Snowdon so overwhelmed with visitors 'it's like Piccadilly Station at rush hour'

Snowdon is being overwhelmed with thousands of visitors climbing the mountain making it “busier than Manchester’s Piccadilly Station at rush hour” some weekends.

The Snowdonia Society has raised concerns that the popularity of the mountain is having an adverse impact, particularly on footpaths and it wants to encourage walkers to explore other peaks in the National Park.

The campaign group has also challenged the Welsh Government to spend as much money in maintaining the mountain and funding public transport links to it as it did on last year’s “Epic” UK-wide advertising campaign which encouraged tourists to visit Snowdonia.

More than 600,000 people are expected to make the trek to the summit this year and good weather since Easter has seen the paths to the summit crowded with walkers, within some having to queue to pass at narrow points.

At the last bank holiday weekend in May walkers had to queue to touch the brass plate at the top of the peak.

One walker who climbed the peak that weekend told the Daily Post: “It’s ridiculous. I come here from Manchester for a bit of peace and quite and find this path busier than Piccadilly Station at rush hour.”

John Harold, director of the Snowdonia Society, said the rise in visitor numbers was also proving a challenge for parking and litter.

He said: “The growth seems to have accelerated in recent years. Obviously the mountain railway takes a lot of people to the top, but charity and challenge events have contributed a rapidly growing percentage too.

“However they get there, and whatever motivates them, a percentage of people find themselves on the mountain without adequate gear or preparation, or simply unfamiliar with the challenges of being in a mountain environment.

“But the issues on Snowdon go beyond people in flipflops on the summit. The levels of usage we are seeing now raise real questions about sustainability, especially if the trends continue. There are challenges around footpaths, parking and transport, litter, dogs, mountain bikes and safety.

“The impacts of dealing with these fall on the already stretched resources of statutory and voluntary sector – (Snowdonia) National Park Authority, National Trust, NRW (Natural Resources Wales), and local charities such as mountain rescue and the Snowdonia Society.”

As a result of the increase in use, footpaths needed to be repaired more frequently at a time when the resources to do it are being cut, he added.

“We see plenty of money spent on advertising campaigns encouraging people to go and ‘find your Epic’, but the National Park Authority funding has been slashed in recent years and mountain rescue charities are having to respond to a growing numbers of call-outs.

“The Snowdonia Society would love to see Welsh Government get the priorities straight on this. Yes the National Park badge is a brilliant way to market Wales to the world but we need to see proper long-term investment in the care and management of the national parks themselves,” he said.

Pressure at key parking sites and at peak times is growing. There are ongoing issues with parking tickets and the resulting bad PR for the area especially at Pen-y-Gwryd.

“Sherpa buses do a great job but their funding is vulnerable to changing priorities in local authorities with declining budgets. Again we’d love to see Welsh Government show high level commitment to the ‘wellbeing’ agenda through a well-funded public transport network in the National Parks,” he added.

The Daily Post has approached the Snowdonia National Park Authority and the Welsh Government for a comment.

Mr Harold said a Snowdon Partnership Plan will go out to consultation in June to tackle some of the issues raised and officials hope it will gain widespread support from across the whole range of groups, organisations and individuals who work, rest, and play on the mountain.