The culprit has been called the “phantom post snatcher”, who for some unfathomable reason has taken to whisking away signs installed to help guide ramblers across a lonely moor in north Wales.
The snatcher, or snatchers – there may be more than one – has been pinching waymarks from a remote spot on the 83-mile Snowdonia Slate Trail, putting walkers at risk of wandering off the beaten path in misty weather into the mire.
Nobody can fathom what the motive might be. The financial value of the 5ft (1.5-metre) high posts and plastic signs can hardly be worth the bother of venturing half a mile from the nearest road, presumably on an off-road vehicle, to get to them and transport them away.
If it’s vandalism, then why do they bother to get them off the moor rather than just damaging them in situ? Locals cannot think that anyone has such a grudge against the path – whose Welsh name is Llwybr Llechi Eryri – a blameless route around what was once a global capital of the slate industry, that they would target its signs.
“It’s a mystery,” said Aled Owen, a founder of the trail and author of its guidebook. “It’s very frustrating because at that point the public right of way is indistinct and the signs help people get through, especially as if you go slightly off route you could be in the bog. People have the guidebook, the map and GPS but some do rely on the signs.”
The mystery began earlier this summer when two waymarks vanished from the moor above the quarry village of Mynydd Llandegai. Gwynedd council workers, helped by volunteer ramblers, replaced the two posts and added a couple of extra ones.
But now all four new waymarks – posts and plastic signs – have disappeared. “I don’t think it was vandals – they’d have just chucked them to one side,” said Owen. “Who knows what the motivation is but I think whoever is doing this must have a quad bike or some other transport because they are heavy.”
Owen said he didn’t think it was someone objecting to the presence of the trail. He created it to try to bring walkers to the area and give a boost to cafes, pubs, campsites and B&Bs. “It’s been doing well,” he said. His only theory is that someone is using the wood to make fence posts.
Some people have suggested setting up cameras to try to catch the snatcher. Others have said they should be secured more tightly in but this is not possible because the area is a site of special scientific interest. “We don’t know what to do,” said Owen. “We’re a small charity – it’s so annoying, weird really.”
The slate trail is not the only path that has reported missing waymarks. The Cybi Coastal Marathon, which holds a race on Anglesey, off north-west Wales, said Welsh coastal path signs tended to vanish, not ideal for competitors who follow them.
Angela Charlton, the director of the walking charity Ramblers Cymru, said the problem was widespread.
“Our paths connect our communities and connect us to our heritage, and sadly, issues like this are representative of the wider challenges faced by our path network,” she said. “We are seeing more and more signage being damaged and disappearing and routes becoming blocked and inaccessible across Wales.”
Eryri [Snowdonia] national park said the waymarks ensured walkers followed designated routes, minimising their impact on delicate ecosystems.
A spokesperson said: “We urge all visitors to Eryri to recognise the importance of waymarkers and collectively ensure that we leave no trace, respecting the natural beauty and cultural significance of this area for generations to come.”
