peak district - bouldering OUT OF STOCK

As a walker, I have sometimes tried and often failed to climb up some of the well known peak boulders, such as those at Robin Hood’s Stride, the Eagle Stone etc. Over recent years I have noticed more and more people gathered round, clinging to and falling off boulders - onto a nice thick mat. Rather than just training for climbs, or something to do on an ‘off day’, bouldering has developed into an activity in its own right. A growing numbers of devotees are doing harder routes, or ‘problems’ as they are called.

The Peak District has some of the best and most accessible bouldering areas in the country, both gritsone and limestone. This book is only the second to be written wholly on the subject, the first being by Allen Williams in the mid 90's). The forward is written by him.

The term bouldering as well as being concerned with big lumps of rock, can also include some problems on rock faces, known to boulderers as ‘highball boulder problems’. However none of the gritstone ’highballs’ are included. The grading used is the ‘Font’ system, based on the sandstone area at Fontainbleau, near Paris. This problems in the book go from grade 3 up to 8c+. Apparently grades 1 to 2 would be too easy. The other available grading is the ‘V’ system, developed in America. The book includes an explanation and comparison chart of the grading systems and the reasons for choosing the Font system.

The introduction gives information on how to get started and the best places for the beginner, care of the rock, cafés, pubs, campsites and other accommodation, and an explanation of why some areas have been excluded from the guide.

There is an over-view map enabling easy location of the bouldering areas. The book is divided into broad geographical areas, named crag areas and finally the boulder problems themselves. Each crag is prefaced by an information page, with a large-scale map, along with parking and approach instructions.

The sections are Eastern Crags: - Baslow, Bell Hag, Burbage Valley, Curbar, Froggatt, Gardom's Edge, Millstone Area, Rivelin, Stanage, Wharncliffe, White Edge, Yarncliffe Quarry. Southern Crags: Cratcliffe,Eagle Tor, Robin Hood's Stride, Eastwood Rocks, Rowtor Tor, Stanton Moor. Western Crags: Churnet Valley, Newstones, Baldstones, Gib Tor, Ramshaw, The Roaches. Limestone Area: Rubicon Wall, Raven Tor, Stoney Middleton. 

A clearly drawn diagram gives a detailed guide to the names and location of the boulders, along with route numbers. Most of the problems are named and have succinct comments plus the grade. The name of the first ascender is printed, if known. A lot of the boulders / crags are photographed. The problem numbers overlaid along with appropriately angled arrows. As with the names of climbing routes, the bouldering problems are named just as imaginatively ... The Grinding Slooper, Particle Exchange, and my favourite - Zippatrocity. 

After the main sections are a few pages of 'Top Tens’, these being top ten; arêtes, slabs, dynamics, roofs, traverses. Finally there is a graded list of the best problems, plus an index. The book is enhanced by the colour photos of boulders, action shots and some nice landscape photos too.

 I can honestly say this is the best guide to Peak District bouldering on the market. Even if it wasn’t the only guide to Peak District bouldering, I think I’d still have to say that. It is neat, clean-looking, informative, inspiring and entertaining. I'll never look at a boulder in the same way again.... (The book is out of stock - a new edition is expected in June 2011. It should be worth the wait).