A FORMER slate quarry has been “besieged” by Easter visitors after going viral on TikTok.
Local communities have complained of over tourism after over 1000 cars clogged up the roads surrounding Dinorwig Quarry- once the world’s second largest slate quarry.
John Horrigan/Daily Post WalesCar Cam footage showing the chocca traffic near the quarry[/caption]
AlamyThe stunning Dinorwig slate quarry, Llyn Peris lake and Elidir Fawr mountain Near Llanberis, Gwynedd, North Wales, UK[/caption]
Car cam footage showed lines of double-parked vehicles stretching all the way to the neighbouring Welsh village of Deiniolen, two miles away.
Residents have moaned about piles of litter and human faeces, as the site has become a “giant anthill with people crawling all over it.”
John Horrigan, who lives next to the UNESCO world heritage site, told North Wales Live: “On Easter Sunday, there were more than 1,000 people parked up on the side of the road on what are meant to be walkways.
“It was unbelievable. 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.
“There seems to be a view that just because a place has been on TikTok, people have a God forsaken right to go anywhere.”
Billed as “frozen in time”, the closest free car park on the mountain itself at Allt Ddu bus terminal was clogged by 30 campervans, belonging to “van lifers,” with open fires.
A paid-for car park is available at Llanberis, but this involves a climb up the mountain.
This prospect proved too strenuous for the wave of visitors who simply clogged up the roads, double-parking, making the thoroughfare “extremely dangerous.”
The picturesque spot boasts old barracks covered in tumbleweeds, piercing blue waters, sheds adits and cabins harking back to the time whey the quarry was the hub of an industry that once roofed the world.
One TikTok creator captioned their snapshot of cliff diving into the turquoise waters, “Can you believe this in the UK?”
AlamyDinorwig slate mine, near Snowdonia, was once the second largest of it’s kind worldwide until it was shut in the 1970s[/caption]
John Horrigan/Daily Post WalesThe onslaught of visitors after the quarry became a TikTok sensation has enraged residents nearby[/caption]
AlamyCreators bill the quarry as a snapshot into a past age[/caption]
John also believes the “unbelievable traffic” is making the access road, which follows the path of the old railway, deadly.
He explained how the speed limit in Wales is automatically 20mph if there are street lights, but there are no repeater signs by Welsh law as everyone is aware of this.
He added: “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.”
TikTok fame has also repopularised the “secret waterful” for divers, which is locally known as the “pool of death” as 22 divers have died there since 1994.
Online explorers have been flocking to the site, flouting the clear “Keep Out” signs.
Seagulls have also swarmed the site, tearing open bin bags that have been left strewn across the historic site.
He added: “I also saw men peeing in fields and woman 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 management. 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.”
John argues that the first step would be to add 20mph signs and ban parking on the bends, or even to impose double yellow lines.
The idea for double yellow lines was abandoned by the local council, Cyngor Gwynedd, after a 400 strong petition objected to it.
Portaloos were also suggested as a short-term solution, until the proper facilities can be built to accommodate the site’s new popularity.
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