Masses of day trippers descending on rural beauty spots across the UK over the Easter weekend have been lambasted by locals who say they are being ‘besieged’.
Locals from Gwynedd, the Cotswolds as well as the Lake District, have hit out at social media users inspired by Instagram and TikTok for causing traffic chaos and littering their streets.
This Easter weekend, the streets near Eryri, Snowdonia, were said to have been so badly clogged that it raised fears over the prospect of someone being killed.
Dashcam footage captured by a frustrated Dinorwig resident has shown swathes of parked vehicles stretching all the way to the neighbouring village of Deiniolen around two miles away.
Local communities have complained of over-tourism, saying it has caused mounds of litter and human faeces to gather in the surrounding fields of what was once the world’s second largest slate mine.
Some say they are now too afraid to venture out from their homes on busy weekends, leading to calls for renewed parking restrictions – or to install an entire new car park with toilets on the mountain.
Resident John Horrigan has campaigned for improved safety on the access road for years and said the traffic last weekend was the ‘worst he’d ever seen’.
He said: ‘The whole site was like a giant anthill with people crawling all over it. I spoke to several of them and they all said they’d seen the quarry on TikTok and they wanted to see it for themselves.
Social media users have been sharing their pictures and videos of visiting beauty spots
This was among the images being shared from Snowdonia National Park
At the weekend, the streets near the site of Eryri, Snowdonia, are said to have been so badly clogged that it has raised fears over the prospect of someone being killed
‘There seems to be a view that just because a place has been on TikTok, people have a God given right to go anywhere.’
Paid-for parking near the quarry is available in Llanberis, but this involves a climb up the mountain to reach a site billed as the ‘place where time stood still’.
Old barracks, sheds, mine passages and cabins hark back to a time when the quarry was a hive of activity, offering a fascinating glimpse into an industry that once roofed the world.
Free parking is available up on the mountain itself at the Allt Ddu bus terminus and Mr Horrigan says this offers an easier route for those looking to take in the scenery.
He said: ‘You look anywhere online and this is where people are advised to park.
‘On Friday night I counted more than 30 campervans there, many lighting fires in the open. It was so packed that “vanlifers” – people who live in campervans – couldn’t find anywhere to park.
‘The access road on the line of the quarry’s old railway is now extremely dangerous – especially on blind bends where people are parking even though the road narrows.
‘The speed limit here is 20mph but there are no signs. Under Welsh Government rules, repeater signs aren’t needed as every road with street lights is automatically 20mph.
Another of the images shared on social media from Snowdonia National Park in recent weeks
Dashcam footage captured by a frustrated Dinorwig resident has shown swathes of parked vehicles stretching all the way to the neighbouring village of Deiniolen around two miles away
Some locals say they are now too afraid to venture out from their homes on busy weekends, leading to calls for renewed parking restrictions – or to install a new car park with toilets on the mountain (Pictured: a No Parking sign in Snowdonia from last year)
Paid-for parking for the quarry is available in Llanberis, but this involves a climb up the mountain to reach a site billed as the ‘place where time stood still’ (Pictured: a discarded parking ticket left on the side of the road in Snowdonia from last year)
Many TikTokers have made videos promoting the so-called ‘secret’ Dinorwic Slate Quarry, encouraging fellow adventurers to go on hikes, explore nearby caves and even swim in the quarry’s natural ‘infinity pool’, as pictured here
The ever growing popularity of Dinorwig Quarry, Gwynedd, has been blamed on the social media users looking to capture scenic snaps (as above)
A man is seen having a fire on the side of the road in Snowdonia during the Easter Weekend of 2024
This picture was shared on Instagram of a group visiting Snowdonia National Park
‘But people coming from Manchester and Birmingham don’t know this – they’re driving up and down at speed despite there being sheep on the roads and kids stepping out from behind cars.’
A major attraction at the quarry is its ‘secret waterfall’, which despite being fenced off with keep out signs following a death several years ago, remains a regular haunt for explorers.
Mr Horrigan says there is another growing concern over the amount of damage being caused to historic structures and the litter surrounding them.
