Peak pressures mean all events must register

EVENT organisers will have to register their activities on Wales’ highest peak and in surrounding villages this year.

Gwynedd Council and the Snowdonia National Park have jointly launched a registration system for events planned in Llanberis or on Snowdon.

The new requirements apply to small scale events, where less than 50 participants are expected, and larger events such as the Snowdon

mountain race (pictured) and the Snowdonia marathon.

Cllr Gareth Thomas, Gwynedd council’s cabinet member for the economy and community, said the new scheme was in response to increased numbers of visitors and to have better management of the events that wish to take place in Llanberis and on Snowdon.

He said a year of trialling and delivering improvements had been carried out and the system is ready to be used in 2022.

Mr Thomas said the work is part of a wider joint vision between the national park and the council to have better management of visitors through a Sustainable Visitor Economy Plan 2035.

He said: “This is an exciting development and necessary for our communities.

“The new system will also ensure that we can have better control over how many events are happening in the area at any one time, while trying to encourage event organisers to reconsider dates if there are too many being held.

“For the system to work successfully, it is extremely important that all event organisers planning to hold an event on Yr Wyddfa [Snowdon] or Llanberis from 2022 onwards register with this system as soon as possible.”

Peter Rutherford, Snowdonia National Park Access Manager, added: “This information will enable us to encourage event organisers to consider spreading their activities especially on Yr

Wyddfa across the season to ease the pressure on our communities during the peak season. This will also be an opportunity for us to share the right messaging in advance to those organisers particularly on mountain safety, sustainable transport and waste and litter control.”

Locals have given the scheme a cautious welcome and hope it will alleviate problems caused by inconsiderate parking and rubbish.

Events such as the Snowdon race and the Snowdonia marathon are well established and bring a large number of visitors to the area.

Other regular events are the triathlons which make use of Llyn Padarn and the road network.

One resident said large events are normally wellorganised and well-run: “It’s events like the Three Peaks Challenges where participants just arrive here, park anywhere they can and head up the mountain leaving a trail of rubbish.”

Any organiser wishing to host an event in Llanberis or on Yr Wyddfa will be expected to register their event on either the Gwynedd Council website or the relevant National Park page.