Snowdonia tourism chiefs blast Instagrammers posting pictures of beauty spots for encouraging tourists to take on 'extremely challenging' routes and fuelling rise in accidents Influencers slammed for encouraging 'less experienced' hikers onto Snowdon Hashtags mentioning Snowdonia National Park appear on 1.2m Instagram posts READ MORE: Hundreds QUEUE at the top of Snowdon to take in the peak By Jon Brady Published: 14:51 BST, 16 August 2023 | Updated: 15:42 BST, 16 August 2023 e-mail 3 View comments Rangers at Wales' biggest national park have blasted vain Instagrammers for posting selfies of themselves enjoying beauty spots - amid concerns that their images are drawing in an unmanageable number of visitors and damaging the landscape. Mountain rescue teams say they are facing record numbers of callouts to Snowdon - a 3,560ft high peak known in Welsh as Yr Wyddfa - that are placing an 'increasingly significant' strain on their volunteers. Snowdonia National Park bosses claim social media posts mentioning the park and the peak - of which there are over a million - have caused 'over-capacity' at popular spots including picturesque waterfalls and dramatically rocky quarries. Some of the most Instagrammable locations are off the beaten track - with nature chiefs claiming previously unheard-of footfall is causing erosion to the natural landscape. The issue is encapsulated perfectly by the reality of what awaits for those lured in by glamorous images of an empty Snowdon summit - a queue to get a photo at the top. An Instagram post of the Ogwen Valley within Snowdonia National Park, breathlessly describing the 'epic mountains'. Influencers are posting eye-popping images of their adventures on Snowdon and in Snowdonia National Park to millions of people A hiker tackles Crib Goch, described as the British Mountaineering Council as 'more thrilling and more hazardous' than similar routes. Images of picture-perfect hikers and dramatic landscapes are fuelling an unsustainable rise in visitor numbers according to park bosses A massive queue for the summit of Snowdon in April this year. The reality that awaits those who follow in the footsteps of their favourite influencers is very different from what they see on social media Waterfalls dotted around Snowdonia National Park are perfect fodder for Instagrammers seeking the perfect snap to share with their followers. But bosses say many of these hotspots are off the beaten track on 'particularly challenging' routes Around 600,000 people climb to the top of Snowdon each year, but visitor numbers to the national park are believed to have surged during the coronavirus pandemic as people took advantage of the great outdoors. On Instagram the #snowdonia hashtag has 1.2million posts of would-be hikers posing at waterfalls, on hillsides and in quarries while the #snowdon tag has 521,000. Over on TikTok, where influencers sell the national park as a 'must visit spot', videos tagged #snowdonia have 152.7million views, while #snowdon videos have just under half that, 73.2million. READ MORE: And you thought the climb was bad: Hundreds of people are seen QUEUING at the top of Snowdon after 3,560ft hike as tourists make most of good weather to take in the peak Advertisement Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team (LLMRT), which covers Snowdonia National Park, is responding to a record number of callouts in 2023: it has been called out 183 times so far this year, up from 155 at the same point in 2022, with seven deployments in one day during the summer. It said in a post on its Facebook page earlier this month: 'Rescue on Yr Wyddfa is becoming an increasingly significant amount of effort for a team of volunteers to undertake alongside their day jobs.' Jethro Kiernan, of LLMRT, says the increase is largely down to pleas for help from the 'less experienced'. He told MailOnline: 'Callouts have gone up massively and that increase is noted to be among the less experienced. It's not [requests for help from] experienced hikers that have increased tenfold. 'People are not necessarily aware of where to get good advice about mountaineering, or the physical changes in the weather that can take place. 'The problem we have with social media is the same problem we've always had: that it's not very realistic, it's all summer skies and perfect weather. 'There are also some very irresponsible videos going out that the algorithms seem to love.' LLMRT is used to responding to a number of slips and trips, even among experienced hikers, throughout the year. But what it is seeing more of is demands for help in relation to health issues like asthma attacks and chest pains, as inexperienced climbers try follow in the footsteps of super-fit influencers without proper training. Posts on Instagram promoting climbing and hiking in Snowdonia National Park - at Tryfan North Face (left) and Cader Idris (right). There are 1.2million posts on Instagram bearing the hashtag #snowdonia and 521,000 tagged #snowdon The Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team at work in Snowdonia National Park earlier this year. It has seen callouts rise amid rising visitor numbers Influencers are posting photogenic images of their adventures on Snowdon and in Snowdonia National Park - allegedly inspiring copycats Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team