Not just an outdoor store - Cotswold Outdoor staff support BMC's The Climate Project

With the Easter Bank Holiday approaching and more people than ever heading to the hills, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is echoing a vitally important message from Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW): be prepared, be informed, and don’t rely on your phone alone.

Quick, buy that new pair of summer walking boots or waterproof you've been needing for ages and round up your payment at the till in any Cotswold Outdoor store to fund peatland and seagrass meadow restoration with the BMC.

This week you have the chance to DOUBLE your impact towards fixing eroded footpaths in the beautiful Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park by donating via the Big Give Green Match Fund.

Will you help the BMC's Access & Conservation trust raise vital funds for a new, two-year Apprentice Ranger training role focussed on footpath repair in the beautiful Eryri National Park?

Today, on the first ever World Day for Glaciers, 21 March 2025, we celebrate what the BMC is already doing and how you can support us in preserving these vast, frozen rivers that we mountaineers and climbers love to work and play on.

Why has a World Day for Glaciers been set up for the first time this year, combined with World Water Day, on 20-21 March 2025? Why should BMC members be concerned about global glacier loss and most importantly, what can we do to help?

The BMC's Access and Conservation Trust are recruiting a new chair and a number of trustees to help with the smooth-running of this phenomenal charity that facilitates access, education, conservation and volunteer projects across the United Kingdom to protect our crags and mountains.

At the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), we’re passionate about helping walkers, hikers, and mountaineers get the most out of their time in the great outdoors. Whether you’re setting off on a relaxed countryside ramble or tackling a challenging mountain route, having the right gear is essential for safety, comfort, and enjoyment.

This December 800m of vital path repair works were completed at Chanctonbury Ring in West Sussex, one of the most prominent landmarks along the South Downs Way, and also one of the spookiest... Learn about the legends and try one of five walks there, if you dare.

500 birch trees have been planted by BMC volunteers at Bransdale in the North York Moors. Walk these 6 nearby trails to appreciate the beauty of this remote corner of wilderness, south of the popular peak Roseberry Topping.

Will you help the BMC repair footpaths and avoid carbon loss in 2025 as part of Mend Our Mountains and The Climate Project?

How do you balance budget with a climate conscience when booking a winter trip? Making changes to the way we travel is one of the most effective ways of reducing emissions and giving the snow and ice a fighting chance.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Mend Our Mountains campaign from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) - here are the 2024 highlights! 

Three impassable paths in the Cotswolds National Landscape have been fixed thanks to funding from the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Mend Our Mountains campaign. Here are three great walking routes using these new paths.

26,000 plastic bottles have been rescued from landfill to create a new bridge for walkers and climbers at Cressbrook Mill, partly funded by the Mend Our Mountains campaign from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust.

This year's International Mountain Day, Wed 11 Dec, the theme is: “Mountain solutions for a sustainable future – innovation, adaptation and youth”. Here at the BMC we are brimming with nature-based solutions in the mountains that contribute to a more sustainable future, so here are 3 easy ways you can help us right now.

Work to improve the first route at Roseberry Topping from Newton Woods to the summit is now complete, but there are 9 more sections of path repair to go over the next two years. Here's everything you need to know about the ongoing repairs, where to walk, when and why.

Help the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust raise FREE donations with all your online shopping at any time of the year with Easyfundraising.

This Sunday is National Hiking Day, celebrated on 17 November, encouraging people to get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of nature through hill walking. Use the BMC's hiking route ideas to inspire you and our mapping discounts and freebies to navigate your way.

With a new all-terrain, electric mobility scooter in the Cotswolds Natural Landscape thanks to Mend Our Mountains support, we celebrate the rise in accessible outdoor routes with a top six across the UK.

Part-funded by the BMC, the new Great Bradley Bridge in Exmoor opens up access to the famous, 117-mile Two Moors Way long distance walking trail. Here are our five favourite walks that take in this new crossing.

With almost 2,000m of footpath around Haytor Rocks in Dartmoor newly repaired, thanks to BMC Access & Conservation Trust funding from the Mend Our Mountains campaign, here are our top 5 walks and climbs in the area.

Do you have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) days to fill or is your company looking for new and exciting CSR days for your staff? The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has the answers.

This unassuming, bright, green or red moss with lush, almost tentacle-like fronds is hiding five well-kept secrets.

Did you know that the 140,000 miles of footpaths and bridleways we have access to in England and Wales are under serious threat? The footpaths you love the walk on are disappearing fast before our eyes due to erosion from increased footfall and more extreme weather conditions. Here are 14 reasons why we can't ignore footpath erosion.

For many hill walkers, the call of the wild is a lifelong passion. However, the demands placed on our bodies by these activities require thoughtful care, especially as we age.

The BMC volunteers have been super busy this summer, with the latest Get Stuck In project seeing 12 of them create a 50m length of stepping stone path to make a more sustainable way through the bog below Tryfan, Eryri (Snowdonia), North Wales.

