Limekilns is an unusual Limestone crag in Fife, Scotland with a history of access problems, however, in recent years there has been little trouble and it has become a popular venue for climbers based in Edinburgh and the surrounding area.

Unfortunately, this situation has now changed and on Monday 8th of June mysterious boxes were installed on the Gellert Block which is the largest of the two blocks in the area. Further boxes appeared on the same block the next day.

At present it is unclear what the purpose of these boxes are but they do obstruct many of the lines on this block and presumably have been installed with the knowledge of the local landowner, Lord Elgin.

The Access officer for the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, Hebe Carus, has been contacted and a number of local climbers are attempting to find out why these boxes have been installed and what they mean for the future of climbing at the crag.

Given the past history of access problems, it is probably wise to consider affected routes on the Gellert Block unclimbable at present. In addition, any damage to these boxes is likely to negatively affect the chances of Limekilns remaining a climbing venue and such actions should be discouraged.

UPDATE: There is now a report on the MCofS Website

• The issue is currently being debated on this UKC Thread
  
  
• There is another thread on Scottish Climbs and a news story: Scottish Climbs News
  

For some history of the access problems at the crag see: Scottish Mountaineer 2003

UKC would like to thank Duncan Sproul for this report.