UKC

In Summit #61 I was surprised to find Blacknor has a nesting restriction from Death of Cool to Ocean Drive. This encompasses half of B. North, all of B. Central, B.South and some of B. Far South. This is in contrast to the Regional Access Database (RAD) which says the restriction only covers part of B. North.

I would have been inclined to go with the RAD restriction but the record seems to have been updated in April last year so seems somewhat out of date.

So are we really not allowed to climb on most of Blacknor? Does that also include Fallen Slab and other routes below this area?

In reply to therealwill: The Blacknor crags have a variable restriction, so I suspect that Summit is suggesting that the whole of the area could be banned. In practice, however, the Kestrels tend to return to distinct areas( around Drag Racing Underground and Pregnant Pause in the last couple of years). Check out the RAD database and crag signs for the latest info.

In reply to Rob Kennard:

It's very easy to miss the signs when at the crag - look at your feet or at the view for a few steps and you can miss them, and the RAD is not always up to date. I almost inadvertantly breached the ban a couple of years ago because of this.

In reply to therealwill:

Hi. Yes, you've spotted the error. The BMC poster is incorrect. The Ban should be from Death of Cool to Indian Summer. (it doesn't run from Blacknor North to Far South).
The signs are not on site yet, as we are still waiting to recieve these from the Portland Warden, but please do respect the (correct) bans.

Thanks
Helen

In reply to Helen Heanes:

Thanks for the reply Helen, good to know where the actual ban is.

Presuming the ban has been in force for the last three weeks, it does seem strange the RAD has not yet been updated, as it is supposed to be the definitive access information source.

Judging from some of your posts, am I correct in thinking you're something to do with the BMC?

Thanks, Will.

In reply to therealwill:
Not me, but my husband is the BMC Access Rep for Portland. I do try and help out though

In reply to therealwill: Thanks for pointing this out Will - it's obviously an error on my part whilst putting the text together for the poster this year. As Helen says, the restriction is from 'The Death of Cool' to 'Indian Summer' - RAD is now updated (see: https://www.thebmc.co.uk/bmcCrag/ViewCrag.aspx?id=261) and I'll change the poster text now to make sure the same mistake doesn't get printed next year.

Cheers,
Rob Dyer
BMC Access & Conservation Officer (English Regions)