Help repair Snowdonia
SNOWDONIA needs your help. An urgent campaign has been launched by the National Trust to raise £250,000 to repair the national park’s broken paths and restore its wildlife habitats, after a recent review revealed the scale of erosion.
More than four million people visit Snowdonia every year, with 450,000 walking up Snowdon alone—a number that has doubled in the past 10 years. Although the repairs will only focus on 21 ∕2 miles of path, they are vital and rangers stress the need to start work immediately in order to protect rare wildlife, such as the endangered Snowdon beetle.
‘Snowdonia isn’t as tough as it first appears,’ comments National Trust ranger Rhys Thomas. ‘When [footpaths] break up and turn into mud, it can be incredibly difficult to know where to step. Delicate upland habitats are being flattened, making it impossible for ring ouzels nesting on the ground along Snowdon’s Watkin Path to find insects to feed their chicks.’
He continues: ‘I’ve been building and rebuilding paths in the area for eight years. It’s tiring, time-consuming work, involving tens of volunteers shifting tons of stone by hand, vehicle and helicopter.’
The campaign, which is the latest in the National Trust’s long-running Snowdonia Appeal, will continue until the end of 2017. To donate, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ snowdonia-appeal