Hill walking offers a wonderful way to connect with nature, challenge your body, and clear your mind. However, the physical demands of walking up and down steep terrain mean that optimal nutrition is essential to ensure you stay energised, strong, and focused. Whether you're setting off on a gentle stroll or tackling a more challenging route, here are the top nutrients you need to consider, along with some nutritious snack ideas to keep you fuelled on your adventure.

The BMC is pleased to announce our membership of Sports for Nature (S4N) - the first mountaineering organisation to do so. S4N enables and encourages sporting bodies to champion nature and contribute to its protection and restoration, an initiative that aligns completely with the BMC’s values, including our ongoing access and conservation work, aims for net-zero emissions by 2040 and new Climate & Sustainability Action Plan.

If you're a BMC member or if you have made a donation to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust (ACT), you are directly supporting our Mend Our Mountains campaign which is funding Fix the Fells again this year. Your contributions enable rangers like Caroline Mercer to consistently repair and manage the Lake District paths that we love to walk on. We caught up with Caroline on a path above Derwent Water, near Keswick, to find out about a typical day in her life - it's pretty hard work!

This August, 14 BMC volunteers spent two days on The Band in Langdale, Lake District, making repairs to a 100m stretch of footpath in the latest Get Stuck In event, funded by the Mend Our Mountains campaign from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust.

The BMC’s Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) is pleased to announce a seventh project within the Mend Our Mountains campaign for 2024.

The sphagnum season is upon us again! Now that the ground-nesting birds have stopped ground-nesting, it’s time for BMC volunteers to start planting this incredible, carbon-sequestering moss at strategic locations across the Peak District moorland. Can you help us?

With four GB Climbing athletes heading across the channel for the Olympic boulder and lead competitions starting Monday 5 August, not only are they bringing their A-game in terms of performance but, as part of the BMC, the whole team is supporting Paris 2024 in its bid to be the ‘greenest ever Games’. 

How to choose an ice axe for your next winter adventure

Want to know more about how you can reduce your own personal carbon footprint and lessen your impact on the environment? We’ve tried to make it simple for you by producing three separate checklists – for yourself, your workplace and for any events you might be arranging.

What's so great about bogs you ask? As part of our Let's Plant Moor series with Moors For The Future, Charlotte Kenyon gives an excellent explanation into the benefit of blanket bogs for carbon capture throughout our British landscapes:

Our peatlands store more carbon than all other vegetation types in the world combined and yet here on our doorstep, they're in a state of degradation. As part of The Climate Project's Let's Plant Moor series, Moors For The Future Partnership Officer Alice Leary takes a look at the knock-on effect on the nature surrounding us and what's being done to prevent it.

Each year there are reports of people who have been attacked, or even trampled to death, by cows whilst out walking or approaching crags. BMC member Simon Coldrick was badly injured after a cow attacked him as he led a fell race on the edge of Sheffield.

Our friends at Moors for the Future Partnership have produced a great series of five short films to help people understand the multiple benefits of healthy blanket bogs and why they are precious and worth protecting.

If you’re looking for an unforgettable, high altitude trekking holiday this year we’ve got some great ideas for you here in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and India from climbing mountaineering expedition operator Jagged Globe. 

The BMC has welcomed another conservation project into The Climate Project portfolio, planting seagrass with Seagrass Ocean Rescue in conjunction with the North Wales Wildlife Trust. This is in addition to the current sphagnum moss planting and peatland restoration with Moors for the Future in the Peak District that you can also get involved with here.

This April saw the BMC’s first volunteer day in Pwllheli, North Wales, partnering with the Seagrass Ocean Rescue project and the North Wales Wildlife Trust as part of the BMC’s The Climate Project. Two more dates are planned for May and August, read on for dates and how to get involved.

Seven things you always wanted to know about path repair (but were too afraid to ask)

We breakdown the carbon cost of journeys to popular climbing and trekking destinations abroad and offer alternative modern climate conscious solutions to the method of travelling to get there.

Are the Alps falling down? IFMGA Mountain Guide Andy Perkins has a stark warning about the impact of climate change on the Alps: “I don’t have children but if I did I wouldn’t persuade them to be mountain guides. I’d be saying ‘Get your yacht sailing ticket...'" Katy Dartford interviews Andy to find out more.

The stark reality of sea birds fledging early or there being a lack of birds nesting on sea cliffs at all is the impact of a changing climate on the ocean and our sea bird populations are undergoing drastic changes.

If you're a BMC member or if you have made a donation to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust (ACT), you are directly supporting our Mend Our Mountains campaign which is funding Fix the Fells again this year. Your contributions enable rangers like Liam Prior to consistently repair and manage the Lake District paths that we love to walk on. We caught up with Liam on the very popular path up Scafell Pike from Wasdale Head to find out what a typical day in his life is like - it's quite demanding!

As part of Volunteers Week 3 - 9 June we have Cotswold Voluntary Warden Walk Leader Margaret Reid sharing her inspiring experience. Margaret organises and leads walks in the Cotswolds National Landscape for people from the Friendship Cafe in Gloucester. Activities like this are made possible with funding from the BMC Mend Our Mountains project from the BMC Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) charity.