Thanks for all the positive replies. As beautiful as the Peak District is martinhutch and JonEdwards I’m afraid for me Snowdonia takes some beating! Ndthornton and Ecky-Thump let me know if there’s any specific features that you don’t want to loose (grid reference and picture would be handy) and I’ll check whether any of it falls in the planned work area and we can go from there. grum – will post quiet times data asap. nosedive – it’s basically the top zig zags, but you’re fellow riders will probably be better placed to advise whether it’s worth it or not. The actual pitching work is due to start in early November – weather dependent!

I was given the heads up re this thread on Twitter, so apologies for nosing in, but hopefully I’ll be able to clarify a few of the points on here:

Bags on the path: a few on here have already hit the nail on the head – due to the terrain (very steep) in places it was safer for the helicopter pilot to put the bags on the path rather than risk dropping the bags and then the bags sliding off down the slope. We also suffered very bad weather during the lift – it took three weeks to complete two days worth of flying, so admittedly some bags had to be less than accurately placed, for the pilots safety more than anything else. We also had to drop the really big stones in-situ as all the work will be done manually from here on in, so the less movement required the better.

Impact on the trail: We’ve tried to keep work to a minimum as generally speaking for both bikers and walkers natural paths are always preferable, however in areas with significant erosion/gullying and areas of path spread we are going to have to use stone pitching. The work is mainly concentrated on the corners and the pitching will be staggered (like on the Llanberis path). We’re going to try and incorporate rolling waterbars as drainage – which is a bit like a speed bump across the path – to drain water, rather than the traditional cut-offs which I understand can be an issue for you guys in terms of punctures and being catapulted off.

Busy times: a few on here have commented that it’s a much more enjoyable ride when it’s quieter, in this respect I may be able to help as we have people counters on all the paths, so I can provide info on what times of day/week/month (on average) are quieter. If someone can advise on the best place to post this data then would be happy to do so.

If you want to get in touch re any of this to discuss further I’m on Twitter as @wardeneryri

Helen Pye

Snowdon Warden – Snowdonia National Park