Eryri: essential path upgrades or motorways through the hills?
In the last three years Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park Authority have been very active in working on a number of lower level bridleways around Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and more recently started work on the bridleway connecting Capel Curig to Crafnant. While some of these trails have given opportunities to link communities and provide access to lesser-abled users, the scale and nature of the works on some of the routes that pass through some wild and remote areas has also surprised many users.
As well as carrying out much needed repairs to the high level and seriously eroded paths on popular peaks such as Yr Wyddfa and Cadair Idris, some of which were part funded by funds raised by BMC members through the “Mend our Mountains” campaign, Snowdonia National Park also has an objective of upgrading many low level routes, enabling access for a greater range of people including the less abled, the disabled and inexperienced walkers.
Some of these upgraded trails such as the Lon Gwyrfai, in the valley west of Snowdon, connecting Beddgelert and Rhyd Ddu mainly follows existing forest trails and runs parallel to a major A Road, offering the walker, cyclist and horse-rider, a welcome, safe and mainly traffic-free alternative to using busy and dangerous A roads.
However, over the last two years, many hill users, both walkers and mountain bikers have been surprised and even shocked at the scale of works being carried out on the bridleway running up Bwlch Maesgwm, the valley that connects Llanberis to the Snowdon Ranger Path on Yr Wyddfa. This is a bit of an iconic mountain bike route, crossing a high mountain col at nearly 500m, and provided users with a flowing natural trail, with natural obstacles such as rock barriers and small drops, as well as being partially stone pitched to quite a high standard, by the National Park Authority itself, only a few years ago. While it’s fair to say there were some maintenance issues and several drainage pipes and ditches had fallen into disrepair, the natural obstacles and features provided a natural “brake” for fast mountain bikers and the bridleway provided a fine natural flowing route for those wanting to ascend Snowdon on a different route or walkers doing the wonderful Moel Eilio circuit.
WATCH: Mend Our Mountains Snowdonia National Park
Many local users were shocked to see heavy machinery, excavators and dumper trucks and teams of National Park workers, working on this route for nearly two years, with work still ongoing today, including recently using a type of concrete surfacing, after the freshly laid surfacing of gravel was washed out within weeks of being laid. Many hundreds, if not thousands, of tons of gravel aggregate have been carried in 30-ton lorries up the narrow lanes to the base of the path, before being carried further up the hill in dumper trucks. The end result is a uniform trail, that looks and feels more akin to a new hill-track and has an over-engineered and very urban feel.
The Park Authority say that in time, the visual impact will soften and that by constructing a one-off, large capital investment project, (probably costing well in excess of £200,000 for this trail alone), it will avoid the need for expensive maintenance in years to come. An unintended but forseeable consequence of smoothing out the natural features and using excavators to remove the rock barriers and steps has been an increase in conflict between descending cyclists and walkers, due to the increased speed of descending cyclists as the smooth surface promotes fast descents by even the most considerate of mountain bikers, a point that was raised by many users before the path was upgraded. In order to warn of this danger, there are now prominent signs at the 500m high col, warning cyclists not to “speed on the road” and stating that they could be “prosecuted under the Road Traffic Act” for speeding, further urbanising this hitherto remote col, as well as being a legally questionable threat!
Despite concerns about the lack of consultation and the lack of opportunity for user groups and local communities to be involved in shaping these improvements being expressed to the Park Authority, local walkers and mountain bikers were even more shocked in the new year to see similar works being undertaken on the bridleway that connects Capel Curig to Crafnant, again with no apparent effort to consult with user groups or even local users and residents.
READ: Labour of love: what it takes to be a mountain path repairer
Due to urgent concerns expressed by local members, BMC Cymru’s North Wales Area requested further information, and representatives were invited to a site meeting with National Park officials in the second week of January. This trail, which connects the village of Capel Curig to the remote and quite difficult to access Crafnant valley on the southern edge of the Carneddau is also being given the “Bwlch Maesgwm” treatment, with excavators and dumper trucks creating an uniform smooth trail up through Nant y Geuallt, hundreds of tons of aggregate being transported up the valley and excavators being used to peck away the natural rock steps.
At the meeting, the Park Officers, again justified the works on the grounds that a large civil engineering project (this time estimated to be costing about £100,000) was required to avoid ongoing future maintenance work. It's understood by all that some drainage and targeted maintenance work is required and its good to see the National Park investing in path work but most see it difficult how there could be justification in creating, what is effectively a new road, dumper-width wide, for over two kilometers in length, across a perfectly good path that did not require any upgrading, simply to provide access to transport materials and machinery for the couple of hundred metres of path that was a bit boggy.
They conceded and apologised that the level of consultation had been inadequate, and that this was due to the funds being offered at a very late stage of the financial year to the National Park by the Welsh Government and that they were under a strict timetable to spend the funds. They also promised that they would have a full and open consultation before planning any further or similar work in the National Park and were working on creating a process to ensure that all relevant communities and groups would be consulted before further new works are considered.
