Chester University collaboration invites visitors to be part of Yr Wyddfa’s heritage
A new visitor book is inviting walkers to leave their mark at the summit of Wales' highest peak.
By Chester Standard
A new visitor book at the summit of Yr Wyddfa is inviting walkers to record their thoughts, sketches and reflections as part of a University of Chester collaboration.
The installation is part of the Retracing Footsteps project, involving the University of Chester, Eryri National Park Authority and Snowdon Mountain Railway.
It is housed inside Hafod Eryri, the summit visitor centre, and draws on the tradition of 19th-century visitor books kept at the top of the mountain. Those historic books included personal reflections, poetry and sketches from visitors.
Dr Daniel Bos, associate professor in human geography at the University of Chester, said the contemporary book had been a highlight of the project.
He said one of the books had been filled in less than a week after being installed, adding that the response would help researchers understand how people experience the landscape today and how that compares with the past.
The installation was designed by Dr Alan Summers of 3Dpixels. It includes words and sketches created during a poetry workshop with schoolchildren, alongside extracts from historic visitor books.
The project is intended to connect Yr Wyddfa’s past and present through creative activities, art and photography. It also asks what personal records can reveal about the sustainable future of one of the UK’s most popular landscapes.
A further visitor book is available at the Retracing Footsteps: The Past, Present, Future of Yr Wyddfa exhibition at Betws-y-Coed Visitor Information Centre.
The project has also produced a bilingual poetry book, Yr Wyddfa: I Remember, which is due to be available for purchase at visitor centres across Eryri National Park.