Living with the Chairman of the BMC wales area, as well as being on the National Council for the BMC means I get to see a lot of important climbing related documents. This evening I saw extracts of the access/vegetation clearance documentation from the CCW. The agreement is dated as coming in effect on the 21st January 2009, so it is already in effect.
Now the wording and agreement is very specific so to start with you need to be aware of various parts of the document if you wish to stay the right side of the law, due in part to the SSSI and part to trespass issue on Mr Webb’s land. What climbers have been granted is a section 28 consent for vegetation removal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
In which we are given consent to the following two things under the subsequent three conditions:
2. Removal of invasive ivy and non-native cotoneaster from climbing routes on the cliff faces. Cutting and clearing of ivy, shrubs and small tree trunks and branches at the start of each climbing route and along the base of the cliff.
The conditions are:
1. Climbing may be permitted within the area shown outlined in red on the map below. This looks as though Mojo and Great Wall will fall outside the area we are allowed to climb. This is to restrict climbing to the land in the ownership of Isallt Farm.
2. Removal and the cutting and clearing of vegetation shall be confined to within five metres either side of a climbing route and within five metres of the base of the cliff. There is a ban on this activity between the 1st March and 31st July, because of nesting birds.
This clearance is limited to Shrubs like blackthorn, elder, hawthorn and hazel and small tree trunks and branches from ash and sycamore. Stumps need to be cut as close to the ground as possible, and left to regenerate. All cut and cleared material must be stacked tidily in the woodland as near to the base as possible without smothering either Stinking Hellebore and/or Ivy Broomrape.
On the cliff faces the following rare vascular plants shall not be damaged, disturbed or removed: Wild Cabbage, Hoary Rock-Rose or Whitebeam.
3. The CCW shall make at least three random and unannounced visits to independently monitor the BMC management of access and recreational activities, with specific regards to the whether access has resulted in damage or disturbance of the rare plants mentioned above and the broad-leaved woodland.
At present then it looks as if partial access to the crag has return, the latest up date to the BMC Regional Access Database happen last month. I’d like to hope that the BMC offers a bit more support and guidance on this issue on there website, and if you feel it necessary to clear vegetation remember the above species that we are not allowed to touch, and those that we are, try a google image search so you know what they look like, as we are essentially on probation for a year on this crag, as the CCW can if they wish remove the permission to climb on the SSSI in a years time.