Posted by Bob on June 6, 2006, 10:37 am, in reply to "Access and cleaning a new crag" I don't think there are any 'official' procedures set out for what you have in mind, but the general principles of taking 'responsible' access would apply. I suppose there might be three areas of concern: As a straightforward first step I'd strongly recommend you ring the local authority for your quarry area and speak to their access officer. S/he should be able to check with the planners about the state of extraction consent for the quarry; advise on gaining access across land surrounding the quarry if that's an issue; take a view on local 'social issues'; and check with Scottish Natural Heritage's area office for any access or conservation concerns they might have. As well as other things I haven't thought of. These factors might not rule out opening up your quarry, but they might influence how you could do it 'responsibly', e.g. not some bits of it, or not till after the nesting season. Good luck
81.158.175.249
That's a beezer Chris. You should probably phone the MCS office and have a chat with Kevin, but in the meantime -
LIABILITY - you'd be surprised how 'disused' a quarry can look but still have live planning consent for extraction; so the owner / operator might have latent liability, and might take a dim view of climbing. An active quarry falls outside the right of responsible access.
COPYCATTING (as at Auchinstarry) - the risk that local kids will see you on the rock, be deeply impressed, and think, "Cool, I'd like to have a go at that". Thump, owwwch, distant sound of ambulance sirens, irate parents, legal vultures.
CONSERVATION - geological interest, fossils (!),nesting raptors and / or possible rare plants or plant complexes on the faces. It might be a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Bob
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