UKC

Kyloe-in-the-Woods Access Issue

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 chrisprescott 21 Feb 2015
We went to climb at Kyloe-in-the-woods today, everything seemed fine until after about an hour when a couple of vans turned up on the forest track and we got a telling off from a guy about being there as he said the forest was closed for shooting. There was a sign on the gate next to the parking saying so, which we missed on the walk in (although he was adamant we'd just ignored it).

Just wondering if anyone knows anything about it? The sign on the gate looks pretty permanent and states no access is allowed whilst the sign is displayed. We were pretty surprised as we've never had a problem climbing there in the past and there is no mention of any access issues in the guidebook or on here.
OP chrisprescott 21 Feb 2015
Just found this on the BMC site - 'Woodland Management will sometimes engage in deerstalking in these woods - there will be a sign on site when the stalker is working and Woodland Management will prohibit access to the crag.'

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/modules/RAD/viewcrag.aspx?id=546

I've been going there for years and had never known this was an issue, worth keeping in mind if you're planning a trip. Although the sign was admittedly quite obvious we still managed to miss it (as did another couple with a kid who were also at the crag). Maybe some red tape across the stile would work better.
 JDal 22 Feb 2015
In reply to chrisprescott:

Thanks for publicising this issue, the access rep will maybe get in touch with the managers to improve the signage.

This woodland is (or used to be, I'm pretty sure it still is) managed by Scottish Woodlands on behalf of a private landowner, who permits access to pretty much all of it.

It's not any old coniferous woodland which happens to have a brilliant crag in it, the southern part of it is your bog standard sterile Sitka monoculture, but the rest is a historically important Victorian plantation. It's where the dreaded Leylandii was created. It's a decent habitat, I've seen Pine Martins there for example. Deer are culled in these woodlands so that their numbers are kept at a level the forest can sustain. They are not hunted for sport and they aren't being exterminated.

In case anyone's interested, when combined with sheep grazing Roe Deer are a big problem in Northumberland, stopping important woodlands from regenerating. Check out the Lilburn Alders SSSI and the extensive efforts by the farmer & Natural England to try and preserve this remnant of ancient wood pasture.
 spidermac 22 Feb 2015
In reply to chrisprescott:

Hi I tried to climb here 2 saturdays in a row before xmas & this sign was in place then & looked like it had been there a while. It did look like it had just been left up permanantly!!
 spiderz 28 Feb 2015
Climbed at Kyloe today. The new sign really can't be missed (it was screwed to the fence near where you climb over). As we were turning the car around, a guy in a Corsa Combo appeared and took the sign down and drove towards us says we could climb... WOHOO!

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