'Concerns' over mystery of missing signs in national park

The mystery of missing signs in a national park is causing growing “concern”.

Posts and markers along a long-distance trail in Eryri National Park, also known as Snowdonia, have disappeared.

The local council said it was “considering its response” to the incident along the Snowdonia Slate Trail, an 83-mile circular route around the northern part of Eryri, starting in Bangor.

Bran Devey of Ramblers Cymrutold Sky News that “a lot of time and effort goes into putting these beacons in place.”

“We don’t really have any information as to why someone did this or the logic behind it at this time,” he said.

“I know when I spoke to our volunteers when they were putting up the poles, they told me it was quite a challenge to put them up because of the location. So obviously someone has targeted this area for some reason and decided to move them out of the posts.”

Aled Owen, one of the administrators of the Snowdonia Slate Trail, told Sky News it was the second time this had happened.

“On the posts there are plastic cockades and whoever took them removed the cockades,” he said.

“Someone had seen one of the roundels in a ditch near where the posts were.

“Someone took the posts to reuse them or something as a fence.”

Mr Owen said it would now be more difficult for visitors to walk in the fog.

“We’re going to put more notes on our website to lead the way,” he said.

“But it wastes time for our volunteers who installed the signs and Gwynedd Council workers and the aim of the path is to bring business to the old slate villages in the area.”

A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said there was no clear reason for the removal of the posts, but the council was trying to resolve the issue with “stakeholders”.

“It is extremely disappointing that these features were removed, especially when members of the Ramblers voluntarily gave their time to install them and improve the trail,” they said.

An Eryri|Snowdonia spokesperson said respect for the park and its communities was “paramount”.

“Beacons serve as essential guides for outdoor enthusiasts, ensuring they follow designated routes,” they added.

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Mr Devey says the mystery surrounding the missing panels is part of a “broader problem”.

“We are seeing issues with markers and poles disappearing,” he said.

“Obviously some areas seem to be targeted, like this, because they're in a more isolated area, so it wouldn't be someone vandalizing, maybe someone who has a reason why they doesn't want it to be there anymore.

“More broadly, when it comes to access in Wales, we estimate that around 50% of trails in Wales have accessibility issues and many of these issues are linked to a lack of signage and signposts.”