Mountaineering experts called for the £3.95 book to be withdrawn from sale because, they said, it gave a "false representation" of a difficult climb.

After following one of its routes up Mount Tryfan in North Wales and getting lost, Christopher Parratt, 32, left his wife and dog on a ledge to get help but ended up falling more 80 feet (24 metres) and broke his skull.

The inquest at Caernarfon was told that Mr Parratt and his wife, Jennifer, 29, used the book Walks in the Snowdonia Mountains to try to find their way up the 3,000ft mountain. They referred to a chapter headed Tryfan the Easy Way, Detective Inspector Gerwyn Lloyd, of Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team, said: "There is no easy way up Tryfan. It is a serious mountain, a mountaineering mountain, and there are no paths on it.. The title Tryfan the Easy Way is extremely misleading."

Mrs Parratt and her husband travelled to North Wales for a holiday in June. They walked up Tryfan with their dog, Oscar, after buying the book, a map and a compass in nearby Betws-y-Coed. Both were keen on sports and experienced hikers.

The couple, from Wallingford, Oxfordshire, followed a recommended route but despite becoming confused found their way to the summit, which was covered in low cloud. As conditions became wetter they used a map for their descent down the North Ridge. "We had lost confidence in the book on the way up," Mrs Parratt said.

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