Locating decent belays at Range West has always been a difficult problem, but thanks to BMC Local Access Rep Steve Quentin working with the MOD, BMC belay stakes are now in place at many locations.

Following on from the announcement of new opening periods for climbing at Range West, more work has been going on to ensure that good belay stakes are now in place at some of the best cliffs on Range West.

After fighting your way up an adventurous classic at Range West, the next problem was a complete dearth of natural belays. The possibility of a falling second dragging the leader off his stance on top of the cliff was a very real possibility, and despite some inventive belaying by regulars, there have been some quite scary close calls here! In most similar situations the obvious answer would be belay stakes, but as the whole site is an active firing range, the likelyhood of driving a stake into unexploded ordnance  (that's bombs to you and me!) is terrifyingly high.

However Steve arranged with the MOD and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Rangers to have selected areas swept and checked by the unexploded bombs unit of the MOD, and then placed galvanised staked provided by the BMC at key points.

Stakes have now ben placed at the following locations :-

Linney Head, Impending Inlet,Cabin Door, Buliber, Keyhole Zawn,. Mt Sion, Greenham Common, and Perimiter Bay.

The usual acces restrictions remain and all climber have to attend the annual briefing at the army camp and register at the guard house before entering Range West. It goes without saying that climbers should not place their own stakes in Range West!

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