(Don't) scatter my ashes on Snowdon Jan 26 2006
Rhodri Clark, Western Mail
Snowdon is one of Britain's highest mountains.
HAVING your ashes scattered on Snowdon may seem the perfect ending for many mountain walkers, but worried conservation officers are asking them to consider alternatives.
So many people are opting to have their remains left at the top of Wales' highest mountain that the summit's delicate ecology could be upset.
Officials said yesterday they would not ban the activity, but urged fell walkers to consider other final resting places.
The ecological effects of ashes are becoming a problem on many of Britain's most famous peaks, but Snowdon may accrue the biggest concentration of human ashes because of its unique accessibility. As well as being an easy drive from England along motorways and the A55, Snowdon is the only mountain in Britain with a railway to its summit.
People drawing up wills who fear their widow or widower would not make it to the top of Cader Idris, Ben Nevis or Scafell Pike can request that their ashes are left on Snowdon safe in the knowledge that all family members should be able to reach the top. But many families carry their loved ones' ashes to the top on foot, because the walk can be a cathartic experience which helps them deal with their loss.
"It's becoming an increasing problem, especially on Snowdon because it's easy for people to reach the top on the train," said a spokeswoman for the Countryside Council for Wales.
"Snowdon is very accessible. It's happening more and more on Snowdon. It's not only that they spread the ashes there - the odd permanent memorial is put up. Sometimes people leave the empty urns there too."
Sam Rogers, chief warden for the Snowdon area, said it was common for people to scatter ashes on the peak.
"I see them quite often. They don't ask us about it. The people who come here know where they want to leave the dear departed."
He said some people left plaques or crosses on the mountain as memorials.
The basic problem is that the soil on high mountain summits is thin and poor. Repeated addition of human ashes changes the soil's acidity and makes it more fertile, potentially altering the type and volume of vegetation.
A spokeswoman for Snowdonia National Park Authority said, "The ash does change the acidic content of the soil. Because Snowdon is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, it obviously causes some concern to us."
But she said the authority would not consider banning the practice of leaving ashes at the summit.
"When a person has lost someone, it's hard for us to say you can or can't do something. If there's a wish (to leave the ashes on Snowdon) we would appreciate it if people did consult with us first. Perhaps we could suggest somewhere else for them."
People from as far as Suffolk and Sussex, have had their ashes left on Snowdon. Most lived in the area at some stage, according to Sharon Roberts, manager of Pete's Eats, the mountaineers' cafe in Llanberis.
Her parents scattered the remains of her grandfather, Charles Roberts, on Snowdon after he died in 1978.
"I don't think many people did it then but a lot of local people do it now," said Miss Roberts, 32.
"It's keeping them close to home. My grandfather was from this area but moved to Brighton. He had climbed Snowdon."
Her parents walked up with the ashes on a winter's day when the railway was closed.
"Most people taking ashes to the summit walk up there. It gives them time to sort their head out," she added.
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/your...-scatter-my-ashes-on--snowdon--name_page.html
Rhodri Clark, Western Mail
Snowdon is one of Britain's highest mountains.
HAVING your ashes scattered on Snowdon may seem the perfect ending for many mountain walkers, but worried conservation officers are asking them to consider alternatives.
So many people are opting to have their remains left at the top of Wales' highest mountain that the summit's delicate ecology could be upset.
Officials said yesterday they would not ban the activity, but urged fell walkers to consider other final resting places.
The ecological effects of ashes are becoming a problem on many of Britain's most famous peaks, but Snowdon may accrue the biggest concentration of human ashes because of its unique accessibility. As well as being an easy drive from England along motorways and the A55, Snowdon is the only mountain in Britain with a railway to its summit.
People drawing up wills who fear their widow or widower would not make it to the top of Cader Idris, Ben Nevis or Scafell Pike can request that their ashes are left on Snowdon safe in the knowledge that all family members should be able to reach the top. But many families carry their loved ones' ashes to the top on foot, because the walk can be a cathartic experience which helps them deal with their loss.
"It's becoming an increasing problem, especially on Snowdon because it's easy for people to reach the top on the train," said a spokeswoman for the Countryside Council for Wales.
"Snowdon is very accessible. It's happening more and more on Snowdon. It's not only that they spread the ashes there - the odd permanent memorial is put up. Sometimes people leave the empty urns there too."
Sam Rogers, chief warden for the Snowdon area, said it was common for people to scatter ashes on the peak.
"I see them quite often. They don't ask us about it. The people who come here know where they want to leave the dear departed."
He said some people left plaques or crosses on the mountain as memorials.
The basic problem is that the soil on high mountain summits is thin and poor. Repeated addition of human ashes changes the soil's acidity and makes it more fertile, potentially altering the type and volume of vegetation.
A spokeswoman for Snowdonia National Park Authority said, "The ash does change the acidic content of the soil. Because Snowdon is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, it obviously causes some concern to us."
But she said the authority would not consider banning the practice of leaving ashes at the summit.
"When a person has lost someone, it's hard for us to say you can or can't do something. If there's a wish (to leave the ashes on Snowdon) we would appreciate it if people did consult with us first. Perhaps we could suggest somewhere else for them."
People from as far as Suffolk and Sussex, have had their ashes left on Snowdon. Most lived in the area at some stage, according to Sharon Roberts, manager of Pete's Eats, the mountaineers' cafe in Llanberis.
Her parents scattered the remains of her grandfather, Charles Roberts, on Snowdon after he died in 1978.
"I don't think many people did it then but a lot of local people do it now," said Miss Roberts, 32.
"It's keeping them close to home. My grandfather was from this area but moved to Brighton. He had climbed Snowdon."
Her parents walked up with the ashes on a winter's day when the railway was closed.
"Most people taking ashes to the summit walk up there. It gives them time to sort their head out," she added.
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/your...-scatter-my-ashes-on--snowdon--name_page.html