National park says dropping Snowdon name a success

Wales' tallest mountain will continue to be referred to solely by its Welsh name by its local national park authority after the move was deemed to be a success.

Snowdonia National Park Authority voted to use Yr Wyddfa, rather than Snowdon, and Eryri, rather than Snowdonia, in all official communication in November 2022.

Surveys from the summer found strong support for the move from locals and visitors, the authority said.

But there were also concerns over pronunciation and some visitors being "unaware of the longstanding Welsh names and may mistakenly believe they are new".

According to a report that will be presented to the authority on Wednesday, many businesses and media outlets had also started referring to the mountain and national park by their Welsh names.

The authority said this had resulted in "increasing consistency and visibility of the Welsh identity associated with the park".

Gwynedd councillor John Pughe Roberts had earlier put forward a motion asking the park to stop using Snowdon and Snowdonia, claiming many were "complaining that people are changing house names, rock names, renaming the mountains".

Citing the use of Welsh names "aligned with the authority's commitment to promoting the Welsh language" and of "heritage preservation", officers also reported the move represented a "unique selling point" which "sets it apart from other UK national parks".

Challenges have also been raised, including some visitors mistakenly believing the Welsh names are new, leading to "some resistance and confusion".

The report will also recommend pronunciation guides should be made available.

A proposal has also been made to update the authority's logo, which still includes the word Snowdonia.