UKC

Just seen a few photos on social media that someone's had a large fire directly underneath Jason's Roof (f8A) up at Crookrise.

Hopefully theres no permanent damage but it will take a bit of cleaning by looking at the size of the logs they were burning!

Sadly not the first time, I found the remains of a similar sized fire there in June last year. I spent a good half hour cleaning up before I could climb.

That time, the fire was a little bit further out from the roof, so it hadn't gone high enough to damage the rock. But the landing area needed a lot of tidying up, and there was a huge amount of litter strewn all over the area.

I didn't have any bags with me that day to carry out the rubbish, so all I could do was leave it in a neater pile and report it to some locals who I knew would be back there soon. 

Someone had stashed some pads in the cave behind the roof. The pads had all been taken apart, with the foam left 10m away from the covers. I put the pads back together, hid them as well as I could in the cave, and let the owner know via a mutual acquaintance. 

I hope any damage isn't permanent, it's one of my favourite problems and I was hoping to go back to try the extension one day. It's depressing that people could go to the effort of doing such a long walk in to such a beautiful place and then trash it.

I hope there's a thread on UKWildcamping.com, where some people are complaining about loads of chalk all over some rock, and mattresses being dumped in caves by irresponsible climbers 

I must have been up just after you as the fire was very tidy but there was still a funny wood shelter thing that had been build in front of Sideliner! 
 

I’m normally pretty against stashing pads, but didn’t seem so bad at a crag owned by The BMC. I guess it’s still access land and this does seem to be a regular  annual camping spot now!

On my walk out on Saturday passed some yooths looking for caves. Wankers. Almost certainly was them.

Be interesting to know did they just have a fire. Or leave a load of litter aswell?

White rock /black rock just kids having fun as long as they didnt leave shit everywhere fair dos Im afraid!

We dont own the place and they have no idea of how popular jasons roof is!

There’s potential a fire that big and close to the roof will have been hot enough to permanently damage the rock, that’s the main concern at the moment.  Heat breaks the patina on grit and leaves the soft stone underneath exposed.

I’d 100% prefer they’d left Monster and Carling cans and their dairy Lea dunker packets scattered about than having a fire. 

Isn't it owned by the BMC?
If so, is there a 'set of rules' regarding usage of the land which could include not having fires, etc.
With respect to the general idea of people enjoying the countryside in a different way to climbers, then as climbers, we might have to accept some things that inconvenience us.  In much the same way we expect people to accept bolts and chalk, etc.

It’s on access land which already covers no fires (and no camping!) anyway  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/open-access-land-management-rights-and-responsi...

Interesting on a climbing forum...

that a post that suggested permanent damage to rock was worse than temporary issues of litter was downvoted so much. When I read the post there were 3 upvotes but 4 downvotes

Seemed to suggest that litter was worse than permanent rock damage. Although it could be that people disagreed that prolonged fire could cause permanent damage to sandstone (I'm  counting grit as a "specialist" type of sandstone here)

Within a couple of years in the 1990s there were two fatal incidents involving caves under rock roofs in Shropshire.   Fires in caves or under roofs clearly does something to rock and is highly dangerous.

Crookrise was the only crag where I was stopped by somebody on the way in. Fire risk! Went to Ilkley instead, the infamous ashes in a jug day.

That's just not cricket

At least the deceased cheated t'worms.

The flames must have been pretty big as the heather ontop of the roof is also burnt! 

I wouldnt! As a group of 5 teenagers say, going for a walk up on the fells they have a fire a few cans a good crack with each other, but are responsible enough to take there shit away.

They have enjoyed the outdoors thinking all they have done is left a bit of burnt wood.

To the other scenario of teenagers who couldnt give a toss flinging their shite up there, then everywhere else, not giving a toss about the environment.

So think, they wouldnt just be leaving their litter there but everywhere else they tread in life.

Just because they are not climbers they have as much right as everyone else up there!

In reply to Arms Cliff:

Im sure as a kid you think mmmmmm this fire may damage the patina of the rock for those climbers.

Get a grip on reality!

My first thought looking at that picture was that it's a lot less unsightly than the usual chalk marks.

Anyone seen the state of Cratcliffe recently? A right mess.

Until the day comes when the crag lands on your head as I referred to above.  Up the Rea from Cleobury Mortimer, and The Hermitage, Bridgenorth. Two rockfalls, several fatalities due to the effects of fires on sandstone.