Editor

The Ramblers in North Wales and elsewhere have welcomed the increase in walking that has been a positive in difficult times and we have been especially pleased to see people getting to know their ‘milltir sgwar’/local area.

The recent vote by Gwynedd Council to investigate the possibility of charging tourists who visit parts of the park and possibly for visiting the summit of Snowdon was in part linked to the large number of visitors and overcrowding.

Ramblers would be totally opposed to any restrictions being put on public rights of way and the access land on Snowdon, the National Park or anywhere else. It would not be legal to charge people for climbing the mountain and it would not affect the antisocial behaviour of the minority. We would also be likely to lose money due to the huge practical problems to set up any scheme like this and from visitors going elsewhere.

Rather than putting people off visiting our beautiful area, we believe energy and money should go into providing sustainable access to Snowdon, educating people on care for the environment and promoting less used areas of the National Park.

We would welcome wider discussions on the costs, benefits and impact of tourism.

On the transport side this has to be started already with the welcome plans from the Snowdonia National Park Authority and Snowdon Partnership to consider a sustainable/Austrian-style visitor scheme including larger ‘park and rides’, zero carbon buses and integrated transport links.

As outlined in the recent Ramblers Cymru manifesto ahead of the 2021 elections in Wales, we want the legacy of this dreadful pandemic to be that Wales invests more in supporting people’s access to the paths and landscapes around them. Walking should be at the heart of communities as it brings wonderful benefits to people’s health and wellbeing, and done sustainably can also bring long term economic benefits.

Joanna Slattery, on behalf of North Wales Area Ramblers) 15 Vicarage Avenue Llandudno

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