This June, 13 BMC volunteers completed an 80m section of previously heavily eroded path below Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and cleared vast amounts of invasive Himalayan balsam in the Ogwen Valley in North Wales.
BMC volunteer and Get Stuck In leader Roy Hammond says, “We had a team of 13 volunteers, working with four rangers from the National Trust Cymru Footpath Team in Eryri. On Wednesday 18 June we spent a day removing Himalayan balsam from the banks of Afon Ogwen in Bethesda.
“Himalayan balsam is an invasive species in the UK and has become a significant problem, particularly along river banks and in damp areas where it outcompetes native vegetation and causes erosion. We were able to clear a fairly large pile!
Roy continues, “On Thursday 19 June we were back on the path to the Watkin Pools on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). This is a path that had been created by footfall across to the Watkin Pools from the original Watkin Path up Yr Wyddfa. The pools have become a popular spot post-covid due to Instagram and other social media posts.
“The Eryri (Snowdonia) footpath team decided to put in a proper path to the pools last year to stop the substantial erosion that had been caused and BMC volunteers worked on this path last year at the start of the project. This time, a team of 13 volunteers helped finish off the path right to the pools. We worked with the ranger team to dig out and lay aggregate on an 80 metre section of path. This path is now all but complete so BMC volunteers have worked on this path from the beginning to the end!”
Will you Get Stuck In too?
QUICK! There are still a few spaces left for the next Get Stuck In event in Eryri (Snowdonia) 15-17 September 2025.
Get Stuck In events are single and multi-day volunteer events in the Peak District, Lake District and North Wales. Hill walking fitness and experience, plus a packed lunch is required, but durable waterproofs and steel-toe-capped boots can be borrowed. On the multi-day events like this, volunteers do two days hard labour with the National Trust rangers on the footpaths of Eryri (Snowdonia) or the Lake District, while the third day is reserved for a rewarding group hike, climb or pub/cafe outing. You stay free of charge for three nights in basic, bunkhouse-style accommodation and there is a communal meal one evening. Single day events in the Peak District involve planting sphagnum moss and clearing invasive species.
Get Stuck In events are funded by the BMC’s Access & Conservation Trust as part of the Mend Our Mountains campaign. Please give generously here and check out the latest volunteering opportunities here.
Thirteen volunteers dug out and filled an 80m section of footpath with aggregate to create a sustainable, durable surface en route to the Watkin Path pools below Yr Wyddfa
Himalayan balsam is an invasive species here in the UK which must be removed to allow native plants to thrive