However local resident and landscape photographer Nick Livesey has been particularly incensed by this recent work, stating on his social media account:
"The beautiful little path which threads its way through Nant y Geuallt is no more. Times without number I have trodden it, a path of antiquity and great charm. A bridleway where those on two wheels and two feet coexisted in mutual respect for each other and the gorgeous landscapes we travel through.
The path is in the process of being widened (from the lovely footbridge above Bryn Tyrch Farm) and has had aggregate of some description (I'm no expert on such things) raked onto it in much the same way as the path from Bwlch Maesgwm to the Snowdon Ranger.
It is completely trashed and has totally changed the character of the valley.
Why? Who thought this was a good idea and a good use of SNPA's money?
A digger operator told me that the plan was to continue all the way to the bwlch above Crafnant. Even if it doesn't get that far the damage done is unforgivable.
I’m fuming and I am also greatly saddened. A philistine solution to a problem that didn't exist”.
Another long-term and local Welsh speaking resident stated "We want upkeep on paths but not this sort of inappropriate development! As discussed…some thoughtful stonework in the wettest places would have been sufficient"
The BMC North Wales Area members will discuss this further at their meeting on Tuesday January 18th, and while welcoming the Park’s commitment for better and improved consultation, many are very disappointed to see such engineered works being carried out in wild and remote places within a National Park by the very same authority whose primary responsibility and purpose, as stated in law is “to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Parks”.
LISTEN: Snowdon episode of our Wild Horizons podcast
Related Content
Mend Our Mountains Articles
Work to improve the first route at Roseberry Topping from Newton Woods to the summit is now complete, but there are 9 more sections of path repair to go over the next two years. Here's everything you need to know about the ongoing repairs, where to walk, when and why.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
Help the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust raise FREE donations with all your online shopping this Christmas with Easyfundraising
Mend Our Mountains Articles
This Sunday is National Hiking Day, celebrated on 17 November, encouraging people to get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of nature through hill walking. Use the BMC's hiking route ideas to inspire you and our mapping discounts and freebies to navigate your way.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
With a new all-terrain, electric mobility scooter in the Cotswolds Natural Landscape thanks to Mend Our Mountains support, we celebrate the rise in accessible outdoor routes with a top six across the UK.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
Part-funded by the BMC, the new Great Bradley Bridge in Exmoor opens up access to the famous, 117-mile Two Moors Way long distance walking trail. Here are our five favourite walks that take in this new crossing.
Cerdded Bryniau Newyddion
With almost 2,000m of footpath around Haytor Rocks in Dartmoor newly repaired, thanks to BMC Access & Conservation Trust funding from the Mend Our Mountains campaign, here are our top 5 walks and climbs in the area.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
Do you have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) days to fill or is your company looking for new and exciting CSR days for your staff? The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has the answers.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
Did you know that the 140,000 miles of footpaths and bridleways we have access to in England and Wales are under serious threat? The footpaths you love the walk on are disappearing fast before our eyes due to erosion from increased footfall and more extreme weather conditions. Here are 14 reasons why we can't ignore footpath erosion.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
The BMC volunteers have been super busy this summer, with the latest Get Stuck In project seeing 12 of them create a 50m length of stepping stone path to make a more sustainable way through the bog below Tryfan, Eryri (Snowdonia), North Wales.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
If you're a BMC member or if you have made a donation to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust (ACT), you are directly supporting our Mend Our Mountains campaign which is funding Fix the Fells again this year. Your contributions enable rangers like Caroline Mercer to consistently repair and manage the Lake District paths that we love to walk on. We caught up with Caroline on a path above Derwent Water, near Keswick, to find out about a typical day in her life - it's pretty hard work!
Cerdded Bryniau Newyddion
This August, 14 BMC volunteers spent two days on The Band in Langdale, Lake District, making repairs to a 100m stretch of footpath in the latest Get Stuck In event, funded by the Mend Our Mountains campaign from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
BMC member Roy Hammond from Congleton, Cheshire, has now volunteered seven times for Get Stuck In events, funded by the Mend Our Mountains 2024 campaign from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust (ACT). This summer he stepped it up a notch and led the Get Stuck In Eryri event this June, coordinating a dozen volunteers who stayed in the Lincoln Mountaineering Hut in Deiniolen, North Wales. The group worked for 6 hours during both days, including a hike up to 750m on Glyder Fach on day one. We asked Roy what he gets out of volunteering on the Get Stuck In events for the BMC, and what it's like to start organising them himself.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
The BMC’s Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) is pleased to announce a seventh project within the Mend Our Mountains campaign for 2024.
Hill Walking Articles
This Welsh 3,000s challenge is one of the best and most testing runs in Eryri (Snowdonia). It takes in all of the region's 3,000ft+ peaks, starting with Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and ending on Foel Fras in the Carneddau. Technical and rocky in places, boggy in others; it's a tricky and technical undertaking requiring good navigation skills, and completing it successfully is not a foregone conclusion for even expert runners. Below, Welsh 3,000s veteran Sarah Stirling walks (or runs) us through the ups and downs of taking on this epic feat, with top tips and insight from a panel of folk who have also risen to the challenge.
