Yesterday the BMC succeeded in purchasing Craig y Longridge and they have sent out the following press release: Climbers will be delighted to learn that the threat of destruction which hung over one of the country?s most important bouldering areas has finally been lifted, with the news that the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has purchased Craig y Longridge, north Lancashire.
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| Craig y Longridge. Photo: BMC |
The gritstone outcrop of Craig y Longridge, 6 miles north-east of Preston, is over one hundred metres long, overhangs by twenty degrees and never reaches more than four metres in height, making it the perfect bouldering and training venue. It may not be known by all, but it has long been the secret of that famous Lancashire strength which has produced some of Britain?s climbing greats, including Dave ?Raindogs? Kenyon, Mark ?Cry Freedom? Leach and Ian ?European Champion 1998? Vickers. In recent years, access to this much-loved venue has hung in the balance. The landowner, who ran the adjacent caravan park, became concerned about liability, and threatened access, and even considered filling in to facilitate building development. The BMC access team immediately began negotiations and realised that in order to protect the crag the ultimate step had to be taken – to buy the land on which the crag sits. Over the last three years, the BMC, supported greatly by local climbers who raised £4000 towards it, has raised funds to purchase the crag. The sale went ahead on 16 October and the crag is now finally owned by climbers. The crag now stands along with Stone Farm Rocks, Horseshoe Quarry, Aldery Cliff and Bwlch Y Moch as one of a number of BMC-owned and managed properties. The next stage is to set up a management group. This will take care of sorting out fencing, making improvements to the ground, as well as taking care of the day to day running of the site. With rights comes responsibilities, and while free access can now be enjoyed, a number of ?covenants? exist as part of the legal agreements. Theses include all the normal reasonable behaviour suggestions (as set out in the BMC Crag Code www.thebmc.co.uk/cragcode), as well as three other specific points: no music, no dogs, and no climbing before 10am or after sunset. Saving Craig y Longridge has been a tremendous success for local boulderers, British climbers and the BMC. The support of BMC members is vital in securing access to superb venues. You can support the BMC by joining today at www.thebmc.co.uk Source: The BMC
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