The most dangerous national park in the UK

There are a total of 15 national parks in the UK, with 10 in England, 2 in Scotland and 3 in Wales. The most popular of which would be the peak district because of its central location in the country, but it also happens to be one of the safest, with around 80 rescue calls per year.

 

The most dangerous national park in the UK

 

The most dangerous national park in the UK is Snowdonia ​, with the vast majority of rescues happening on Mount Snowdon itself. This is due to three main reasons, the first of which is its popularity, with around 600,000 people reaching its summit per year, but the numbers are only so high due to the train that goes all the way to the top.

 

The other two reasons are a combination of the weather and a couple of particularly nasty spots that result in an average of 8 deaths each year, and these are called Crib Goch and a certain section of the pyg and miners path.

 

Crib Goch (Red ridge)

There doesn’t seem to be a source for why this section of the path is called Red Ridge in Welsh, but it wouldn’t be hard to guess. This section of the path involves climbing along a knife edge, which is a very steep and thin stretch of rock that has both sides eroded away to the point where it’s almost a straight drop. During the summer, the route isn’t dangerous at all, so long as you are careful as one wrong step could see you falling a long way, but due to the mountain’s popularity, many people attempt this route in winter. The majority of deaths on the mountain happen along this small stretch, and almost always during cold weather.

 

The Pyg and Miners track

This route involves walking up the Pyg route and then returning down the miners track, a 7.4-mile walk that’s one of the most popular with tourists. This path is more natural and involves walking across steeply sloped loose rock and very uneven surfaces, but usually doesn’t see worse injuries than sprains and the occasional broken ankle. This is one of the paths to avoid during the cold as it’s the hardest to climb due to its lack of a proper path and often sees more yearly rescues than Crib Goch.

 

A few facts about Snowdonia

 

  • Mount Snowdon was formed by volcanoes between 450 and 500 million years ago.

 

  • Snowdon is the tallest mountain in Wales and England at 1,085 m (3,560 ft) tall, only surpassed in height by Ben Nevis in Scotland at 1,344m tall.

 

  • The first documented climb to the summit was by a botanist called Thomas Johnson in 1639. It was also used by New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edward Hillary as a training ground to prepare him for Mount Everest, of which he was the first person to reach the summit in 1959.

 

  • There are many legends associated with the mountain, including many of King Arthur. It’s said that Arthurs’s body is buried under the stone cairns of Cwn Tregalan, while the connecting mountain of Y Lliwedd contains a cave where some of his knights are buried.

 

  • The name of Snowdon comes from the Saxon words “Snow Dun”, which means snow hill. Inventively named probably due to the capping of snow on its peak for much of the year. In Welsh, it’s known as Yr Wyddfa Fawr, which means Great tomb or throne in English.