Snowdonia National Park. A Year In The Life.

Thinking ahead to further assignments I watch a program last night I recorded off BBC 2 called Snowdonia A Year In The Wild. It looked at life in the national park over the period of a year from the view point of a hill farmer, park warden, climber and a local poet. The parts that most interested me were with the farmer and the warden because they showed the work they do and the struggles they face in the modern world to protect and maintain this spectacular landscape. From the farmers point of view he seemed to be fighting a losing battle in away of life that he readily admitted was slowly being lost because the skills and determination need to live and work in this area were dying out. It made me feel sad because he clearly loves what he does for a living and was trying everything he could by diversifying into the tourism trade to try and keep his farm alive, whether he'll manage to keep his farm going and pass it on to the next generation who know's, history tells us probably not but here's hoping. What I did learn from this program that I did know was the part this type of farming plays in managing the landscape, with the sheep spending the summer months high in the mountains they keep the grass cropped well down allowing some of the more rare plant life to grow which without the help of the sheep would be swamp in no time.
Following the warden through the seasons I was able to see the work he does from simple keeping the pathways open for the walkers and climbs to taking cuttings of the rarest plant life with the hope of producing strong new plants to return to the slops the following years. On top of this he he also spent his time monitoring animal species such as the Hen Harrier which are protected because of the limited breeding pairs within the UK. All round its an incredible job they undertake in all weathers through out the year and they should get more credit for the work they do then they probably get because without them this landscape would have been lost a long time ago to the slate mining trade which can be found in the area.
On the other hand though the slate mines many of which have know closed down have brought more money into the area through tourism today because of the climbers that now flock to Snowdonia every year to attempt to climb the sheer faces produced though the mining process, yes this process has scared the landscape but its now so much a part of it that it can almost be forgiven for not thinking its natural. One thing I did find after watching this program was the sudden urge to get my camera and head for Wales, this clear is one of the aims of the program, by showing us these sites we're more likely to come and spend our cash and in the grander view this in turn will help safe guard the are in the future. Having climb Snowdon a couple of years ago I can definitely say its a place everyone should visit at least once in your life time.


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