Stone Country

I received a copy of Dave Flanagan's long-anticipated guide to Bouldering in Ireland and it is obvious from the first flick-through that this is one of the most stunningly produced bouldering guides out there! It is simply slabber-inducing and the sense of adventure jumps off each page. Some of the rock, such as the Fermanagh Brimstones and Loch Dan granite, looks superb and the growing plethora of coastal and mountain venues means a round-trip  would fill a very long summer... The guide is designed on the popular landscape format which allows the clear mapping room to breathe, as well as framing 2-page photo-location spreads to clarify the 'glen clusters' typical of Celtic landscape bouldering. The classic areas such as Glendalough and Carrickfinn are well documented and it was good to see the Fair Head chaos well mapped and represented for the north of Ireland. It is packed with bright photos and the route descriptions are deliberately spare and modelled on the 7+8

I received a copy of Dave Flanagan's long-anticipated guide to Bouldering in Ireland and it is obvious from the first flick-through that this is one of the most stunningly produced bouldering guides out there! It is simply slabber-inducing and the sense of adventure jumps off each page. Some of the rock, such as the Fermanagh Brimstones and Loch Dan granite, looks superb and the growing plethora of coastal and mountain venues means a round-trip  would fill a very long summer... The guide is designed on the popular landscape format which allows the clear mapping room to breathe, as well as framing 2-page photo-location spreads to clarify the 'glen clusters' typical of Celtic landscape bouldering. The classic areas such as Glendalough and Carrickfinn are well documented and it was good to see the Fair Head chaos well mapped and represented for the north of Ireland. It is packed with bright photos and the route descriptions are deliberately spare and modelled on the 7+8

We have more stock of the Dumbarton Guide available (on the climbing books page), though well done to Will Atkinson for putting it out of date with the send of the 'project' he calls Ladderman ... one for the tall folk I think! We have a very promising crag/boulder wall in the Northwest from Ian Taylor, but I guess development and location will be revealed this year... this does look attractive mind you! Mike Lee visited the Katrine Bloc:, the baddest, meanest, weakling-crusher rock in Scotland, here's Mike under the unclimbed front face. It takes over two hours to get to, best bivvi for a weekend and bring some fillet steaks...that face is 8a to 9a only. I retreated wishing I was younger, fitter, stronger... it's located under the Meall na Boinede crags overlooking the north end of Loch Katrine. The best way to get there is to hitch a lift with the postie bus from Strronachlachlar, or cycle/walk round the north end of the loch from here. Get off at Portnellan