The long-awaited Peak Limestone book has finally got to the stage when I can confidently say that it will appear in May (printing mishaps permitting). Work has been ongoing on this one for a while, with Chris Craggs initially laying the foundations in spring 2011 for what we hoped was going to be a summer publication. In the end we struggled to achieve that date for various reasons and, when it became clear that we were going to miss the summer, we turned our attention to Dorset (published earlier in March).

The 'Diagonals' page from the High Tor chapter

One of the reasons limestone guides are more time-consuming to produce is that the rock and environment, of British limestone at least, is such a delicate and variable thing. Gritstone doesn’t shed holds, grow ivy, fall into dis-use or become banned at anything like the rate of Peak District limestone crags and quarries. Also, some crags develop so fast that, what is current and applicable one year, becomes almost redundant out-of-date information the next. Take crags like the Cornices and Raven Tor for example where routes that were popular and well-climbed back in 2004 (when we last published) are now redundant due to a new variation, or direct version.

So the information is now pretty much in place and we owe special thanks to Graham Hoey, Kris Clemmow, Paul Bennett, Daimon Beail, Jon Fullwood, Jon Clarke and Gary Gibson for the huge amount of feedback they have contributed, plus Chris Craggs of course who has assembled most of the document.

Keep an eye out for special pre-order offer which will be available early in April.

More information on the book here
Access news on Water-cum-Jolly

The Dorset book has arrived back from the printers and looks brilliant! It’s another big book – 424 pages, the same size as West Country Climbs – making it the equal biggest Rockfax. It is also our second publication of the year and we are still only in February (although we had to get them to add an extra day in order to make it).

Alan James with the new books in front of our 'Danger, Deep Water' cupboard

Those who pre-ordered the books will get theirs sent out today (29 February). Other deliveries to the shops will be fulfilled over the next few days and should be in most specialist outdoor retailers for the weekend of 10/11 March.

• Buy now
• More about the book here
• Read the book Introduction Pages
• Sample chapter – Coastguard Cliffs on Portland

To coincide with the imminent publication of the new Dorset Rockfax, Ben Stokes has produced a significant new edition of his Cuttings Boulderfield MiniGUIDE. The original appeared back in 2004 and had 80 problems described. This new edition covers a much larger area and with over 250 problems included.

Ben comments:

“There has been a steady trickle of new problems during the 7 years following the first Boulderfield MiniGuide so this update is long overdue. New or previously neglected boulders have been opened in the familiar northern sector and a whole new sector in the south has been uncovered. These new additions are not just in fillers – some of the new problems are amongst the best in the boulderfield. In a refashioning of an old local joke there are now over 250 documented ways to stand up!”

• Buy now
• More information on the MiniGUIDE
  

An example page from Ben's new MiniGUIDE