He added: ‘On Easter Monday, flocks of seagulls descended on the quarry and the bus stop area. They began tearing open bin bags and carrier bags that had been left strewn across the site.
‘I also saw men peeing in fields and women squatting down in areas where children climb. It’s a major health hazard. When you complain, and ask them to stop, you hear things like, “well, sheep sh*t in fields, so why not us?”.
‘It’s excellent that people want to visit this and other sites in Gwynedd, to learn about its history and marvel at what went on here. But Dinorwig is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and that means it needs proper managing.
‘Local people feel like they’re under siege – some refuse to go outside whenever the sun shines because it’s become too dangerous. They feel their needs are being ignored.’
There were also complaints about the number of cars parked on the streets surrounding Snowdonia last year (above)
Campervan toilet waste was dumped on a road in Snowdonia last Easter Weekend (above), and Mr Horrigan says locals are still facing the same problems
Paid-for parking for the quarry is available in Llanberis (above), but this involves a climb up the mountain to reach a site billed as the ‘place where time stood still’
North Wales Police shared photos of vehicles being towed away at Pen y Pass in Snowdonia last year which was well-received by frustrated residents
Mr Horrigan believes the first step is erect 20mph signs and to stop parking on bends.
Another option is to impose double yellow lines, but this idea was rejected by Cyngor Gwynedd four years ago after a 400-name objection was submitted.
Failing this, Mr Horrigan says it may be time to consider a new parking area at Allt Ddu after ‘more than 1,000’ people parked on the side of the road – in areas which are typically walkways which pedestrians are encouraged to use.
He also warned that residents are living in fear at the prospect of another sunny weekend which could see the TikTok tourists return.
He said: ‘Not so long ago a woman in the village had her walking stick knocked from her hand by a passing motorist. If it continues like this someone is going to get killed.
‘We don’t want to stop people coming, we just need solutions. Although parking is available in Llanberis, it’s human nature for motorists to park as near as possible to the entrance, just like they do at supermarkets.
‘So if they come here, they’ve got to park somewhere and at the moment it’s not illegal, so we can’t report them to the police or the council. And as trespass is a civil offence, we can’t involve the police over visitors breaking through fencing.
‘But something needs to be done here before it’s too late. In two weeks time, if the sun shines on the next Bank Holiday weekend, we’ll be facing this madness all over again.’
There have been massive queues to reach the summit of Snowdonia for a number of years due to the increasing popularity of the location
Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team on a hillside in Snowdonia after volunteers last year pleaded with those following their favourite influencers to plan ahead before setting off
Elsewhere in the Lake District, weekend visitors have been accused for having a ‘a lack of respect,’ as locals claim they blocked roads and left rubbish behind.
‘Multiple issues’ with traffic were raised in the Lake District at the Bank Holiday weekend as thousands of day trippers descended on the National Park.
Issues included the Stagecoach 77A Keswick to Keswick service being pulled and road blockages, meaning residents had to queue an hour and a half just to travel a couple of miles into surrounding villages.
Nigel Dixon, manger of hotel Seatoller House said over the weekend Gatesgarth, in Cumbria, has been affected by tourists coming into the area on day trips.
Nigel said that the Stagecoach 77A service was pulled on Saturday, April 19 due to the bus having its passage blocked by cars along the route.
‘There are multiple issues during the season, and this is just one of them,’ he said.
‘Issues are caused by too many people visiting, many of these people are day trippers, they don’t bring anything to the area apart from a lack of respect and their rubbish.
‘The Borrowdale traffic jam is the main issue for everyone living in this valley, it takes between an hour and an hour and a half just to travel the 7 miles into Keswick.
‘Multiple issues’ with traffic were raised in the Lake District at the Bank Holiday weekend as thousands of day trippers descended on the National Park
Issues included the Stagecoach 77A Keswick to Keswick service being pulled and road blockages
‘Buses again get pulled and trying live and work in this valley becomes very hard for people.’
The hotel manager also said that whilst the Lake District relies on tourists, they have urged people to remember it is ‘home’ for the people who live there.
