The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has launched its own access survey to establish how much people check out the situation at a crag before they set off to climb it.

Many outdoor lovers will have experienced the dismay of heading for a crag with their climbing rope, only to find it is suddenly off limits.

Often this is for good reasons, such as seasonal restrictions being in place due to nesting birds, with this kind of detail being recorded on the BMC's Regional Access Database to enable people to discover this before they make a wasted journey.

As well as asking people how much they use this source of information, the survey also enquires how useful climbers feel it is and whether there are ways in which it can be improved.

One place where the BMC will be able to assure its members of plenty of access is the Gower Coast in south Wales.

It is holding a climbing festival there on the weekend of 14th-16th September.