Castleberg Crag or Rock, a much-loved backdrop to Settle town centre which has been out of bounds due to falling rocks, is to be made safe and turned into a climbing attraction.
The BMC has been to look at the limestone feature, where parts of the rock face were coming loose and falling onto the path below, and agreed it could be made safe and turned into a valuable, local and natural climbing resource.
The town council has agreed to make a donation towards the cost of the work and asked that it be started quickly so the footpaths to the rock could be opened to the public as soon as possible.
The amount to be donated will be discussed at the next meeting of the finance committee.
The BMC said the work would pose no danger to the public and the metal fixings would be set into the rock and out of reach of people on the ground.
Only supervised or experienced climbers could access them.
Councillors said that the facility would be a huge bonus to the town.
“It is fantastic news. I’ve done a lot of rock climbing in the past and will probably use it myself,” said Coun Joe Lord.
Coun Marion Armstrong said: “This just goes to prove that the town can turn an adversity into a benefit.”
"Thank you for your interest. There are now 21 rock climbs prepared
and fully equipped with permanent, stainless steel protection bolts on
Castleberg Crag.
There is one more in the process of completion and
by then all the obvious lines will have been climbed.
We have removed several tons of loose rock and much invasive vegetation
during this process and attempted to stabilise what remains to the best of our
abilities. We cannot guarantee that further pieces of loose rock
won't become detached in the future but we feel satisfied that the cliff is
now more stable than it has been for many years and if treated with
healthy respect by both climbers, walkers and sightseers the dangers posed
are no more or less than those posed by the likes of Malham Cove, Gordale
Scar and Trow Gill where climbers and the general public have intermingled for
many years without incident.
We have not charged nor, do we expect payment for our work on this
crag. Our reward is the satisfaction of creating a new climbing venue which
will hopefully prove as popular with visiting climbers as the nearby
Giggleswick Scars, and Foredale Quarry which now attract climbers from all over
the country. I also hope it will be seen as an added recreational amenity
for the Town of Settle along the lines of many such local venues in
France and Spain where there is a long history of collaboration between climbers
and local communities.
There is however a cost in equipping climbs safely in the way we do
on such crags. We only use long-lasting stainless steel products either
mechanical expansion bolts or (as in the case of Castleberg) resin-fixed
stainless steel anchors. The equipment used here has a cost which the
Council has agreed in principle to re-imburse. However, this is a
small crag and over the years we have spent many thousands of pounds on other
cliffs in the Craven district and continue to do so annually to keep equipment
up to date. Much of this money has come from our own pockets and 14 years
ago we set up The Yorkshire Bolt Fund into which other climbers and
occasionally clubs and businesses have donated money. That fund is currently
running very low.
Each of the climbs on Castleberg Crag, as with every climb in the
country, will be named and uniquely described and identified in future
climbing guide-books and that name will be preserved in perpetuity. Our
proposal to the business community of Settle is that for a small donation
we will name each climb in association with your business.
Once named it will provide a small level of continuous advertising for
ever. No contract - no annual fee!
Some of the climbs are relatively easy and some quite difficult, but I believe all will
prove quite popular with a good cross-section of the climbing community. I also
predict that the sheltered, west facing sunny aspect of the cliff will makeit a useful
all year round venue, in contrast to many local crags which are too wet and cold
to climb on in the winter."
