Guide book rapped after walker's death

7:31pm Friday 19th October 2007

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A guide book to Welsh mountains has been criticised by experts after an Oxfordshire walker fell to his death.

An inquest in Caernarfon heard how experienced mountain walkers Christopher and Jennifer Parratt, of Drayton St Leonard, near Abingdon, used a £3.95 book, Walks in the Snowdonia Mountains, to climb 3,000ft-high Tryfan using a route called in the book, 'Tryfan the Easy Way'.

Mr Parratt died of a fractured skull after slipping in wet weather and falling 80ft.

Det Insp Gerwyn Lloyd, of Ogwen Valley mountain rescue team, and rescue team leader John Hulse called for the book to be withdrawn from sale, calls supported by Mrs Parratt.

Det Insp Lloyd said: "There is no easy way up Tryfan. It is a serious moun- tain, a mountaineering mountain. The title Tryfan the Easy Way is extremely misleading and gives a false representation."

He said an accompanying map was misleading and virtually impossible to follow.

He added that he would be drawing attention to the book at a mountain safety meeting.

Mrs Parratt told the hearing she and her husband, a 32-year-old product development manager, went to North Wales in June and decided to go up Tryfan after buying the guide book in Betws-y-Coed.

They followed the recommended route and, despite becoming confused, managed to find the summit, which was swathed in cloud.

With conditions worsening, they used the map to start descending the North Ridge, where Mr Parratt lost his grip on the slippery slope and fell.

"We'd lost confidence in the book on the way up," Mrs Parratt added.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, North West Wales deputy coroner Nicola said: "It's an unforgiving mountain and if you do become lost, you will find yourself in great danger."

After the hearing, Mrs Parratt, 29, said they would probably have tried to go up Tryfan anyway, but had used the book to choose their route.

The book, written by Don Hinson, is published by Gwasg Carreg Gwalch.

Manager Myrddin ap Dafyddcor said: "It's a tragedy.

"There are two routes, more or less, to every mountain in the book.

"One is the harder route, and one is the easier route by comparison. It does not say that one is a Sunday stroll.

"They came down the worst route. It does warn against that in the book."

Of withdrawing the book, Mr ap Dafydd said: "We will take on board everything that's been said and consider everything."