on a hillside in Snowdonia. Volunteers are pleading with those following after their favourite influencers to plan ahead before setting off Some of the images posted to the #snowdonia tag recently are tagged from locations such as the Tryfan North Face and Cader Idris, which is designated a 'hard/strenuous' hike. Mountain rescuers are also seeing a rise in calls for assistance from people who have got lost after using their mobile phone to navigate and running out of battery, with no paper map as a backup. Earlier this year, LLMRT issued a strongly worded warning to would-be adventurers who got stuck on an unstable ledge as they climbed out of a pit in the Dinorwig slate quarries within Snowdonia National Park. After lifting the casualties 35m (115ft) to safety, the team sternly wrote: 'No Instagram story is worth the level of risk that some people are unwittingly taking.' But despite the rise in callouts among people who have taken after their favourite Instagrammers, the crew doesn't want to be seen as a group of middle-aged curmudgeons discouraging people from enjoying the great outdoors. Instead the team - which is staffed by volunteers and relies on donations to buy vehicles and supplies - is urging those who see appealing pictures and videos online to prepare properly before heading out. Mr Kiernan added: 'As a team, we are not the gatekeepers of the mountain. But a bit of minimal preparation on your route and your clothing can do a lot. 'Google Maps is great for getting to Trafalgar Square - but not for getting to the summit of Snowdon, and it's always worth putting a warm jacket in your backpack. 'At the end of the day, our viewpoint is this: we're a voluntary group and we're there to help people, and we extend that to anyone that goes out on the hills. 'If people follow an influencer's post and get themselves into a pickle the hope is they will come back wiser for the experience. 'It's a life skill: you should be prepared for whatever you're doing, and be responsible towards yourself and others.' A travel blogger gazes across Dinorwig Quarry - where earlier this year mountain rescue teams had to lift hikers 115ft out of a pit after they got stuck Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team pulled climbers to safety (left) in April this year after they got stuck in a pit at Dinorwig quarry. Rescuers established a tripod (right) on the side of a cliff to haul them up The situation in Snowdonia comes as locals continue to butt heads with visitors seeking serenity in the Welsh countryside. Residents have declared war on Airbnb after holiday lets sprung up in the area, and some 40 cars were towed away by police earlier this year as daytrippers dumped their motors on grass verges. Angela Jones, partnership manager at Snowdonia National Park, said vanity-fuelled posts were encouraging inexperienced walkers onto extremely tricky routes such as Watkin Path, described on the authority's website as a 'particularly challenging route'. 'We've seen a tremendous increase of visitors to that area which has put huge, huge pressures on the local community, on the car parking capacity in the area, and actually now on the waterfalls themselves and on the quality of water in the river,' Ms Jones told BBC News . 'And there's erosion all along the pathway and along the waterfalls there, because they are actually off the official path. 'I've spoken to people myself who have driven all the way from London just to have a photograph taken in the Watkin's pools.' She has urged those considering posting images of themselves grinning atop peaks and under waterfalls to reconsider, as it could 'encourage other people to follow you to those areas which can't necessarily cope with that capacity'. Ms Jones added: 'There are instances where purely social media has caused-over capacity at areas which, of course, puts pressure on all of the services, including the mountain rescue teams.' 'Be adventure smart': Experts' top tips for staying safe while hiking Think about gear Carry a map and a compass Wear walking boots and bring waterproofs Keep your phone charged but don't rely on it for navigation Bring essentials for emergencies: a torch, a whistle, food and drink Watch the weather There's no shame in turning back if the weather gets worse Check the forecast before you go and be prepared for changes Don't forget to take sunscreen and a hat to protect you from the sun Develop your skills Use an app and a paper map together to stay on track Plan for the least able member of your group Know your limits - it's OK to turn back Learn first aid and consider training in mountaineering skills Know when to get help Call for help if you find someone in trouble, and don't take risks Those who are hard of hearing can contact 999 by text after signing up for the emergencySMS service by texting 'register' to 999 Source: AdventureSmartUK Share or comment on this article: Snowdonia tourism chiefs blast Instagrammers posting pictures of beauty spots for encouraging tourists to take on 'extremely challenging' routes and fuelling rise in accidents e-mail Add comment Comments 3 Share what you think Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all The comments below have not been moderated. 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