It has been recently reported by UKC user Andrew Huddart, that the annual bird bans that affect a large amount of crags on the island of Lundy have been extended due to a long and harsh winter. Lundy is situated between North Devon and South Wales and is a very popular place for climbers, divers, birds and tourists in general. It is home to many classic routes such as; Widespread Ocean of Fear, Indy 500, Wolfman Jack, Satan's Slip, and Devil's Slide, to name just a few.

The bans, that usually end on July 31st, have now been extended to August 19th to allow birds extra time to rear their young who hatched late due to the cold weather experienced in March and April. It is vital that they are given this extra time to allow as many chicks to successfully fledge as possible as this year's winter has seen a reduction in numbers of successful breeding birds. 

Andrew posted a warning on the forums on Sunday, but felt that as many climbers should be made aware as possible. Many climbers have arrived on the island to find that they cannot climb on the crags they wanted, with most feeling that if they had been informed of the extension, they would have postponed their trip until it had been lifted. Unfortunately, the climbers only found out upon arrival from a note on the noticeboard of the Tavern. Although Elfyn Jones, the Access and Conservation Officer for Wales published this article on the BMC website, it focuses on Welsh crags.

So if you have an imminent trip planned to Lundy, you may want to change the date of your trip, or change your venue as you will not be able to climb on many of Lundy's crags before the August 19th.

For regular updates to the restrictions

See the BMC RAD

See the Lundy Conservation Team Facebook page