Hillwalking Destinations
Cold water enthusiast Sarah Stirling reveals some of the best short walks in North Wales that include a dipping spot en route. Strip off your human cares and discover the many mental and physical health benefits to be found in the chilly llyns of Eryri (Snowdonia)!
Mend Our Mountains Articles
One of the biggest projects ever supported by Mend Our Mountains has hit its huge fundraising target, enabling repairs to be made to badly damaged sections along the South Downs Way.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
The dramatic skyline of the Great Ridge walk connects the summits of Lose Hill and Mam Tor in Derbyshire’s Hope Valley. Heavy footfall left the path in a badly eroded state and work to repair the damage to the path started in March this year, and has seen 500 metres of the most serious damage along the path repaired to protect the surrounding landscape and bordering habitat.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
A kilometre-long stretch of one most heavily eroded footpaths in the heart of Bannau Brycheiniog (The Brecon Beacons) has been fixed, thanks to £12,100 of funding from the BMC’s Mend Our Mountains crowdfunding campaign.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
England’s highest mountain has been a constant headache for its custodians, the National Trust and Fix the Fells, as ever-increasing numbers seek to top England’s highest summit. Yet a poignant anniversary has highlighted the continuing need for large-scale projects to repair and revamp its slopes and pathways.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
The money raised through the Mend Our Mountains: Make One Million appeal has started going into work on the ground, after a dramatic helicopter airlift helped path repair work to get underway on Yorkshire’s highest peak.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
Commuting with crampons, hard outdoor labour, and spending 120 hours a week with your colleagues - we speak to a mountain path repairer to find out more about the highs and lows involved in this vital job.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
Mend Our Mountains: Make One Million has helped leave a lasting legacy on some of the highest peaks not only in Scotland, but in the whole of the British Isles.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
The Nuns Cross Path is used by more than 30,000 walkers and 10,000 mountain bikers, as well as horse riders, disabled ‘trampers’ and many others each year - it is a shining example of the accessible but wild landscape Dartmoor can be. But a combination of extreme weather, like the storms of winter 2014, and erosion damage had taken its toll over the years. In stepped the BMC's Mend Our Mountains campaign.
Dringo Creigiau
Dinorwig slate quarries gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2018
Mynediad & Chadwraeth
Seven things you always wanted to know about path repair (but were too afraid to ask)
Mend Our Mountains Articles
If you're a BMC member or if you have made a donation to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust (ACT), you are directly supporting our Mend Our Mountains campaign which is funding Fix the Fells again this year. Your contributions enable rangers like Liam Prior to consistently repair and manage the Lake District paths that we love to walk on. We caught up with Liam on the very popular path up Scafell Pike from Wasdale Head to find out what a typical day in his life is like - it's quite demanding!
News
As part of Volunteers Week 3 - 9 June we have Cotswold Voluntary Warden Walk Leader Margaret Reid sharing her inspiring experience. Margaret organises and leads walks in the Cotswolds National Landscape for people from the Friendship Cafe in Gloucester. Activities like this are made possible with funding from the BMC Mend Our Mountains project from the BMC Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) charity.
Mynediad Dysgwch
BMC volunteers from the Get Stuck In programme joined Fix the Fells last month in Wasdale on Lingmell Breast, one of the main routes up to Scafell Pike. They spent the day helping to maintain part of this hugely popular footpath up to England’s highest mountain.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
May is National Hill Walking month, but not everyone finds it easy to access this hills, whether that’s due to physical, financial or knowledge-based barriers.
News
The Watkin Path up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and the peat hags on neighbouring mountain Glyder Fach have benefitted from BMC volunteer improvement work on the latest Get Stuck In event, 15-16 April 2024. This was organised by Hill Walking Rep Steve Charles and Access & Conservation Officer (Wales) Tom Carrick as part of the Mend Our Mountains project, funded by the BMC Access & Conservation Trust.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
The BMC’s volunteering arm, Get Stuck In, donated £1,500 to Fix the Fells this week to buy footpath repair tools to enable our teams to quite literally get stuck in to fixing the mountain footpaths in the Lake District.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
Mend Our Mountains is back for 2024 with six incredible access and conservation projects across England and Wales. This project is funded by the BMC’s Access and Conservation Trust charity (ACT) and we would like to thank all our members, supporters and volunteers for making vital work like this possible. Here’s what is happening this year as a result of your funding, including volunteering events you can get involved with.
Hillwalking Destinations
Nature photographer and explorer John Beatty talks about the Carneddau mountains in Snowdonia, and why he goes there in search of connection and space.
Hillwalking Destinations
The BMC are urging people heading for Wales’ highest mountain in winter to be prepared.
Mountaineering Articles
The North Wales White guide is a free guide to inform and educate winter climbers in Snowdonia on how best to enjoy the area, while minimising damage to protected habitats and fragile environments.
Cerdded Bryniau Dysgwch Sgiliau
This thrilling Grade 1 scramble in Eryri (Snowdonia) is one of the country’s most popular ridges - so what does it take to tackle Crib Goch?
Rock Destinations
The most famous route up Tryfan is the North Ridge: a long and thrilling grade one scramble that makes a perfect introduction to the sport. We take a look at how to tackle it.