Heavily eroded tourist hotspot path fixed by BMC volunteers in Eryri (Snowdonia)

Access News
26 Jun
2 min read

This June, 13 BMC volunteers completed an 80m section of previously heavily eroded path below Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and cleared vast amounts of invasive Himalayan balsam in the Ogwen Valley in North Wales.

BMC volunteer and Get Stuck In leader Ray Hammond says, “We had a team of 13 volunteers, working with four rangers from the National Trust Cymru Footpath Team in Eryri. On Wednesday 18 June we spent a day removing Himalayan balsam from the banks of Afon Ogwen in Bethesda.

"Himalayan balsam is an invasive species in the UK and has become a significant problem, particularly along river banks and in damp areas where it outcompetes native vegetation and causes erosion. We were able to clear a fairly large pile!

Roy continues, "On Thursday 19 June we were back on the path to the Watkin Pools on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). This is a path that had been created by footfall across to the Watkin Pools from the original Watkin Path up Yr Wyddfa. The pools have become a popular spot post-covid due to Instagram and other social media posts.

"The Eryri (Snowdonia) footpath team decided to put in a proper path to the pools last year to stop the substantial erosion that had been caused and BMC volunteers worked on this path last year at the start of the project. This time, a team of 13 volunteers helped finish off the path right to the pools. We worked with the ranger team to dig out and lay aggregate on an 80 metre section of path. This path is now all but complete so BMC volunteers have worked on this path from the beginning to the end!"

Will you Get Stuck In too?

QUICK! There are still a few spaces left for the next Get Stuck In event in Eryri (Snowdonia) 15-17 September 2025.

Get Stuck In events are single and multi-day volunteer events in the Peak District, Lake District and North Wales. Hill walking fitness and experience, plus a packed lunch is required, but durable waterproofs and steel-toe-capped boots can be borrowed. On the multi-day events like this, volunteers do two days hard labour with the National Trust rangers on the footpaths of Eryri (Snowdonia) or the Lake District, while the third day is reserved for a rewarding group hike, climb or pub/cafe outing. You stay free of charge for three nights in basic, bunkhouse-style accommodation and there is a communal meal one evening. Single day events in the Peak District involve planting sphagnum moss and clearing invasive species.

Get Stuck In events are funded by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust as part of the Mend Our Mountains campaign. Please give generously here and check out the latest volunteering opportunities here.

Thirteen volunteers dug out and filled an 80m section of footpath with aggregate to create a sustainable, durable surface en route to the Watkin Path pools below Yr Wyddfa
Himalayan balsam is an invasive species here in the UK which must be removed to allow native plants to thrive

Will you help us repair more footpaths?

The BMC's Access & Conservation Trust is currently fundraising for an exciting, new Apprentice Ranger role with the National Trust Footpath Team in Eryri (Snowdonia). These ancient path-making techniques are exactly the type of skills and knowledge they will be learning. They will also be leading more Get Stuck In volunteer footpath repair events. We have so far raised £14,000 for this role and need to raise £53,000 more for this two-year role. Please give generously here if the footpaths in Eryri mean something to you.

BMC Hill Walking rep and founder of the BMC Get Stuck In volunteer footpath repair events, Steve Charles, says, "I've been going into the mountains all my life and it's great to be able to give back and to feel that you're helping to preserve this precious environment. We need to make our mountain footpaths more resilient to increased rainfall and increased use. Our mountains need to be nurtured, because if we don't do anything, the uplands will be in a much poorer state when we hand them over to future generations.

"During 2023 and 2024, BMC Get Stuck In volunteers clocked up almost 500 man-hours of work in Eryri. They repaired over 520m of footpath, laid 187 stepping stones across marshy ground, reprofiled 80m of bare, eroded peat hags and cleared five helicopter bags full of plastic tree guards. What's more, there are four more Eryri footpath repair events planned for 2025, starting this spring. That will have a huge impact in the mountain environment. We would welcome another ranger in Eryri to help run even more Get Stuck In events going forward."

NEW Eryri Apprentice Ranger

Give generously if you love hiking, climbing and mountaineering in Eryri and appreciate this National Park's unique beauty and incredible wildlife

Why donate?

With 10.5 million visitor nights spent in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park in 2023/24, and over 600,000 people climbing Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) every year, the 1,497 miles of footpaths within this 823 square mile park are seeing more footfall than ever before. This is compounded by an increase in extreme weather due to the climate crisis and quickly leads to the following horrors for hill walkers, climbers, mountaineers and outdoor-lovers alike:

  • Footpath erosion
  • Muddy and slippery routeways
  • Deep, ankle-turning gullies
  • Navigational difficulties
  • Trampled vegetation
  • Loss of habitat for wildlife
  • Decreasing biodiversity
  • Soil-wash into waterways
  • Increased flood risk
  • Nutrient imbalances downstream

So, wouldn't it be fantastic if you could do something really meaningful to combat this nightmarish downward spiral of footpath degradation in Eryri? Here's your chance to support a really worthwhile project to actively combat path erosion and educate more people to protect and preserve this stunning, irreplaceable National Park. Donate here.

BMC Hill Walking Rep volunteer Steve Charles (top left) organises the Get Stuck In events

Get Stuck In footpath repair events

Get Stuck In events are 1-3 day opportunities for BMC volunteers to give some love back to the landscapes we love to walk and climb in. There are a range of activities decided on nearer the time of the event according to the National Trust rangers who will be teaching you new skills, explaining more about their footpath repair and conservation activities and working alongside you.

Watch the video here

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