Yr Widdfa

Yr Widdfa, a name that rolls off the tongue?

Considering it is Welsh it is easy to remember and pronounce. When driving through Wales and seeing all the signs duplicated in both English which most Welsh speak and Welsh which most Welsh do not speak it seems an unnecessary expense.

But I'm not Welsh.

Yn edrych yn dda i mi.

Because Welsh is the first language of many people, its taught in schools, not speaking Welsh might be more common in the cities to the south, but not the rest of Wales. Welsh is one of the oldest European languages, what a road sign says in English isn't what the place is called in Welsh, often the meaning is completely different and gives a totally different context. For example, Holyhead in Welsh is Caer Gybi, or Ynys Cybi originally named for the small Roman fort looking out towards Ireland in the 6th C it was given to Cybi a Cornish churchman who established a monastery there hence it is know either as Cybi's Fort or Cybi's Island. One of the peculiarities of the Welsh language is the change in capital letters in some circumstances.

The English name for the place gives none of this sense of time and place, its not a translation or even much of an Anglicisation, its just a name convienient to English speakers dumped on a place with no real reference to the original.

I know a lot of people do share your view thats its an unessercary expence, but its not a view I share and I think lots of people like seeing it, its a bit of a game trying to work out how to say the names.

I think you're as near as darn it spot on wonderoushen. I put the post up because the Snowdonia National Park Authority (I think) are planning to do away with the name 'Snowden' for the mountain...sooner the better I reckon, hopefully it'll stop all the plonkers traipsing up there in their flip flops and leaving their cars blocking every road around the area if they can't work out where they're going.

There was a piee on the news earlier about problems on up there, people queuing for hours to take a selfie, going up in poor weather and as you say flip-flops and other unsuitable clothing. Mountain Rescue is at full stetch, theres loads of litter and dog poo all over the place and the place is suffering from the numbers of people using the paths.

I think most people who live in popular tourist areas dislike tourists. Unless you're selling them things of course LOLOL

I think you're right HotOrWot, I'm biaised because I like to see the hills reasonably empty and with no litter, it crosses the line when people don't take proper precautions.
I remember going up Pendle Hill, fog and bad weather started half way up and at the top visibilty was down to around ten feet and the temperature plummeted, shortly after we reached the top a family came up, woman in high heels and a thin blouse, bloke in shorts no shirt, two children under ten in flip flops, shorts and thin vests.

Mountain Rescue are volunteers, they rarely critiscise publicly and like the RNLI will turn out for anyone in distress.

If tourists were polite, picked up thier litter, kept their animals under control and took a few simple precautions when going to sea or up mountains we'd like them a lot better.

And obvs if tourists were not frequenting the various AONBs (areas of outstanding natural beauty) there would be less of a turnover in the local economy and local residents could well find they have to travel even further for shopping etc.

If tourists were polite, picked up thier litter, kept their animals under control and took a few simple precautions when going to sea or up mountains we'd like them a lot better.

Tourists can be just as bad in towns and ordinary countryside.

I'll be in Cumbria very soon and I wouldn't dream of doing anything daft or risky on the tops up there. I couldn't bear the ignominy of being rescued by my friend as he is on the local mountain rescue team. I would never live it down with the rest of my ex walking buddies. :)))
You don't have to be clambering up mountains or wandering open moorland to get yourself in trouble walking alone. I live in the semi-rural south east on the edge of a large connurbation and I had a walking accident less than a mile from my home in icy weather. I went out for a walk over the fields at the back of my house on a very cold sub zero January day. I tripped and when I put my other foot out to balance, I trod on a frozen puddle and went over, face planting in the scenery. I cut my face, broke my glasses, big bruise on my forehead and nose, mud all over my face,, hair and hands, two sprained wrists and I'm not 100% sure that I didn't momentarily black out. I was unable to get up for several minutes and it occurred to me that it would be unlikely that anyone else would pass that way that day and in those freezing temperatures I needed to get back to the road ASAP. The thing that shook me up most was the later realisation that if I had been unconscious, I probably would not have been found until it was too late.