Page 41 - 2021 AMA Summer

the Aonach Eagach, point down at the white-washed cottage at Allt-na-Reigh, and tell them it was the home of the Fox of Glencoe, few have ever heard of him. Bedevilled by illness in his later years; covered compassionately in the 2019 film ‘Final Ascent’, he was in danger of fading into obscurity. He died, in 2020, aged 90 and this book is his legacy. Constructed in his final years, pieced together by going through his old photographs to jog his memory, it is a collection of short stories; a fitting epitaph.
A very few of the pieces have been seen before. Patey’s classic account of the first Winter traverse of the Cuillin Ridge for example but the majority are new, and in Hamish’s own words. Fabulously bound by the Scottish Mountaineering press, it ranges from an account of an early attempt on Everest with John Cunningham on a budget of £40 – “after we paid our one-way passage to India” – through his thirteen day epic on the Shkelda Ridge with four days food, and the first ascent of ‘The Drongs’ (you will need to read the book to find out) to
working with Clint Eastwood on ‘The Eiger Sanction’, and so much more besides. The story of the Terrodactyl; the first ascent of the Great Prow of Roraima; retreating, snow-blind, off Rakaposhi with Mike Banks, training the first two ever Search & Rescue dogs in the UK. It is the depth and spread of what he did that is dumbfounding. He truly packed so much into one lifetime. Read this if you want to be inspired and to see just what is possible if you put your mind to it.
CULM & BAGGY (A CLIMBERS’ CLUB GUIDE TO THE CULM COAST & BAGGY POINT)
Reviewed by Glenn Bloomer
The Culm Coast has generally been a bit of a sleepy backwater in UK terms with its most famous crags being the aesthetically stunning Lower Sharpnose Point and the always popular Baggy Point. However, away from these two the coast from south of Bude to Baggy Point holds stunning crags, cutting edge Extremes, and crumbling XS horror shows on unique rock, Culm (a metamor- phosised sandstone that climbs like slate). The recording of the routes has been intermittent at best (the last guidebook was published in 2000) and ‘old school’ (vague descriptions and few topos) which has probably led to the area not gaining the popularity it deserves.
The publication of the new Climbers Club (CC) guidebook brings the area into the ‘light’ and very much in the modern idiom of guidebooks, excellent user-friendly maps, clear topos, colour graded routes, aerial crag shots and inspirational photos. It’s a comprehensive guide (over 1200 routes) that includes bouldering (including potentially the worlds hardest crack line), tottering piles of choss and some of the best, and hardest, slabs in the UK. I’ll not lie. It’s a guidebook I’ve been eagerly waiting for after hearing that it was in preparation; after finally getting my hands on it, I can happily report that it doesn’t disappoint.
The first positive is that it is in portrait format. Most CC guidebooks, such as
the recently published
Dartmoor guidebook, are
sadly (IMHO) delivered
in landscape due to
abundance of bouldering
routes. However, this
made using them
awkward and as such it
sits mostly unused and
unloved on the bookcase.
As with other CC guides,
Culm & Baggy has a comprehensive historical
section which for me is great, and sets apart CC guides from commercial publishers. This section highlights the love of the author for the region and provides inspiration for routes. The author also cleverly wrote a series of articles about the history of the area that were published on the UK Climbing website prior to the guidebook launch which definitely whetted appetite. In keeping with modern guidebooks, a crag selector is included, as is a detailed Introduction to the peculiarities of climbing on the Culm Coast, notably the very high tidal range and arranging beach level belays after climbing Culm fins.
The crags are described, logically, from north to south starting with the always popular Baggy Point. The topos used here set the tone for the rest of the book with pretty much every route shown as well as described, a pleasing update on the 2000 guidebook. The classics of the region are described lovingly and, in
a way, to draw you in to make you want to climb them...’an immaculate pitch, sustained, on good rock, and with excellent protection’ (Sacre Coeur at Black Church) ....’A Culm classic, which should not be missed by those who still possess the spirit of adventure’ (Wreckers Slab at Cornakey Cliff). Some of the action shots are in
all honesty startling and have the same effect as the words, urging or daring you to climb the routes.
As to negatives, my only point, and it is a general point, is about grading, which invariably comes up in any new guidebook. Whilst most of the routes have been checked and graded via consensus, a general lack of traffic can still throw up the odd ‘sandbag’. Armed with the new guidebook I climbed ‘Give us a Break’ (which gets a star) at Screda Point. It’s described as sustained, delicate, and enjoyable, two out of three isn’t bad because it isn’t enjoyable with very poor gear and snappy rock all the way! Let’s hope with the introduction of this new guidebook, anomalies like ‘Give us a Break’ will be identified and rectified over time.
Would I recommend this guidebook? Absolutely, it’s a thoroughly modern and updated guide that will inspire climbers to visit the wild and unique Culm Coast.... you won’t be disappointed!
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