You could add in another 184 for FoD Sandstone.) The divisions now are logical in terms of geography, geology, and historical development.

In reply to alec roberts:

I've just got my copy and I have to say it is excellent. The best Climbers Club guide so far in my opinion. Particular congratulations on getting such good photo topos, given the terrain and tree coverage this is really impressive.

Adam

In reply to alec roberts: Where's the best place to get one ? I am in now Plymouth, but from Gloucester and often go back to climb at Symonds Yat. Are they available online yet?

In reply to Ade Lane:

I ordered mine via:
http://www.climbers-club.co.uk/guidebooks/ci-sw-symondsyat.html

earlier this week and it arrived yesterday. Great guide and great service.

David

In reply to DaveMinsh:

A pity the CC web site doesn't show any images of the inside of the guide, or have a few sample pages as a taster in a downloadable pdf, in the manner of UKC.

In reply to DaveMinsh: Great. Thanks for that.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth: And as we do with all our guides now. It should have happened and will do very shortly. Mea culpa. Too much going on.

In reply to Removed UserJohn Willson:

Really excited about the new guide book - looking forward to seeing it.

Any significant regrading from the last edition?

In reply to Dribble223:

Not really. The significant shift took place in the previous edition. This has now had time to settle and just required a little rebalancing.

There is a considerable amount of new development in the area, but the main feature will be seen as the comprehensive set of photodiagrams.

In reply to Dribble223:



As John says not that much regrading. A few tweaks up and down here and there, some due to rockfall (although there is one big upgrade from E2 to E5!)

In reply to Dribble223:



What have they got The Russian at this time?

In reply to Ander:

E0 5a

In reply to Dark Mavis:

Is that Gen?

In reply to Dark Mavis:

Is it really E0 5a? Have been considering giving it a shot, might wait until I'm happy at HVS first though.

Is there now a definitive grade for the direct finish on the golden fleece? I'd always been told it went at VS 4c, but I'm not convinced, more HS4b IMHO

In reply to Dribble223:

No, sorry, was having a laugh. It is still at HVS 5a but with a warning about gear etc and top of the grade.

Golden Fleece is now given HS 4b with the cop out left-hand finish at the top Severe.

In reply to Dark Mavis:


How do you have to finish in order to make it HS? The only way I can see of it making it any harder than S would be to turn right and finish up the wall of Never Trust a Smiling Cat.

In reply to timjones:

Straight up the final corner - described as 'a grade harder' in the old guide but now described as the normal finish.

In reply to Dark Mavis:

Strange! I've never found the final corner any harder then the rest of the route.

In reply to Dark Mavis:

Training for Everest down from E2 to HVS, if memory serves.

In reply to bpmclimb:

And my route Mean Mr Mustard is now HVS 4c, although UKC still has the old grade of XS 4d.

Nobody seems to want to climb it, though

In reply to alec roberts:

Yay I got 4 pictures of me climbing in it

In reply to alec roberts:

Nice guide, but how do the numbers on the diagrams on p199 and nearby tie in with the route numbers on those pages? The numbers on the pages start mid 40s but the photo numbers start at 1...

Regardless it's given me good psyche for exploring my local some more...

great guide john and the gang!! really is a leap forward from the old hardback, which was of course excellent!

good to see some new rotues and areas, shame a few have been claimed by people that were in fact done by other folks years before, but you get that at in all guides i guess ho hum...

love the new format, thank everyone for us! makes the yat look spectacular! nice pics mark!!!!

In reply to wyeclimber:

There's always going to be a danger of this with any significant amount of new routing going on. If it happened with my routes it certainly wasn't deliberate, and I'm sure it wasn't with the others on the guidebook team.

If you have examples of specific routes which have been wrongly claimed, it would be helpful if you would say which, and provide the correct first ascent details, so that the database can be updated.

It's too late to change the book, now, of course.

In reply to alec roberts: I agree that the pictures make Symonds Yat look more attractive than I remember it. My only minor complaint is that some of the routes up Cleeve Hill get stars which will encourage people to climb them. Castle Rock is not too bad but some of those on the main cliff are downright dangerous in my opinion and should not have been given stars. The only redeeming fact is that they are in the E grades so at least novices will not be tempted. Anyone else BEWARE.

Al

In reply to wyeclimber:



Which ones? i am genuinely interested to know.

In reply to AJM:

This was a very last minute glitch that occurred in the system that wasn't spotted before being sent to the printers.

Leeping stocks routes should start at 1 - the photo topos are correct, the text is not.

In reply to Dark Mavis:

I thought that was probably the case, but thanks for confirming. As I say, an excellent guide which I'm looking forwards to getting good use from. Some of the photos are very good too - really brings the place to life a bit.....

In reply to AJM:

Yes i tried to do that (as its got such a poor reputation) - it is often very beautiful down there and i just took the pictures as and when i could to capture the atmosphere.

In reply to wyeclimber: There are quite a few of the short routes that I have soloed or top roped over the years but did not consider them worth writing up. I'm not complaining if people go to the trouble of documenting them they deserve the credit.

Al

In reply to AJM:
Mea culpa again! To make the autonumbering restart at 1 within a chapter, you have to enter an invisible code ('break'). The trouble is, it's equally invisible to delete accidentally when you get people endlessly asking for new routes or revised descriptions to be taken into account right up to the last second! The further trouble is that if you do accidentally (and invisbly) delete it, the numbering does not automatically revert until you 'update publication' which would by then have been done only at the final stage to update the index and contents.

OK, perhaps we should have held it back for another week to reproof the whole guide for glitches like that, by which time there would have course been yet more new routes and revised decriptions!

In reply to wyeclimber:

Do you have in mind the Doward Tower route you posted on the CC website, Matt? This was definitely identified by Stuart Thompson (on site) as an earlier Nifl Heim route.

Then there was, of course the disappearance of the logbook from The Rock when it closed down. We have advertised many times for people to to send in any info it might have contained. In fact, I am sure I asked Mark to comtact you at one stage.

In reply to Dark Mavis: I presume its the Pylon King's task to update the UKC datbase with any regradings? If you have already logged a route that has been regraded does it retro edit your logbook?

In reply to Dassie:

Yes i am gradually doing that



I think so.

In reply to alec roberts:
if the Rock book turns up I'd like to see it. I put it there, well the first yellow exercise book thingy anyway.