The BMC purchased the crag and the strip of land immediately around it in 2017 for the benefit of climbers, walkers and public enjoyment on foot. The area owned by the BMC roughly translates on the ground to land from the wall above the crag to the tree line below it. This means that to reach BMC owned land, visitors will approach across Barden Moor - land owned by Bolton Abbey Estate, but subject to an access agreement which allows open access in a very similar way to the CRoW Act. (This agreement finishes in 2018, at which point Barden Moor will become official Open Access land under CRoW.) There is no public right of way leading from the access point at Embsay Moor Reservoir to BMC owned land, but given the open access rights to Barden Moor this is not a problem. However, the landowner has a right to temporarily close access to their land for up to 28 days per year (usually during the shooting season) and there is a permenant dog ban which applies to Barden Moor. See access and parking section below for details.
Parking and Approach
Park at Embsay Moor Reservoir and take the permissive path across Barden Moor (owned by Bolton Abbey Estate and part of a public access agreement) to the crag.
Bear in mind that the path is not a right of way but a permissive path and the land it crosses to reach BMC land can be temporarily closed for shooting for up to 30 days per year – please do not attempt to access Crookrise on these days. These closures can be at short notice, but signs will be posted at the access point and on this page when the BMC are notified. You can also visit or call the Bolton Abbey Estate Office on 01756 718000 and ask for any updates on closures. Importantly however access is never closed on a Sunday, which gives a reliable weekend day to visit if planning a trip in advance.
CRoW Information
The land owned by the BMC (the narrow strip of land approximately falling between the dry stone wall above the crag and the woodline below the crag) is desingated as Open Access land. The BMC encourages public access to this and all it's land for climbing, walking and other quiet recreation on foot.
Barden Moor (which must be crossed to reach BMC owned land) currently falls under a public access agreement between Bolton Abbey Estate and North Yorkshire Council allowing public access to the moor and a number of permissive paths, one of which runs past Crookrise. This access can be closed for up to 30 days per year under the agreement - see 'parking and approach' section for more details. The exisiting access agreement may finish in the future if either party choose to terminate it, at which point Barden Moor would become designated Open Access land under CRoW.