Snowdonia mountains ‘busier than Blackpool’
REGULAR HIKERS UPSET BY REPORTS OF LITTERING, FAECES AND LONG SUMMIT QUEUES OVER EASTER
LONG queues formed on Snowdonia’s honeypot mountains as visitors scrambled to make the most of the Easter sunshine.
However, National Park bosses said problems with littering and parking were no more significant than usual.
Car parks and laybys were full but park-and-ride schemes were said to have coped well with the influx of walkers.
Only on the A5 in the Ogwen Valley were there issues of illegal parking with some motorists removing traffic cones next to pavements, according to Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA).
Well publicised claims about human faeces being found on Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) sparked heated online debates about public access to the mountain.
Some said Wales’ highest peak was now “busier than Blackpool”, others noted that queuing times for Alton Towers’ rides were often shorter than the wait to reach Snowdon’s summit (30 minutes for The Smiler, 20 minutes for Wicker Man, on Easter Monday, according to the TowersStreet Facebook page).
The result was a “Piccadilly Circus” on the mountain that spoiled its unique appeal, critics argued.
The long queues that often snake down from its peak were labelled “bonkers” and unique to Snowdon – quite unlike anything seen on any other mountain in Britain and Europe.
Others hit back at criticism of tourists and the “over-commercialisation” of Snowdonia’s (Eryri) mountains.
One person said Snowdon’s popularity was inevitable.
“To the majority of the 600,000 people a year who climb it, it is and will be the highest mountain they will ever summit,” he said.
Another said it was “perfectly reasonable” for people to head to Gwynedd’s mountains at weekends when the weather is good.
“Not everyone has the luxury of time off in the week or when it’s quieter early in the morning,” she said.
“These are popular, accessible routes, especially for people who have been waiting for a day off and the weather to be OK.
“Yeah sure, the parking is a nightmare, and I get that, but to call people muppets or idiots is a bit unfair, at least they are getting outside.”
Given the importance of tourism to North Wales, some people said it was disappointing to see so much “moaning” about Snowdonia’s walkers.
One said: “Do we not visit England’s tourist attractions and queue for ages to get in or see a certain attraction?
“It’s an achievement for some people to say they’ve hiked up the highest mountain in Wales.
“There’s a purpose-built path to the summit for a reason.”
SNPA has long promoted the less-visited peaks of southern Snowdonia but with mixed results.
The Rhinogs were reported to be quiet over the Easter weekend as visitors gravitated to the likes of Snowdon and Tryfan.
However, Cadair Idris, near Dolgellau, had a busy Easter.
Even on Snowdon there are plenty of places where solitude is possible, away from the peaks and main tracks.
“It is crazy how quiet Garnedd Ugain is, being just 20 metres smaller,” said one person.
He said Snowdonia’s popularity was an inevitable consequence of successive lockdowns combined with Eryri’s enduring beauty and accessibility.
“I own a hostel and am forever trying to get people to try the likes of Siabod, Y Garn and Cnicht instead, to avoid these queues,” he said.
“But the queues in my mind are a necessary evil. They are better than the chaos that would ensue if there weren’t any.”
Freedom to explore comes with responsibility.
The weekend’s queues brought littering and toileting, and there is concern that too many people are going illequipped for a day on the mountains.
Experts fear novices are being motivated by social media to choose dangerous routes beyond their capabilities.
“It is great to see so many people coming to Eryri (Snowdonia) to enjoy this exceptional area,” was one comment.
“But it is only through working together that we can continue to protect and preserve these fragile landscapes.”
People being caught short on the mountains is an age-old problem and has long been an issue for the staff and volunteers who keep Snowdon clean.
SNPA said they had worked “tirelessly” over the weekend but a spokesperson added: “The matters that were addressed over the weekend are not new problems.
“The conclusion from the staff and volunteers on the ground showed the issues were not as significant as were reported in the media.”
To cope with Snowdon’s 700,000 annual visitors, and to accommodate parking problems elsewhere in the national park, bus services have been improved this year.
At peak times, the Snowdon Sherpa operation is running every 15 minutes and there is a new S5 service from Llanberis and Nant Peris to Pen y Pass. Connecting routes allow access from the likes of Bangor, Caernarfon, Porthmadog and Llanrwst.
An SNPA spokesperson added: “We are placing sensors at all our car parks around the foothills of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).
“This will enable potential visitors to make informed decisions about which areas they wish to visit and have a back-up plan if the car parks are at full capacity.”