Volunteer Story: BMC Access Rep Steve Quinton

Are you a climber or a hill walker?

I would mainly call myself a climber although have been known to walk up hills. My ML logbook consisted largely of walks to climbing spots. I also enjoy a bit of fell running and orienteering which could be classified as hill walking on the slow bits.

What is the highlight of your climbing/hill walking/mountaineering?
Highlights are many; soloing 'Left Wall' many years ago was quite a buzz but more recently, it's all the new routes and the discovery of amazing unclimbed lines on Pembrokeshire sea cliffs. 'The Mark of Zorro' (E5) on St. David's Head is probably still awaiting a second ascent and was an epic, finishing in the dark type of adventure. Also 'Maximus Molementum' (E4) at Penally was a recent re-discovery of an awesome line on an esoteric crag.

Why did you choose to get involved with the BMC?
I think I 'got volunteered' as is the case with a lot of BMC volunteers. My role of Local Access Rep for Pembroke came about when the late and great Dee de Mengel gave up the position to go and sail round the world. As I had been involved with guidebook work and had a pretty good knowledge of the area, plus contacts with conservation bodies through the Pembrokeshire Outdoor Charter Group, I was in a good position to take on the role.

What do you do at the BMC and what impact has this had?
I have been a Local Access Rep for somewhere around 15 years now and a couple of years ago got volunteered to become a BMC Area Rep for Cymru South alongside Will Kilner. As Pembroke Access Rep, my main role is to be the link between climbers and conservation bodies and landowners, trying to ensure we can continue to access the amazing crags around here and ensuring any seasonal, and other restrictions are sensible. Most of the time this is pretty straightforward and we have built up good relationships over the years so that climbers are welcomed and have a strong voice locally.

Since joining the National Council, I have worked on setting up the Partners Assembly as part of the Organisational Review and am just about to get involved in the BMC Cymru/Wales Committee which we hope will give the BMC a bit more influence with the Welsh Government. As an Area Rep (now working with C J Griffiths) I try to represent the views of the average climber and walker on the Members' Council and help to communicate between the area and the Council. This is sometimes really interesting work although sometimes can be a tad dull when the sun is shining and we are stuck in 9 hour meetings. However, it is always impressive and refreshing to see the incredible expertise that comes from a huge number of volunteers across England and Wales that makes the BMC tick.

What successes have you had lately?
Every year I meet with the National Park, National Trust, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and the MoD to set out the seasonal climbing restrictions in Pembrokeshire. This gets easier every year due to the excellent relations that climbers have with the conservation bodies and landowners. This year we agreed a new small restriction at Mother Carey's Kitchen to protect nesting razorbills which were sitting on the crux in the spring of 2024. Hopefully, we can protect the birds and allow most of the climbing to go ahead on this important cliff while having an agreement with NRW to monitor the site and remove the restriction if the birds go elsewhere.  We have also managed to replace a large number of rusty old belay stakes with new galvanised steel ones that are easy to find, and give reliable anchors on cliffs like Huntsman's Leap, Greenham Common and Giltar Slabs.

Any more challenging aspects of the role?
A couple of years ago we were in danger of a breakdown in the relationship between climbers and the military and National Park when a few climbers took advantage of the on-line briefing system by turning up at Range West [an active firing range in Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire] with a load of printed forms that were shared out with people that had not undergone the proper briefing procedure and were not aware of the procedures for accessing Range West safely. This led to several infringements of climbing restrictions and booking on and off systems. It has taken a fair bit of work by BMC staff and volunteers to rebuild trust and maintain cooperation so that we can still access this amazing area. [Latest Range West non-firing and briefing dates here].

Any other volunteers that help you out that you'd like to mention?
It's great to link up with other volunteers from the South Wales area from time to time. Last year I met up with Stu Burns (Gower Access Rep) and did some fence repairs for a farmer at the foot of one of the Gower sport crags. This year, I have done a bit of belaying at a couple of competitions in the Summit Centre expertly organised by Joe Holmes and Joe Lewis. These are brilliant events, full of very strong and very psyched youngsters pushing each other and inspiring us oldies to train harder!

What are your plans for 2025 in your area?
I need to get out to a few of the more remote crags in the early nesting season to check if and where the birds are nesting. Some of the nest sites are difficult to spot and this might involve a kayak trip. Also, we've got a climbing festival to organise for May so that will involve a bit of planning, quiz-writing and persuading locals to get involved.

What would you recommend to people looking to volunteer at the BMC?​​
When taking on a volunteer role, I would say that you need to think of it as a three year process as a minimum. The first year will probably be a bit daunting and you probably won't understand everything that is going on - don't worry - this is normal.  In the second year you will be starting to make a significant contribution and in the third year, you will gain the confidence to argue your points, help out others and start to enjoy the role and recognise your value to the climbing/walking/mountaineering community.

To find out more information on the work of the Access and Conservation Team and the volunteers who work with them follow the link to Access and Conservation articles on our site.

You can find more information on your local area.