HI All,

Went up and down snowdon yesterday on the llanberis path, we set of at 7am (so in compliance with the ban), but for various reasons ended up not being off the path until about 10 minutes past 10am.

The path wasnt actually that busy, due to the horrendous weather. And the vast majority of the walkers we met on the way up and down were nice and friendly (as were we to them), however one chap did get rather upset and was very vocal about the fact the we were still on the path after 10am, even though it was only a few minutes after 10 am. he actually stood in the middle of the path with his arms outstretched holding his poles so as to block the path.

Is there any leeway in the ban, or should we have dismounted and walked down as the clock struck 10? I suspect he still would have been angry just at the sight of bikes,

Its definately worth a visit for anyone thinking about it, and I have no idea how anyone could ride up all of it, if you can do it, you must be ultra fit and have super skillz.

Common sense must prevail, to take that stance for over running by 10 minutes takes a special kind of nob end. He should have been informed of that fact.
I’d have seen making a physical attempt to stop me an act of aggression, it may not have ended well.

we did actually stop and try and have a civilised discussion with him, we acknowledged the ban and that we were aware that we were a few minutes over, but surely its not a problem etc etc. We were exceptionally polite , but he still wansnt having it.

He called us ( referring to all monuntain bikers generally) arrogant, rude (we certainly were not either of those) etc, so we left him to it.

Everyone else was great, some offering encouragement to go faster etc.

Not sure about any leeway in regards to the ban but I hope you were nice and polite to him regardless of his attitude towards you. We don’t want a proper ban on it do we.

I cant see how anybody short of Danny MacAskill could ride all the way up Llanberis its way too rocky in places. Rangers path down is so much fun, wouldn’t want to ride down Llanberis now I have done Rangers.

when you meet someone like that a reasonable denbate is the last thing that will happen.
Smile, apologise and ride off

we were very polite, not confrontational etc, we were trying not to reinforce the view that a lot of walkers seem to have about mountain bikers.

We didnt do the rangers path as we were a bit wary it might be a bit too much on the technical side for us , and the weather was terrible. Llanberis was a lot of fun though , will probably try rangers next time.

I suppose that it is the same as riding a footpath where most folk will just treat you as another trail user and get on with their lives. But there are always some how will have a grievance about you being there. If rules are rules he was in the right. Did you get back on the bikes after you’d passed him?

yes, we carried on riding.

I wasnt going to push the bloody thing up the hill to then push it back down again, even thought it was fairly near the bottom where we met him.

You should’ve photographed him and told the Ranger.

Then posted his photo! 😉

That guy is obviously exceptionally nobbish. I walked down the Llaberis path yesterday and there were people riding up BEFORE the 5pm curfew – do you reckon he’d have a go about that too?

I’d just let it go – he’s obviously jealous!

Should have told him thqt to get to where he was when he met you, he must have set off before ten O’clock – so it was him who was in the wrong for breaking the ban prohibiting walkers before ten 😀

Could you have not bunny hopped him? 😉

We had the same thing. Some red socked bell end was stood in the path, blocking our way and gobbing off like he owned the bloody place, when we were nearly at the bottom. Thing was, it was only 9.30, so we were perfectly entitled to be there.

We communicated this to him in the most unambiguous and direct manner possible

Plus the ban is ‘voluntary’…

Plus the ban is ‘voluntary’…

and it’s a bridalway, not a footpath!

You get idiots like them everywhere.

“Have a nice day” Usually get’s them frothing.

I had pretty much the same treatment going down Telegraph Valley a couple of months ago, and that was pre-ban.

Walker stepped into my path, raised his arm and loudly berated me for going too fast and not giving him the right of way.

Also “informed” me that the NPA was considering banning bikes down that bridleway, which I later checked with them and they totally denied.

🙄

Hmm, I wonder if the chainsaw shopper McMoonter posted would have been an appropriate ride…..