In reply to solomonkey:
Hey sorry if I misread what you were saying - reading it back I took it in a different way to the way it may have been intended? We've just had quite a few threads with people being fairly resistant to the policies which are in place, which is understandable if you are used to just rocking up and climbing but the access is sensitive and the last thing we want is for the permissions to go back the way it was at one time when it was literally ALL banned. We now have some of the best access we have ever had, and bar them banning tourists and cars, it's most likely the best it will be. Having said that, if you on sight the grades you do, there's lots to go at.
When I first got to Bath in 1996 things were a lot worse - the area was pratically deserted, and access was trickier than it is now. In reality the situation as it is now is pretty easy to navigate if you put in the time to understand the lay of the land, and that effort is well worth it if you want to make the most of the gorge. Whilst the roadside sport is all well and good, its up on the harder to reach areas like pinnacle bay and sunset buttress where you'll find the best routes. The roadside stuff is limited in trad (having mostly been retrobolted to change the majority of routes from bold e4-e6 into sport routs) and the sport climbing is generally if I'm honest a little bit monotonous. Its good for a work out, but gets a bit samey. By contrast the upper walls are varied, exposed, interesting climbing in some wild positions and is a great mix of trad and sport - something for everybody.
So the situation re access is pretty simple:
1) third party insurance from the BMC which you get automatically when you join the BMC or if you are in a BMC affiliated club.
2) take your BMC card with you to show that you are a member.
3) download the RAD guide here:
http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Download.aspx?id=807 - stick it on you phone so you have it to hand when you need it.
The RAD refers to crags as named in the guidebook. The NT side on the north is much easier in terms of access and you can't go far wrong - the only exception is Prospect tiers where they ask us not to climb during busy weekends like bank holidays. It's the south side which has the restrictions, so familiarise yourself with the access routes to crags like Long Wall and make sure you approach the right way as Longleat views breeches of the access rules very dimly. But its a truely wonderful place to climb. Routes like Stone cold fever, and Sullenberger, are truely fantastic, or the last pitch of Doomwatch which are in outrageous positions and have superb climbing aswell. It's always a little bit more serious than other venues as the routes simply don't see enough traffic to keep them clean, but put up with the vegitation and you'll be rewarded with some great memories. Yeah sure, Corrie is great, but theres so much more to the trad there and Corrie is the trad lite intro to the other climbs...