• Minutes of SVG meeting 6th October •
of October 2008.
Those Present:
Tim Skinner, Steve Jackson, Oliver Hill, Mike Vetterlein, Adrian
Paisey, Graham Adcock.
1. Welcome & Apologies:
Apologies were received from Bob Moulton, Sarah Cullen, Steve Durkin.
2. Minutes of Previous Meeting (18/05/2008):
Section 4c - the bolt on Hut Boulder is still there. Otherwise agreed.
3. Harrison's Rocks:
It was generally acknowledged that the work done early in the year at
Harrison's didn't go far enough and had not had the desired effect on
the crag. AP commented that the lower path had become very overgrown
and TS said that Harrison's Rocks Management Group had identified this
as something that needed attention. Croydon MC had a work day at the
crag on the 11th and it was possible they had worked in this area (TS
to check with Chris Tullis). GA reported that Steve Durkin had said
that many less popular routes were becoming more and more vegetated
and that this was partly because the lower woodland had grown up and
was blocking the light - he proposed a major clearance programme to
remove all the saplings and some of the larger trees up to 50m below
the crag. 50m was thought to be a bit too far but in principal the
group agreed with the idea. The two main problems are: Who will pay ?
and the issue of the blanket tree preservation order at the crag. It
was felt that the work could mostly be carried out by volunteers, and
that the council's tree preservation officer would be amenable if the
case was put in the proper way. GA asked whether any work days were
needed and TS said he would check with Chris Tullis to see what
Croydon MC had done and then take it from there, including contacting
the council regarding the tree clearance.
4. High Rocks:
OH said that the rhododendrons needed trimming again and that this
would be an on-going task. He also said that the sycamores on the
lower slopes at the north end of the crag were getting high again and
suggested contacting the owners to see if we could do some pruning.
The Woodland Trust own the land from Steps Crack to the fence and it
is very unlikely they would agree to any work in that area. GA felt
there was plenty of scope for a couple of days' work, possible between
Christmas and New Year. The subject of the old bolt on Hut Boulder was
mentioned - it is still there, but GA said that it had been tested
along with the new bolts and was still completely solid. GA said that
the rope that had appeared on the Isolated Boulder easy way up had
been removed and used for a swing. OH suggested removing the birch
above the start of the easy way up, because it is slowly splitting a
huge flake away from the boulder, which could be dangerous. OH said
that more and more people were climbing at the rocks without paying,
which could put access at risk. The group felt that the owners need to
police the crag more if they want this behaviour to change.
5. Bowles:
AP said that the new management had started collecting money in the
evenings, which was a bit of a culture shock as it had never been done
before. He suggested that more people should buy a season ticket. MV
asked whether anyone had raised the subject of resin work with the new
manager, as this was usually done every 5 years or so (funded by the
BMC on previous occasions). TS said that a leaflet published recently
by Bowles to advertise a charity event taking place at the centre in
November unfortunately gave the impression that abseiling was a common
activity on the local crags. It was agreed that contact should be made
with the managementso that there would be a channel of communication
to discuss such matters in the future (the new manager was invited to
the meeting but unfortunately they couldn't make it).
6. Bulls Hollow:
GA said the crag had been in good condition earlier in the year (for
Bulls Hollow, that is). There was a lot of sand at the top of the crag
near Knott, probably due to the bank above crumbling. Croydon MC had
done a lot of good work there recently, but GA said that a day's work
was needed to clear the central area of scrub and that he would
contact the Commons Conservators to get the OK to do this.
7. Eridge:
TS reported that the leaflet produced jointly by climbers and the
Sussex Wildlife Trust had been published and that it was excellent
(unfortunately, he forgot to bring any copies for the others to
inspect). More than one person commented on the amount of dogs' mess
on the path near the main entrance - GA said he thought there had been
a plan to create a second path in this area specifically for dog
walkers. AP mentioned that the bamboo near Prowess has grown very tall
since the rhododendrons were cleared and is now as high as the crag.
8. Stone Farm:
TS said that Harrison's Rocks Management Group (which also administers
Stone Farm) had agreed that a small amount of work was needed to
stabilise the soil inside the revetments around the oak tree below
Undercut Wall, but that the rest of the repairs were bedding in well.
It was also noted that branches from the oak were shading the routes
nearby and causing them to stay green and damp. The same was true of
routes on the Pinnacle, where a sycamore has grown very big in recent
years. GA said there was enough work for perhaps half a day to prune
the branches back.
9. Other Crags:
GA wondered if it might be worth approaching the owners of High Rocks
Annexe to see whether they would agree to some clearance work below
the crag and perhaps the removal of some of the lower branches of the
yew trees.
10. AOB:
TS circulated the latest designs for credit card sized good practice
tags that would be fixed to some of the belay bolts, above the most
popular (and eroded) climbs. The designs were approved, subject to a
minor amendment (which Harrison's Rocks Management Group had
suggested) and SJ agreed to get some quotes - payment eventually to
come from HRMG.
11. Date & Time of Next Meeting:
The next meeting will be combined with the Sandstone Open Meeting in
the middle of May 2009 - exact date and time to be confirmed at HRMG
in January.
PROPOSED FUTURE PROJECTS
If you wish to join the group or be kept up to date with developments, please drop me an e-mail and I’ll add your name to the mailing list. (The list is used purely for SVG communications and your e-mail addresses are not disclosed).
Cheers,
Graham Adcock / adcock@clara.co.uk