Access

Further to a site meeting with the Reserves Manager of Sussex Wildlife Trust, the BMC have agreed to ask climbers not to climb or boulder on Yew Crack Buttress (Southern Sandstone Rockfax Guide Page 130 – 131) due to the increase in erosion. This covers climbs/boulder problems Yew Crack/The Leaf to Earthrise Surprise.

Earthrise is not covered by this restriction but if there is damage increase then there will, unfortunately, be no option but to add this to the restrictions also. The below sign should now be in place at the Buttress.

Eridge has become a hot spot for bordering in recent years, primarily due to some of the access issues faced at High Rocks. Eridge is notoriously sandy in places and excessive brushing with prohibited items like bouldering brushes have caused damage to the rocks in certain places. It’s vital that we (climbers) take action to ensure climbing at Eridge can continue. Ensure to follow the code of practice to the letter! Climbing at Eridge is a privilege and we need to ensure we can all continue to enjoy climbing and bouldering by protecting the rock.

Climbing at Eridge was once banned and has only been permitted since 1997 thanks to the Sussex Wildlife Trust and BMC’s access agreement.

Back in 2013 we reported some access problems on Mallorca for climbers. The second one we covered in that article was a permit system being introduced for access to the Sierra de Tramuntana (which is the mountain area hence the location of many of the crags we climb on). In the end it turned out that the permits were seldom required and we had no reports of people without permits being turned away or fined.

It seems that this scheme has come back to life and people from the local environmental department are now going to climbing areas at weekends and asking to see permits. If you have a permit you will be fine. If you can prove you have requested a permit then you might be okay, but may be asked to leave. If you have nothing then you could be fined.

It needs to be stated that this is a strange and disproportionate policy considering the major environmental problems associated with the costal and cruise ship tourism on the island whereas climbers have relatively negligible impact and often a positive impact where bird restrictions are concerned.

The main areas where this is happening are Gorg Blau, Las Perchas, Comuna de Caimari and S’Estret but in reality a permit is required for all the mountain crags. That is pretty much everything in the Rockfax guide from the Valldemossa section to the Formentor section (p.82 to p.211).

The good news is that, currently, the permits are free and last for a year. The bad news is that if you send in an application then hardly anyone at present seems to be getting a reply and hence a permit.

Derek Watson, who lives on the island, says that the best advice is to go through the application procedure below and send signed paperwork by email, and have a copy of the application with you when you climb (electronic or paper is fine). If you can show that, they shouldn’t stop you climbing.

He also says don’t get into arguments but if you can explain politely how ridiculous this system is and make yourself understood then that is good since it is important that it isn’t just locals who are complaining.

How to Get an Application

To apply send the following two signed documents plus a copy of your ID document (driving licence or passport ) to the autoritzacions@dgmambie.caib.es

• Declaration of Good Practice
• Permit Application

For climbing area put ‘Serra de Tramuntana’ and dates put the duration of your stay.

These documents are PDFs in Spanish so this Google Document Translate page is useful to find out what to write.

Derek Watson has offered to collate any feedback so if you experience something that could be important please send an email to delmontanya@gmail.com

I am grateful to Derek and another local climber who wishes to remain anonymous for this advice.

The Sea Walls at Oxwich Bay on Gower collapsed on 9 January. This has completely destroyed all the climbs including some great sport classics like Red with Rage, Bitchin’ and Kissing the Pink.

There was a major rock fall in this area back in 2009 that destroyed the left-hand side of the walls and now everything has gone.

On 20 October there was a huge storm in the El Chorro region which caused some damage. The worst areas were up by Teba and Campillos, but there was also some disruption in El Chorro itself.

The road from El Chorro to the lakes above and Desplomilandia has been damaged – photos above. Currently the coaches for the Caminito del Rey are going through Alora to get to the top and this is also the way that climbers need to go if they want to climb at Desplomilandia.

The local opinion is that the road should be repaired by the end of November – just in time for the new El Chorro Rockfax.

Thanks to Susan Mitchell from Alimona Chica for this information and the photos.

Climbing at High Rocks has suspended climbing until further notice.

BMC UPDATE 
August 2018 update: climbing access to High Rocks is currently suspended. Discussions are ongoing with the landowner – please bear with us whilst we try to negotiate a solution