From Tony:

The Wellington Trust recently called a meeting of climbers to talk about parking issues and track clearance and maintenance, given a rapid increase in use of the area.

In a nutshell, they have come up with a plan to improve the parking, without going overboard, and have advised that they would prefer it if climbers would use as few tracks up to the cliffs as possible, to minimise bush cutting and erosion.

They are also willing to help with some track stabilisation where necessary. They are not talking about "improving" the tracks to a higher standard or encouraging non-climbers to use them.

The Trust would welcome comment and has asked climbers to discuss which tracks should be used and which need some remediation. Check out the suggestions and minutes (below) and share your thoughts so we can put forward a good cross-section of views at the next meeting - and any suggestions as to how we might celebrate 50 years of climbing on the Pipes... Cheers

Tony McKenny