Nigel added: ‘We rely on tourism, it’s how we make a living, all we ask is that people respect the countryside code and remember that this is our home, and we have to be able to get to and from work and school.
‘We need help from the authorities, the answer is clear to us locally, we just need dialogue with local councils, police and government.’
Earlier this month, Cumberland council warned drivers to park sensibly in the Lake District so as to avoid blocking the road for other road users, the emergency services and local residents.
Meanwhile, huge queues were seen for boat trips across Lake Windemere during the Easter break, as pandemonium erupted on the jetty for the water tour.
At Bourton-on-the-Water – dubbed the ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’ for its tranquil streams and ornate stone bridges – hundreds of day-trippers arrived, wrecking the peace and quiet and causing carnage.
The village’s picturesque riverside walkways were clogged with families and sightseers as they trudged along them – leaving bins overflowing with rubbish.
A swarm of tourists mobbed the picturesque community of Bowness-on-Windemere in the Lake District – as the popular beauty spot struggles to cope with large numbers of visitors
Coach after coach of tourists are seen arriving at Bowness on Tuesday morning
In Bibury, Gloucestershire – once described by 19th Century writer William Morris as the ‘most beautiful village in England’ – tourists once again left locals frustrated.
The village is one of a growing number across Britain threatening to ban coaches in a desperate battle to combat over-tourism.
Overcrowding, parking disputes and brief whistle-stop tours without supporting the local economy are just some of the issues angering residents who say something must be done to stop visitors treating their homes like ‘Disney World’.
Seemingly showing little concern for other people’s property, tourists posed for photos on the doorsteps of local homes, with some seen leaning against doors as they smiled for the camera.
Exasperated villagers have taken to putting signs on their gardens calling on people not to trample across them, while others have blocked their drives with cones.
One person has even placed a sign saying ‘private’ in traditional Chinese characters in a bid to ward off unwanted foreigners, while another sign, in Japanese, outside the Swan Hotel reads ‘private gardens are off limits’.
Bibury is home to about 600 people but every weekend, up to 20,000 tourists can besiege the community (pictured are visitors in Arlington Row, Bibury)
Large groups of tourists visited the picturesque village of Bibury where they were seen eagerly snapping pictures of people’s homes in the picture postcard community
Locals have been left exasperated by selfie-snapping tourists using their homes for the back drops to their pictures
The increase of visitors is partly driven by so-called influencers promoting the tiny villages or rural retreats as perfect day trip destinations from big cities such as London on social media.
Bibury is home to about 600 people but every weekend, up to 20,000 tourists can besiege the community.
Councillor Michelle Holt, of Bibury Parish Council, said the situation has now reached a tipping point and the village can no longer cope with the mobs.
‘The sheer volume is just overwhelming for the local community and we just don’t have the infrastructure to cope,’ he said.
Despite Bibury having two coach bays next to a bridge over the River Coln, up to six buses arrive on any given day.
Locals say if the existing bays are full then the coaches will unload at the nearest space big enough to accommodate them, often blocking highways in and out of the community.
Families pose on Arlington Row in Bibury village centre to snap some photos
Bourton-On-The-Water – dubbed he ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’ for its streams and ornate stone bridges – saw hundreds of visitors descending upon it, shattering the tranquility
The huge hordes descending on the village create a safety hazard, exasperated residents added, with tourists clogging narrow paths, forcing people to walk in the road.
Councillor Stephen Davies, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: ‘We are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of Bibury residents and visitors.
‘The proposed measures will help manage traffic more effectively and enhance the overall experience for everyone.
‘We appreciate the community’s support and cooperation as we implement these changes.
‘We also understand that these proposals may not be popular with coach operators, however we are determined to work to find a solution for coach tourists to be able to visit Bibury but this will take time.’
A spokesperson for Cumberland Council said: ‘Civil Enforcement Officers will be patrolling and taking action to keep everyone safe.
‘We’re also working closely with our partners at the National Trust, Lake District National Park, and Cumbria Police.
‘Let’s keep the Lakes safe, accessible, and beautiful for everyone.’
MailOnline has approached Caernarfonshire County Council for comment.
