Intro I Mountains I Woodlands I Water I Man-made features I Sea
Farmed landscape I Tracks and footpaths I The challenge I Snowdonia Society

Put the features of Eryri together and they form a culturally distinctive landscape that shows visual and functional unity.

It is traditional farming methods and rural economy that have shaped the panoramas we know and love. The mountain vegetation, enclosures, field patterns, stone walls and buildings and farm tracks provide a sense of unity that gives a satisfaction complementary to the physical beauty of the individual naturalfeatures.

These features belong to a way of life that is dying. The people of Snowdonia do not want to die with the old ways. They rightly care about a standard of living compatible with the rest of the world.

Planning policies tend to encourage development. Sometimes the answer is seen in terms of new buildings, industries, fences and roads which, when built of alien materials and imposed on a landscape, instead of carefully built into the contours, can change it, almost beyond recognition. It is important to ensure that development is done in a way that can be tolerated by the landscape using traditional materials and techniques and careful siting. Such methods can encourage local skills and employment as well as providing an appropriate means of development and change. Modern landscape assessment techniques can help identify which landscapes can accommodate change.

"What can Eryri tolerate in termsof change and yet maintain her integrity?"

This is our challenge!

Intro I Mountains I Woodlands I Water I Man-made features I Sea
Farmed landscape I Tracks and footpaths I The challenge I Snowdonia Society