[Tony]

Given the right to close open access land for 28 days per year this could be a good opportunity for a moderately wealthy climber to avoid (some of) the queues…

[Fultonius]

I'm going to raise a motion for the SMC to buy it and make it a members only crag... Down with the sassenach 

[Paul B]

It'll also include the sale of 'the most dangerous Strava segment' too presumably?

[rginns]

Longridge I understood to be a bargain due to the farmer who owned the land previously having a soft spot for climbers.

I don't think this is true, the farmer had already sold the land to guy that owns the caravan park.

Not what Dave Turnbull said to me - they got it off the farmer who as Spidermonkey says seemed to have a soft spot for climbers

Here you go: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/news/2007/10/the_bmc_have_bought_craig_y_longridge_for_us-40632

Ha! Love the old skool youtube link to Mr. Lincoln cruising some classics in the early 2000s, mint. 

[shark]

BMC statement. Sounds like various wheels are in motion 🤞

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/modules/Article.aspx?id=10611

[Adam Lincoln]

Quite surprised but its been bought by an ex climber called Ian wilson. No plans to change anything so must have more money than sense. Fair play to him

[Bradders]

Sounds like good news to me, nice one Ian.

[geoffg]

Just met him at the crag. Seems a very nice bloke on first acquaintance.

[Tony]

Did it come up in conversation about why he bought it?

I’m just curious/nosey.

There’s not much to be done with the land: it’s CRoW, SSSI, within a NP, under a limestone pavement order. You prob get some Countryside Stewardship grants but not much.

I mean this in the sense that there’s prob very little that can be done to either improve or impede access for climbing.

I imagine a landowner could remove bolts, though that’s a lot of effort.

[spidermonkey09]

Inheritance planning? IHT doesn't apply to agricultural land as I understand it.

[Johnny Brown]

Interesting. There was a fairly substantial rumour going round that The North Face had bought it. Anyone know if there was any truth behind it? I quite like the idea that Ian gazumped them.

[Neil F]

I was told TNF did bid for it, but were outbid (by Ian, it would seem).

Anyone know him from his time as a climber?

[Fiend]

Quite surprised but its been bought by an ex climber called Ian wilson. No plans to change anything so must have more money than sense. Fair play to him

I'd say he has some sense, why not own Kilnsey as an ex-climber eh! Fair play indeed.

[yetix]

Inheritance planning? IHT doesn't apply to agricultural land as I understand it.

I thought this only applied if the land was being used as agricultural land? Is that the case at Kilnsey? I could be wrong just what I thought my dad had said (he's a farmer). Unless it's part of a habitat scheme?

[Tony]

Inheritance planning? IHT doesn't apply to agricultural land as I understand it.

Poor quality farming land on which you will never be allowed to build is not going to get you great returns. And £150k is peanuts in IHT terms. There are definitely better IHT dodges out there…

[spidermonkey09]

Yep, true. Maybe it was simply an act of altruism!

[Bradders]

There's a chap I've seen at the crag a few times who turns up driving a bright orange Aston Martin, same bloke?

Anyway why does there have to be a reason? I really hope it was just a case of "man does nice thing for his community".

[Adam Lincoln]

There's a chap I've seen at the crag a few times who turns up driving a bright orange Aston Martin, same bloke?

Anyway why does there have to be a reason? I really hope it was just a case of "man does nice thing for his community".

Thats probably gorgeous George from the NE!

[lukeyboy]

Anyway why does there have to be a reason? I really hope it was just a case of "man does nice thing for his community".

Hear, hear. Not everything has to be an investment or make financial sense.

Sounds like a good result for the climbing community whatever the motivation.

[petejh]

I'm more interested in why TNF would supposedly bid for Kilnsey. Why? What would they have done with it?

[Tony]

For TNF, a fairly cheap publicity stunt. Brand ident stuff maybe?

I didn’t suggest the purchase was for any personal gain, I just asked why the purchaser bought it.

I also think that it would be unlikely any owner could make much material difference to climbers’ use of the crag (good or bad) given the limited extent of the land and the restrictions imposed on it. As I said earlier, best I could see is the right to close it for a few days a year…

[shark]

As I said earlier, best I could see is the right to close it for a few days a year…

…and take out all the fixed gear if you really wanted to dissuade climbers and climbing

[Potash]

As I said earlier, best I could see is the right to close it for a few days a year…

…and take out all the fixed gear if you really wanted to dissuade climbers and climbing

Final roll of the dice in the Frankie Comes to Kilnsey bolt wars. Militant aid climbers buy Kilnsey in order to finally restore the route to it's A5 glory.

[spidermonkey09]

As I said earlier, best I could see is the right to close it for a few days a year…

…and take out all the fixed gear if you really wanted to dissuade climbers and climbing

Still think this is vanishingly unlikely, pretty much impossible to accomplish without serious knowhow and likely the employment of professional rope access, would cost a fortune as a result, and would be met by both climbers putting new fixed gear in and collective outrage from climbers, UKC, BMC etc. You'd have to really, really care.

Obviously hope it never gets tested but there are numerous crags across the country where this risk theoretically applies I guess.

[Paul B]

"I for one welcome our new insect overlords"...

Anyway why does there have to be a reason? I really hope it was just a case of "man does nice thing for his community"

Being serious for a minute  .