Hi All,
I thought it'd be worth a quick post to update everyone on the fire situation up at Bamford Edge now that things have settled down a bit.
When I went up yesterday the ground was still feeling pretty warm, so it is with some degree of relief that it is raining today. The area of land affected stretches from just beneath Wrinkled Wall, over and across towards Neb Buttress.
The fire service, along with local farmers + gamekeepers, did a good job of keeping it back from the top, which would have inevitably resulted in a much larger fire. Their efforts have also meant that access to each of the buttresses is pretty much the same as before, with the only consideration being the direct approach from Neb Buttress - Wrinkled Wall. Previously you'd have contoured the hillside along one of the crag's many trods/sheep tracks, but I suspect it'd be much more favourable to go to the top of the crag, then walk around and down due to the ashen nature of the landscape below. I've attached a couple of pics below which should outline the extent of the damage.
In light of this there's no reason to avoid the crag and - in light of recent events - I'd almost rather that climbers and hillwalkers were out all times, as every set of eyes and ears out looking for people with BBQs is a blessing right now.
That said, I'm posting this just as the temperatures have dropped so hopefully it won't be an issue for a while, but given that it's only the start of summer I suspect this isn't the last we'll see of it.
Happy cragging!
