Snowdon: Llanberis residents kept awake by 24/7 tourists

People living in the shadow of Snowdon say they are being kept awake by walkers going up and down the mountain through the night.

Visitor numbers have rocketed with about 700,000 visiting each year compared with 500,000 in 2018.

Bob Lucas, who has lived at the bottom of the Llanberis Path for 45 years, said: "It's 24 hours, you hear that gate banging all night."

But fellow resident Elfed Owen said: "It keeps the local economy going."

Mr Lucas lives in the last house but one from the start of the path and said one of the the worst things was hikers climbing at night.

"They don't care if it's the middle of the night when they come down," he said, adding that they celebrate when they reach the bottom.

"They've been up all night and there might be a crowd of people waiting for them with everyone cheering that they made it up Snowdon and back.

"There might be a minibus there to take them on, but they have a bit of a party first and don't care about the noise."

Elin Patton has lived in Llanberis all her life and at the bottom of the Llanberis Path for about a year.

Many of the 700,000 trudging up Snowdon her house first. This year had been "really hectic", she said.

"People walk up at two o'clock in the morning," she said.

"You don't mind that, but it would be nice if they showed a bit of respect and were just a bit quieter, because there's a lot of elderly people who live in the street.

"But some people make a lot of noise and play music as they walk past on their way to Snowdon."

Elfed Owen has lived near the start of the Llanberis Path for 24 years.

"During the summer months, from three in the morning to 10 at night, it's very busy," he said. "All day, all night."

Then in May and June visitors arrive in minibuses for the Three Peaks Challenge. Cyclists go wearing torches on their heads.

But Mr Owen said he had no complaints.

"It keeps the local economy going," he said.