Snowdon: Legal challenge warning for mountain visitor charge

Any attempt to charge visitors to go up Snowdon mountain could lead to legal challenges, it has been warned.

Gwynedd councillors backed an idea to charge walkers to climb Wales' highest peak after visitors caused congestion and some parked illegally last year.

But Snowdonia National Park's boss said Snowdon had open access agreements which could not be withdrawn.

It comes as 5,000 people have signed a petition seeking the peak to be known only by its Welsh name, Yr Wyddfa.

About 600,000 people a year climb the 3,560ft (1,085m) mountain, at the heart of Wales' oldest national park, as it one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.

Wales' beauty spots have seen large visitor numbers during the coronavirus lockdown and record numbers have flocked to Snowdonia, the 823-sq mile (2,130 sq km) area around Snowdon, as people remained in the UK due to foreign travel restrictions.

The local authority supported plans to charge visitors despite Gwynedd council having no power to implement the charges.

But Emyr Williams, boss of Snowdonia National Park, has told Gwynedd council that any kind of charging system for access to Snowdon would set a precedent for public rights of way.

"This would undoubtedly be subject to significant and severe legal challenge at a national level," he warned.

Landowners cannot charge for access to land, but can ask people to pay for facilities, like toilets, parking and attractions.

Ramblers Cymru have warned charging walkers would set a "dangerous precedent" and more should be done to actively promote other walking routes to stop overcrowding.

Currently hikers can help pay for the upkeep of maintenance of mountain paths, by donating money at hotels or adding a donation to their bill.

Since April, people have had to pre-book to park to walk up Wales' highest mountains to stop queues at the summit.

Hundreds of people were fined for dangerous parking as hikers flocked back to Snowdon when lockdown restrictions were eased last year.

It comes as Welsh language campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith has handed over a petition with 5,000 signatures from people from around the world calling for Snowdon to only be known by its Welsh name.

Snowdonia Park Authority is looking into the use of Welsh place names so Snowdon would be known as Yr Wyddfa and Snowdonia as Eryri.

Wyn Ellis Jones, Snowdonia national park authority's chairman, said it was "committed to protecting and promoting the use of native place names for everyday use and for future generations".