Eryri now UK's number 1 hotspot for emergency mountain rescue calls
New research from OS Maps shows Eryri (Snowdonia) is now the UK’s No.1 mountain rescue blackspot
New research from OS Maps shows Eryri (Snowdonia) is now the UK’s No.1 mountain rescue blackspot, with 9% of all incidents nationwide happening in Llanberis alone.
South Wales also ranks among the busiest regions, with steep coastal walks and inland trails contributing to the surge.
Mike Park, the Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, says:
"We've got a busy weekend coming up for Mountain Rescue in that it's the Easter weekend and we want people to get out there and enjoy the hills and the wild places across the country.
"We really do want you to do that safely and with a little bit of preparation we're hopeful everybody can have a happy day".
When asked why Yr Wyddfa or Mount Snowden has some of the highest number of emergency callouts, Mike says:
"It's the highest mountain in England and Wales, so it's got that attraction of let's get up to the highest place we can get to.
"And because of that, we find that that's why we have the most mountain rescues and we have the busiest team in the country that carried out over 350 callouts last year and certainly on track to be carrying out more than 400 callouts, this year".
His comments come as Mountain Rescue Teams across the UK say they are seeing an increase in call outs.
The data reveals that the huge rise in rescues is being driven by the craze for people to take Instagram-able selfies at some of the UK’s most remote beauty spots.
And whereas in pre-pandemic times the most rescued age group was 50-54, today it is the Gen Z generation of under 24s, with many of them setting off to take their selfies with inappropriate clothing, inadequate provisions and relying on mobile phone apps that lack the accurate detail required to navigate safely in remote areas.
The new data shows there’s been a 24% rise in incidents over the past five years and in 2024 there wasn’t a single day when Mountain Rescue teams in England and Wales – all manned by volunteers – weren’t called out somewhere in the UK.