'Wheels fall off' Government access body

Natural England, the new body which will take over access issues in October, is being starved of cash, according to its boss.The Independent reports it has seen an email from its chairman Sir Martin Doughty to the Environment Secretary, arch Blairite David Milliband, which says the wheels are coming off the new organisation before it even launches.Defra, the super agency created in the wake of the foot-and-mouth disease crisis of 2001, controls the new organisation's budget and, surprise surprise, it has cut the amount of money available to do the job.The Independent quotes Doughty's email: ""I am deeply concerned that current financial demands being placed upon us by Defra are eroding our capacity to deliver these benefits before we even begin."I understand the need for Defra to live within its budget and Natural England is committed to playing its part in that - we are already committed to £7m of cuts.

Climbing-wall qualification on the way

A wide-ranging consultation on a proposed new qualification for climbing-wall supervisors has closed.Mountain Leader Training UK began the not-too-rapid look at standardising a qualification below the level of the Single Pitch Award, which was introduced for climbing supervisors in 1992.Many indoor walls use in-house training at present rather than a National Governing Body qualification.

Body of top climber found on 'Killer Mountain'

A top mountaineer's body has been found on a Pakistan mountain.Jose Antonio Delgado had been missing on Nanga Parbat since topping out the peak on 12 July.

Fire risk keeps moors closed

Walkers wanting to use right-to-roam areas in the National Parks need to check before setting forth this weekend.Large area of Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) access land in the Peak district remain out-of-bounds because of the high fire risk.

Want to help clean up the Welsh crags?

Climbers in north Wales have a chance to improve their rocky environments in the coming months.North Wales Action Group has arranged various activity days, including replacing abseil points and generally cleaning up crags and climbing routes.

Crooners and ancient bogs in a park near you

What have Frank Sinatra and the Bellringer Handicap got in common? grough thought the latter was something Quasimodo suffered from, but no – the...

Authorities close access areas as moors dry out

Right-to-roam areas in Yorkshire and the Peak District are being closed less than a year after the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, which granted the rights, came fully into force.

Everest death row: Brice speaks out

Everest continues to evoke massive controversy and the world's highest peak is in danger of being submerged in a torrent of bile from various members of the elite band who climb the Himalayan mountain.Latest broadside comes from Russell Brice, who owns a commercial expedition enterprise which concentrates on the northern, Tibetan routes up the mountain.One of his teams was criticised when other mountaineers claimed it walked past British climber David Sharp as he was dying at 8 400m in May this year.His blog on the Himalayan Experience website recounts a sorry tale of poor radio communications, lack of information and frustrations as Brice's own team hit troubles on their climb, which he was supervising remotely from the North Col camp.

Mountain festival coup for Kendal

Kendal’s main claim to fame up until now may have been its mint cake and its adopted son and archetypal grumpy old man Alf Wainwright, but now it can add literary Mecca to its list of attractions.The Boardman Tasker Award, mountain writing’s premier prize, will be hosted in the Cumbrian market town for the first time this year, having been based at the Alpine Club in London since it began in 1983.It’s just one of the events for the November festival, which has grown out of the Mountain Film Festival and attracts participants from across the globe.Lectures by some of the world’s top mountaineers are promised by the organisers, who have yet to announce the final programme.Full details at the festival’s website..