More than 660,000 visitors climbed Snowdon during 2021. There were large queues at the summit almost every day in summer.
“We’ve experienced two years of very unusual tourist seasons, from lockdown to a very large influx of new tourists - those people who would probably have gone overseas for their holidays,” said council leader Dyfrig Siencyn. And it increased the pressure on our communities substantially. It was very good for businesses and our local economy, but we also had a new kind of tourist (1), who really didn’t understand the communities that we live in, or the environment. Some people can travel to Snowdon, climb up the mountain, make a mess and then go home without contributing anything to the local economy. What we need to do is to look at ways we can make tourism benefit our communities rather than exploiting them."
Saw a programme on the Lake District yesterday they have a similar problem with people climbing Scarfell . So many people go up it they have eroded the path.
As for the nearby villages there are practically no villagers all the houses are second homes ,holiday let’s and b an b s tiny cottages go for £500k and there is nothing for a local person to rent .
Yes, I have walked on Glyder Fawr & Fach in horizontal snow in early summer. And at the back of them on a scree slope there are plants growing, which are only native to the Arctic Circle & Snowdonia.
That is not unique to the Lake District. A lot of the villages around North Norfolk are 90% in commers & second homes. As for Sandringham in North West Norfolk, unless you are very wealthy, a Royal holiday maker, or a Royal surf, then forget that area.
Rising numbers of visitors to Snowdonia National Park has caused a drop in bird numbers and species, a report suggests. The study looked at the human impact on the landscape and wildlife of popular uplands, woodlands and coastal areas across north and west Wales.
Reasons for the decline included disturbance from more walkers in the mountains and motor watercraft and paddleboard users on the coast. Footpath erosion worsened, the report also said.
The surveys were commissioned by Natural Resources Wales, the National Trust and the Snowdonia National Park Authority in June 2020, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Erosion was also a “key feature” of the report following two extremely busy visitor seasons in a row, leading to a concentration of walkers eroding footpaths such as Cwm Llan on Snowdon’s Watkin Path, and coastal vegetation being trampled in Ynys Llanddwyn.
Ecologist and author of the report, Ben Porter, said: “It is clear that there are big challenges facing Eryri (Snowdonia) and its wildlife, from widespread littering issues to increasingly severe weather events amidst an escalating climate crisis, threatening some of the unique species that exist here. The Snowdonia National Park Authority, The National Trust and Natural Resources Wales are working together on numerous projects and strategies to reduce the effect of visitor numbers on the landscapes and biodiversity.”
Work includes a long-term sustainable approach to tourism and transport in the region which will be an environmentally friendly way to visit north west Wales, and in turn lessen the impact on wildlife and habitats.
The trouble is, Snowdonia shouldn’t have such beautiful scenery and be within driving distance of some of the major towns and cities. Over the last twenty years or so, there has been a purge to get people out walking and exercising in the country. Everywhere you look there are public information signs urging people to protect the NHS by keeping fit and visiting the wild places…
So what did they think would happen…
I don’t suppose the local businesses subscribe to the BBC’s way of thinking…
Call me selfish, but I prefer to keep it a secret when I find a good quiet wild place…
I can do without all and sundry dropping their litter, eroding the paths, and letting their dogs run wild while raising hell in the solitude of nature…
There will be youngsters who have simply never been told the do’s and don’ts of the country code, and one can’t simply rely on common sense and courtesy to have been taught to them either for them to have the imagination to apply the bleeding obvious.
I have been on coach trips with children who really didn’t have a clue that the animals they saw in fields were sheep, cows, etc (and deffo didn’t know that we eat them). So there no chance that they’d know what to do if allowed to roam around the countryside. After all, for them, dropping litter on streets, creating a bit of damage for fun etc is the norm and tends to be fixed by someone else like the council or home owner. They literally won’t be able to understand the difference between a town/city and fields.
Blimey … what sort of education are those children getting …
That sort of ignorance was typical of children evacuated from the East End of London during WWII but they didn’t have the benefit of media resources that are available nowadays …
I don’t think its so much the disrespect of the countryside Dex, although the popular places do suffer from a rise in litter, its more the sheer weight of numbers. As people have more spare time and the wild places become more accessible and visitor friendly, it attracts lots of people until they become overwhelmed.
when I was a kid I was taught by regular training and spot renewed training by my parents NOT to throw discarded items - simple regular training day by day by drop!!
I have to say I have never met any children answering to that description.
People blame children for too much if they drop litter it’s because their parents have not brought them up not to do so .
