In reply to UKC Gear:
The Lakes is well served by new guidebooks to trad and bouldering, so this much needed guide completes the set. Having said that, clearly sport is not going to dominate climbing in the area in the way it has taken over in Yorkshire, and the area will always be defined by the fabulous mountain crags.
I've used this guide on a dozen or so occasions this summer and very much appreciate the efforts of the writing team and the Cumbria Bolt Fund. The guide needed writing, and the bolting and re-bolting effort is huge, and is obviously still a work in progress. I guess you can pick fault in some technical points about the guide, but the bar has been set pretty high by Rockfax and Vertibrate, so given that this was finished off during the lockdown, I reckon it's a pretty good effort.
Chapel Head Scar might be the jewell in the crown, but if you're not comfy climbing in the 7s, or if the ban is still on, there are now plenty of other crags to go at. Bram has become the 'horseshoe of the lakes', in terms of popularity, but in a far nicer setting. The other limestone crags are benefiting from re-bolting and good coverage in the guide, but there is still a lot more bolting work to be done. I'd not climbed on Lakes slate for 25 years prior to this guide coming out, and whilst it will probably remain an acquired taste, the guide gave me several fun days at Tilberthwaite and Runstone recently that were as enjoyable as any I've had this summer. Good effort all round and thanks!
