Walkers have noticed two new trends as tourists descend on Snowdon this summer.
Those visiting the mountain – also called Yr Wyddfa – have reported hearing “loud music” at the peak as people celebrate a successful ascent.
Some are blaming TikTok for the music, while others point the finger at charity groups who climb in a party mood.
Some walkers have even ditched Snowdon to walk up less busy mountains nearby, including Eryri in Snowdonia.
One person wrote on social media: “If I wanted music blasting, I would go to a pub/club.”
Earlier this year, climbers on Tryfan said they came across pot smoking and “inconsiderate” music, reports NorthWalesLive.
As well as showing a lack of “respect” to others on the mountain, taking any kind of drugs is considered ill-advised as it can lead to lead to disorientation and rescue call-outs.
On the same day, a party of young of men was led to safety in the Lake District after some took magic mushrooms. Keswick Mountain Rescue said two members of the group had fallen unwell after ingesting the hallucinogenic fungi.
“Loud music certainly needs banning in national parks,” said one climber. “It’s banned on beaches in many a place, so no reason why you can’t ban it up mountains.”
While Y Wyddfa is open to all to enjoy, there are concerns about the impact on the mountain environment. Althought most climbers take their rubbish home, littering by a minority is a constant challenge. But another, more insidiouis form of vandalism is troubling people who know and love the mountains.
“What really shocked and angered me, was the amount of graffiti we came across,” said a man on Facebook, sharing a picture of a the word “Broke” scrawled on a rock. “Times are changing, and the type of people heading into the hills are changing.”
Another walker said the trend wasn’t unique to Yr Wyddfa, though it’s more likely there as it’s the UK’s busiest mountain. ‘Tagging’ seems to be a new phenomenon on hills across the country,” he said.
“If ever there were an indication of a vacant mind there it is. You can forgive painted stones but some weird hieroglyph in a marker pen? Give me a break. Go be ‘unique’ and ‘authentic’ somewhere else please.”
That was the case last weekend, reported the Snowdonia Mountain Community (Cymuned Mynydd Eryri) page on Facebook. “The café was rammed before anyone had got off the train,” it said.
“The train carries 44 people and they are only on the summit for 25 minutes. There were more people on the summit last Saturday than in an Asda superstore, the train made no difference. The path had a constant stream of people – four charity events all walking to the summit, and queuing to take selfies.”
For some, the “crazy” summit crowds, and throngs of people on routes up, are their “idea of hell”. Others are troubled by the “flip-flop brigade” and the number of people climbing in trainers and T-shirts without extra layers.
The idea of queuing for 30-60 minutes to touch Yr Wyddfa’s manmade summit is anaethma to traditionalists who value the beauty of Eryri’s mountains and shudder at the thought of crowds. A walker from Wrexham compared the queues to the “checkout at Tesco at Christmas time”.
