Coronavirus: Back to Snowdonia after lockdown?

Snowdonia remains out of bounds to visitors, unless they are local

For the last three months large swathes of one of Britain's national park crown jewels has been shut to the public.

Walkers have been barred from Snowdon and popular peaks, such as Tryfan or Cader Idris.

Once flowing with visitors, summits remain forlorn, only viewed from afar by those lucky enough to live nearby.

Now, those tasked with caring for the park are looking at how they can reopen. For others, it is a time to ask - can we reopen differently?

They want to avoid the scenes that heralded lockdown back in March, when on the final weekend of the month, as coronavirus began to spread across the UK, roads to Snowdon and surrounding villages were crammed with cars, as visitors flocked to the beauty spots that make the park so special.

There will be no Snowdonia Marathon in 2020 - it has been moved to next year

BBC Wales has been told that organisers of events planned across the 823 sq miles (2,176 sq km) of park have been asked to postpone until 2021.

The Snowdonia Marathon has already announced its race will be moved to next year.

Lockdown has meant fewer visitors - and fines for those who breach the rules to travel to the region.

It has also meant real pain for those relying on the park and tourism for a living - with cafes, B&Bs, hotels, restaurants and non-essential shops shut.

Ready to go: Emlyn Roberts is eager to reopen his bistro in Beddgelert

But coming out of lockdown too soon carries its own risks as Emlyn Roberts, owner of Bistro Hebog in Beddgelert, acknowledged: "We've got everything in place, we're ready to go, our staff are eager.

"I'm also cautious that opening the gates to Wales too soon, too fast, could jeopardise everything.

"But I'm really keen to move on and, after all, it's a great place to do business. The business is there, it's just a matter of waiting to see when."

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Elin Aaron runs the Gallt y Glyn hostel in Llanberis, a popular spot for hikers and locals.

"There's the conflict between wanting my business to be successful and to be here after the restrictions open, but also wanting to keep the community and my family safe - I've grown up in the area," she said.

"The balance of getting everything right - I don't envy whoever has to make the decision about when we can open, but it'd be nice to know so I can plan."

Hostel and restaurant owner Elin Aaron says there needs to be a balance for business and the area

Parts of Wales' two other national parks - the Pembrokeshire Coast and the Brecon Beacons - have already reopened to locals. As they look to the future, could the Snowdonia National Park Authority look at a different, more low-impact, model of tourism?

John Harold thinks so. He is the director of the Snowdonia Society, a key partner of the park authority, established in 1967 by Esme Kirby and her husband Peter to protect the fragile mountain environment.

"This break, this time of people really rethinking things, gives us a chance to reset expectations," he said.

"Our expectations of what visitors will do and how they will behave when they're here, and visitors' expectations of what their experience will be - and that could be a positive change.

"It's a massive challenge of communication. We need to get the message out as widely as possible that - with a national park that's under pressure, doesn't have massive resources - we need everyone to play their part, be respectful and tread lightly."

Still shut - the paths to the summit of Snowdon are closed to the public

Gwynedd council has confirmed to BBC Wales that they have asked event organisers in the area to postpone all events until next year.

In a statement, the council said: "Due to the unprecedented situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Gwynedd Safety Advisory Group have sent letters to all event organisers in the county.

"The message makes it clear that Gwynedd welcomes and supports events in the county, but under current conditions are encouraging organisers to postpone events which are due to take place in the next few months to ensure the safety and wellbeing of participants and local communities, as well as to avoid expenditure by event organisers during such an uncertain time.

"This is based on the current medical evidence and the likelihood that restrictions will remain in place for some time - especially regarding crowd events."

'Cautious and measured'

The Snowdonia National Park Authority has already indicated it will adopt a cautious approach to reopening the area.

Expect only "minor changes" to lockdown rules in coming weeks, aimed at the local populations. Access to internationally famous locations will be some time off.

Park officials said reopening Snowdonia would be "cautious and measured and will be phased".

"Our utmost priority has been, and remains, to protect our local communities and health services," it added.