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

Footpaths are a good example of how a landscape could tolerate the introduction of tracks to support traditional activities in the hills: farming, small-scale quarrying, communications for local people and a handful of visitors. These paths and tracks followed the contours of the land, were reinforced with materials belonging on site and soon blended into the landscape as indigenous plants became re-established.

The thousands of trampling walkers' feet, and the roads needed for modern quarrying, waterworks, power generation and farming, are built on a bigger scale, of alien materials and bring straight, artificial lines to landscapes otherwise consisting of small-scale, natural features.

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