UKH

Does anyone know if there is a guidebook intended to replace the CC Avon and Cheddar book? According to ukc, it is out of print and I can’t find it on the CC website.

I am trying to find a fairly definitive guide for some of the smaller crags which I believe used to be covered in detail in the Avon and Cheddar book.

Any ideas?

Hi Tommy,

Great Western Rock's North Somerset Vol.1 could well be what you're after and I suspect that its author (Mark PK) will be on shortly to extoll its virtues.

Sadly I don't have a copy of the last edition of Avon and Cheddar to compare the crags list side by side, but a quick search for the guidebook above will give you a good breakdown of what it's got.

I don't think Avon and Cheddar are a single guide anymore. There is a pretty recent 2017 guide to Avon.

There's a newish CC guide to Avon by Martin Crocker, and a separate guide to Cheddar, also by Martin Crocker, but not CC, dating from 2009

 Hi Tommy, if you are after the smaller crags then as Rob says the Great Western Rock's North Somerset Vol.1 covers most of the smaller crags in the Avon area and Vol. 2 (due out later this year) covers most of the smaller crags in the Mendips.

It doesn't have in the smaller crags in/around the surrounding area though, which is what the OP was after.

I believe GWR also have another book in the works that will cover the Mendip outcrops that aren't included in the Cheddar guide.

So the replacement guidebooks are:

CC Avon Gorge 2017

Cheddar Gorge Climbs 2015 

GWR North Somerset Outcrops 2018

GWR As yet unknown title (North Somerset Outcrops Vol 2?) and release date TBC

that’s brilliant - thanks for the advice everyone!

Gone ahead and ordered North Somerset Outcrops Vol 1.

Physically going into a local shop, looking at what’s actually in a guidebook and getting helpful advice on the changes is definitely missed!

It would be nice if the CC would have this kind of information available on their website with regard to discontinued guidebooks - especially in this case where it seems CC no longer publish a definitive guide for some areas.

Not sure why you think maintaining info on guidebook coverage and availability is the CC's responsibility any more than anyone else's?

UKC/Rockfax have any equally hit and miss approach in this area. 

For future reference, the only organisation that has consistently made any successful attempts in this regard is Needlesport. They've maintained near comprehensive availability of all UK climbing guidebooks as a point of principle for decades.

https://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Books-Media/Guidebooks

"We stock every British Climbing Guide Book in print that we know of, and also list as well, a few just out of print ones. This is (as far as we are aware) the only site containing this information that is kept up to date. Please let us know of anything we have missed."

Well 2 of the books I have published are not there.