ROCKY END TO HILLSIDE PROPOSAL
ONE man declared his undying love on a Welsh hillside using 150 fence posts, another piled hay on a Devon hill to spell words so big they could be seen by passing motorists.
In London, a man used so many candles for his hilltop “Marry Me” proposal, it was spotted by a Met Police helicopter’s thermal imaging camera.
In each of these cases, the objects of their affection responded positively, once they’d recovered their composure.
Unhappily, a more recent hillside proposal in North Wales met a less favourable outcome.
On the slopes of Dinas Bran, a hill overlooking Llangollen, Denbighshire, a large “Will You Marry Me” proposal was neatly spelled out in rocks.
It must have seemed a great idea: few places offer so much magic as a steep-sided hill topped by the ruins of a medieval castle that offers stunning views of the Dee Valley and beyond.
Having been popped, the question was answered in abrupt fashion when the word “No” appeared below.
Perhaps the use of rocks to deliver the proposal was a mistake: it made the most of local materials but stones are not generally seen as romantic unless they sparkle and cost a small fortune.
In the age of social media, people have been finding ever more eye-catching ways of proposing to their special person.
On the Llyn Peninsula, Gwynedd, a man arranged to have his question written on cliff-side placards as his beloved sailed past on a yacht. She was bowled over.
It’s fair to say that hillside proposals in North Wales have delivered mixed results. In 2008, the question was popped in white paint on a huge spoil heap near Wrexham. Visible from the A483 bypass at Rhostyllen, it too was followed by a brusque “No”.
However, a later addition offered congratulations to “Nick and Vicky”.
Their identities were never confirmed and some suspect a hoaxer may have been at work.
Which may also be the case at Dinas Bran.
A local man said: “There are lots of loose stones up there and different messages appear most days. So the proposal may well have been in jest, as possibly was the ‘No’.”