Crag Clean Ups in Wales and Lancashire

Wilton 1 has been given a spring clean in the last few weeks. Local volunteers with a little help from the BMC spent a day turning long neglected routes back into viable climbs. The work that these kind folk put into resurrecting areas that fall out of fashion is invaluable. Without cleaning and management many parts of crags like Wilton 1 would remain unclimbable.

45 people turned out for the day to clean, litter pick, knock in stakes, replace pegs, work on drainage and much more. Aside from all the hard work done on the day it appears there was a fair amount of cake eaten also. There is a list of routes that has been cleaned on the BMC website and you are urged to get on those routes. You are also urged to bring your own tools if you do pay a visit to Wilton 1 for any on the spot tidying you can manage.

From the 17th – 19th April this year TremFest takes place in Wales. This continues the work on Bwlch y Moch that has been ongoing for some time now. Patio knives and secateurs are the order of the day with plenty of fresh crag to be re exposed. As with many of these events it is never always solely about the cleaning and there will be a raffle, beer and lectures for the evening. Visit TremFest 2009 for more info on cleaning and after cleaning activities.

Successful clean ups from 2006 onwards have taken place in North Wales, Lancashire, Merseyside, South Wales, The Peak District and Leicestershire. Plans for future clean ups of out of fashion crags are ongoing via the Crag Care Fund. The BMC plans a database of all crags that have been cleaned and crags that might be cleaned. This will hopefully increase traffic and result in more future rock resurrection.

Though not involved in cleaning, The North Wales Bolt Fund has recently been active at Pen Trwyn on the The Great Orme. Led by Chris Parkin a day was spent replacing lower offs and checking metal work in March. Bolt replacement on the Orme is also ongoing and is important not only for individuals safety but also for access arrangements.  To find out more about the North Wales Bolt Fund visit North Wales Limestone.

For more information on Crag Care and Clean Ups visit

The British Mountaineering Council

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