UKC

Warton Upper Crag Warton Pinnacle Crag

An Impolite Notice

Someone's been moving s%&t around at Warton, like they own the place. Whoever you are, please don't.

I noticed someone has moved some big boulders around at Pinnacle Crag. Ok... So, now the path everyone uses is covered in big blocks, but no big deal - it was already uneven. And I guess you can get about five pads under that little overhang "project" you've got going on, so you don't bruise yourself...

However, up in the woods, there's a short crag with a couple of old bolts. Someone - the same person? - cut down a tree, chopped it into stakes and used it and some earth to build themselves a flat landing under this 5m esoteric "classic". I imagine they were mighty proud of themselves.

That tree was one of very few Lancaster Whitebeam left - a rare and endangered species of tree. Due to someone's actions, it is now even rarer and more endangered. (http://www.lancswt.org.uk/reserves/warton-crag )

Here's the deal - and idiot boulders in fluorescent beanies taken especial notice: if you can't do the route without destroying trees and plants and paths, don't f****ng climb the route! This is not your private gym, where you get to rearrange the furniture to suit your whims. If you want to do some "crag maintenance", try talking to the ranger and the BMC first, rather than screwing around with no knowledge and wrecking the place for others, for whom it is a beautiful and precious place to be protected.

In reply to C Witter:

Where's the 'angry' button?

In reply to C Witter:

I'll send this to the AONB Countryside Management team at info@arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk The ranger for Warton Crag reserve is based there. I think the Pinnacle Crag land may be owned by RSPB and the small bolted crag either by Lancaster City Council or Lancashire Wildlife Trust. Whichever, the team will be very concerned to hear about this.

In reply to Lankyman:

The ranger was the one who told me about this, Lankyman, so I'm pretty sure they already know. Thanks anyway!
C

In reply to C Witter:

This is shocking and saddening. As a local " idiot boulder in fluorescent beanie" I feel privileged to climb amongst Lancashire Whitebeams in Silverdale, and often meet walkers and photographers out looking for them.
The old sport route 'Taken By Surprise' is usually highballed these days above several pads - this is where the Whitebeam had been used to improve the landing.
I'll share this on UKBouldering forums and with the local bouldering population. Education and awareness is the way forward.

In reply to John Kettle:


Hm... re-reading, it seems my angry note was badly worded: it would be wrong to suggest all boulders are idiots... and the miscreant mightn't have been wearing a beany at the time... or it might have been a more sober colour...

My apologies to boulderers in general, although I'm still hacked off about this boulderer in particular.

In reply to C Witter:

None taken
I'm hacked off too.

In reply to C Witter:



I went up to take a look for myself earlier and saw the damage. The ground below the left end of the bolted buttress has been banked up and flattened with cut stakes holding it all up. The whitebeam has been quite obviously hacked back away from the rock but will survive. Similar 'pruning' has been going on at local crags for years but hasn't normally involved a rare species such as this. Last year, I helped the AONB volunteers remove some 'earthworks' created by bike riders on another part of the reserve.

In reply to C Witter:

I'm saddened by this. I started my shabby climbing career on Warton hill, did a chunk of voluntary work with the aonb after college. Warton Pinnacle's a cruddy little venue, but a special cruddy little venue. They all are. It'll be ignorance rather than malice. I'm mostly a boulderer these days (sans beanie) but fwiw find myself rubbing along with good people that treasure our venues, often leaving places better than we find them.