UKH

I am looking for a recommendation of a place in the UK to resole climbing shoes. I have had mixed success in the past therefore ideally it would be a trailer with a proven track record. Thanks.

I have had rock shoes repaired twice in the past five years at Feet First and both times the work has been excellent. The address is:

Feet First, Unit 5, Foundry Street Ind. Estate, Whittington Moor, Chesterfield, S41 9AU.

Everyone will recco the one they use.  I htinik there are three in the UK - Feet First, one up in Chshire, one in Llanberis.  All similar prices, all with advocates and detractors.

I use a greta chap in Greece - unbelievably it is cheaper to send a couple of pairs over there than have them done in the UK.  (until Brexit).

On your wallet, but not on the climate... 

Cheshireshoe in Warrington have always done a good job for me.

Feet First did my Scarpa Helix and they came back as good as new (IMO)

I've taken shoes to Feet First (in Chesterfield) in the past and got good results, but more recently have sent several pair over to Torquil in Llanberis and his work seems to be consistently excellent: www.llanberisresoles.com

He's a one-man-band though and seems to like a certain work/life balance, so there are times the service is just not available.  (Such as right now for example.)  If you're posting them anyway and your timing is good, or you can wait until he starts accepting new work again, he would be my first recommendation.

Another recommendation for Feet First in Chesterfield, never let me down yet.

I've used Torquil in Llanberis and highly recommend him. The resole was excellent quality and you'd be hard pressed to tell it from a brand new shoe, the shape and everything was spot on and the turn around was fast.

the 2 pairs I had done by him were both a bit naff. At first they seemed good but within a month both pairs started to delaminate. Cheshire shoe were much better and I've not heard a bad word about feet first. 

Cheshire shoes or feet first both first class repairs and service

I'm coming to the conclusion that resole satisfaction is a bit random.  The one resole I had done by Cheshire was absolutely awful - they converted my rock shoes into insensate clogs.  Every Llanberis resole (4-5 in all) I've had has been excellent.  Like buying rock shoes at that sweet-spot between nicely worn and worn-out, Maybe not quite so durable as a new pair but they have all lasted a decent spell - well worth it to  avoid losing momentum whilst wearing-in a new pair.

Perhaps not *entirely* random.  Based on what I've heard, I'd almost be willing to place a small bet that your shoes have a technical down-turned toe, whereas those who are most satisfied with Cheshire more often do not.

I’ve used feet first and Llanberis resoles numerous times. I’ve also used Cheshire shoe for approach shoes but not climbing shoes. 

The best has been torquil at Llanberis resoles for quality and speed. The feet first guy knows his stuff but is so overrun that it takes weeks to get them back and I feel like the quality is a bit rushed. 

As others have said, torquil takes holidays  however if you just ring him he is usually more than happy to fit you in if you’re desperate. However feet first will charge an extra £20 for a priority service.

Don’t forget that the quality of the resole has a lot to do with the type of shoe you’re sending and the condition it is in. If in doubt, ring both and see which you prefer the advice you get back of.

Cheshire shoe are most knowledgeable when it comes to walking/running/approach shoes rather than climbing shoes, so it seems. 

I've been happy with my 4 resoles by Feet First. You can also drop them in at the Foundry, Awesome Walls or the Works in Sheffield rather than going to Chesterfield. Not used any of the others simply because FF is more convenient. 

I know you asked for resole recommendations in the UK but I would recommend George in Greece, his repairs are superb and I have had a couple of pairs resoled twice without any loss of performance.

I have previously used Cheshire resoles and as someone else said they came back like “insensitive clogs”. I’ve also used Torquil in Llanberis who came highly recommended but they de-laminated very quickly.

George is also cheaper, which is nice

Torquil's done a couple of pairs for me, with no subsequent problems. 

There's also Chida, for London climbers (not sure if he has a website - his number's available at the Castle), but I've yet to ask him to do a pair on account of his being so busy