Opportunity to help manage BMC owned crags (deadline 8 December)

As we mark 25 years since the Countryside & Rights of Way Act (CROW), the BMC is calling for renewed action to make sure everyone can experience the benefits of being outdoors.

Mountain Rescue teams are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year - whatever the weather. Across England and Wales, 47 volunteer teams stand ready to respond when people need help most, often in challenging and unpredictable conditions. 

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC), as a secretariat member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Outdoor Recreation and Access to Nature (APPG), has welcomed the launch in Parliament of the group’s landmark report, Outdoors for All: Recommendations to Government on Access to Nature.

Access improvements, funded by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust mean the new owners can reignite the popular MassonFest, a 'weekend of dry tooling fun' scheduled for 17-19 October 2025.

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) gathered this past weekend for its much-anticipated Basecamp Festival, combining community connection with a celebration of exceptional volunteer contributions.

Today, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Outdoor Recreation and Access to Nature has launched a Call for Evidence to examine how to allow more people to access the outdoors.

Fairy Cave Quarry requires access through a gate with a combination lock. Here's how climbers can gain access to the quarry.

BMC Atlantic Coast Access Rep Iain Peters has, in addition to securing access for climbers in Cornwall, been climbing his own mountain - writing The Corridor, a memoir of his life as a climber, a sport that saved him from horrific childhood trauma.

With the help from Chris Bonington and other legendary climbers, the BMC has reached an agreement with the Isle of Wight National Trust about rock climbing access at Skeleton Ridge on The Needles.

Last week, the Senedd in Cardiff passed the Legislation (Procedure, Publication and Repeals) (Wales) Bill, effectively removing the threat of thousands of unrecorded footpaths being lost across Wales.

After lobbying from BMC Peak Area Access Reps and others, DEFRA has ruled that the landowner must now comply with an existing enforcement notice requiring them to remove a plastic matting track on Midhope Moor.

Yr Wyddfa, one of the UK’s most treasured mountain landscapes, is under threat. Single use pollution has accumulated in its gullies, damaging the fragile ecosystem and endangering rare species.

The new owners of Masson Lees Quarry, Derbyshire, hope to resolve the long-term controversy over parking issues, and many more improvements, thanks to funding from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust.

At it’s recent Members Open Forum the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) shared their budget priorities for the 2025/2026 financial year.

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) supports the community of Cwmparc, Treorchy, who have seen access blocked on an essential route connecting the village with the woodland and mountain trails.

Since 1944, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has championed access and shared vital knowledge for every hill walker, climber, and mountaineer. As we celebrate 80 years of adventure, we now look towards our next chapter and are asking for your support in developing the strategy for 2025-2030.

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.

Consultation on Wales’ proposed new National Park – member’s views needed.

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.

Over 800 drinks containers were removed from Wales’ highest peak last weekend causing environmental campaigners to demand the urgent introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for bottles and cans.

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

On Tuesday 8 October, the Supreme Court will consider whether the right to wild camp on Dartmoor continues to be a cherished freedom. The case, brought by Alexander Darwall, owner of 4,000-acre estate in southern Dartmoor, challenges the notion that wild camping (or backpack camping) should be considered an open-air recreation in its own right. 

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.

The Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Big Clean Up event marks an unprecedented effort to begin to rid the mountain of decades-old litter, including a misplaced Santa hat! Over two days, Friday 20th and Saturday 21st September, dedicated volunteers and specialists undertook a challenging mission to clean one of Wales’ most iconic natural landmarks. 

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) are delighted to announce the recipients of the 2024 BMC Volunteer Awards.

The BMC welcomes and supports the Cumbria Wildlife Trust who are set to rewild the bleak plateau of Skiddaw. This work aligns fully with BMC values - protecting the mountains for future climbers, hill-walkers and mountaineers and promoting environmental sustainability.

On Sat 21 September, 40 BMC volunteers will climb Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) to rid the mountain of as much litter as possible in The Big Clean Up event, including the 'waterfall' of trash which has been stuck for decades in the steep and hazardous Trinity Gullies.

A peregrine survey by boat with high-quality photography organised by local BMC Access Reps Iain Peters and James Mann has helped to identify peregrine nesting sites so that a blanket ban on climbing at the Cornish climbing site of Carn Cowla can be lifted. A temporary ban had been put in place by the National Trust covering the cliffs between Tubby Head and Bawden Cliff, including major route locations up to and beyond the America Buttress. The ban has now been lifted so all sections are open, with only crag- and area-specific restrictions in place when necessary.

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!

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?

A climbers’ meeting this week expressed their opposition to the continued ban on climbing at Symonds Yat, Herefordshire, imposed by Forestry England.

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’. 

This weekend the BMC joined Avon Access Rep Ben Darby and his team of volunteers near Bristol to install 28 new belay stakes on Main Wall so that climbers no longer need to rely on the wobbly old iron fence as an anchor point. Vegetation was also cleared and a thorough litter pick was carried out.

Yesterday, former Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Chris Boardman CBE met with BMC staff in the Peak District to highlight projects that are successfully fighting the climate crisis.

Proposals to make ordinary trespass a criminal offence have alarmed outdoor groups, including the BMC. Ahead of a debate in Parliament on the issue and the possibility of Government publishing the Police Powers and Protections Bill, Ed Douglas calls for the Government to think again.

There are concerns that government are considering moves to turn trespass from a civil offence to a criminal one. In a public consultation that is currently out for comment, it has been suggested that police powers could be strengthened to force people to move on from unauthorised encampments. The BMC is concerned however, that there could be unintentional consequences of the proposals around issues such as wild camping.

Access to the south side of Cheddar Gorge is fragile and relies upon climbers following the agreements in place with the landowner.

Climbers have a responsibility to understand the relevant access and conservation issues associated with the places we climb. Here are a few pointers to help you enjoy these areas sustainably.

The health and well being benefits of physical activity are numerous. Apart from the obvious physical benefits, there are many mental health and social perks to hillwalking and climbing too.

Nick sits on the BMC Technical Committee and UIAA Safety Commission. He is one of the incredible volunteers helping to ensure that the safety and performance standards of equipment are up to scratch!

In this booklet for managers and landowners, the aim has been to address a range of common questions and concerns about rock climbing in disused quarries. Covering all aspects of access and liability, through a selection of case studies, it showcases the benefits not just for climbers, but for the wider public and land managers themselves. Benefits which can be realised with assistance from climbers and the BMC, through the repurposing of disused quarries as rock climbing destinations.

Steve is a Pembrokeshire area volunteer who has been a Local Access Rep for over 15 years. Fresh from liaising with the military for 2025 briefing dates at Range West, Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire, we caught up with him to find our more about his role.

Emily sits on the gender subgroup of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is a talented researcher and also runs Beta Magazine, a climbing and outdoors community magazine focused on the female experience but inclusive of all.

Mike is a Student Rep on the Clubs Committee and more recently has been working with the team as part of the Organisational Development Group.