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Coronavirus: Parts of Brecon Beacons set to reopen

BBC Pen y Fan is the highest peak in south Wales at 2,907ft (886m)BBC
Pen y Fan, the highest peak in south Wales, will remain shut for the time being

Parts of the Brecon Beacons national park will reopen to local people next week for the first time since coronavirus restrictions started.

The park authority said it had been reviewing its approach since the Welsh Government announced the easing of some lockdown measures.

It hopes to open some areas from Monday, but more popular sites, such as Pen y Fan, will remain closed.

It said protecting people and health services was the "utmost priority".

Wales' national parks and other beauty spots were thronged with visitors at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, with the closure of many sites then coming with the lockdown at the end of March.

While the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority said it was preparing to reopen some parts of the park, "pending agreement with partners", it has not specified which sites will reopen.

The Waterfalls Country, Llyn y Fan Fach and Pen y Fan would "need to remain closed for the time being", the park said, with a list of closed parts of the park available online.

Who will be able to visit the Brecon Beacons?

Only people who live locally will be able to use the routes once they have reopened.

Lockdown rules in Wales say people from two different households can meet outdoors, within five miles of their home but must remain two metres apart.

People can go for a walk, or run or cycle, with people from a second household, as long as they stay local, are not in large groups and maintain the two-metre distance.

Nigel Davies Sgwd yr Eira waterfall in full flowNigel Davies
Sgwd yr Eira waterfall, a popular attraction for walkers in the Brecon Beacons, will stay closed

Other steps being undertaken by the park authority include:

  • Meeting with partners to co-ordinate the reopening of some sites in line with the Welsh Government's traffic light system for lifting lockdown
  • Starting preparations for the eventual reopening of car parks and toilets, including legionella testing and installation of safety systems ahead of the next Welsh Government review
  • Working with national and regional partners to "develop a coordinated approach to re-opening"

"It is our guiding principle that we should avoid contributing to an increased public health risk from large numbers of people flocking to beauty spots and their impact on local communities," the authority said on its website.

Chairman Gareth Ratcliffe said: "The protected landscape will be well worth the wait when it's finally safe to return - safe for local communities, visitors and staff."

Meanwhile, Snowdonia National Park Authority said that, while it had been working with other authorities to consider how to prepare for reopening, it had no specific dates to announce.

It said any reopening would be "cautious and measured and... phased".