The Easter weekend saw fantastic blue sky weather and large numbers of climbers arriving in North Wales. Whilst it’s great to see so many people enjoying the Welsh crags, there have been problems. A call this morning to NWB.com from a National Trust land manager (who also happens to be a climber) highlighted some issues up at the Sheep Pen Boulders in the Ogwen Valley.

The tenant farmer has complained about the number of dogs that people have been bringing up to the boulders. The spring time is an especially sensitive time for livestock management, there are a lot of young lambs around and it easy to see how the situation could turn nasty with so many dogs running around. So this is a formal request that people do not take dogs up to mountain valley bouldering venues such as Sheep Pen.

Another point worth bearing in mind at Sheep Pen is that the old pen walls from which the area gets its name are of historic importance and should not be damaged or dismantled in any way.

And finally, a more general point about behaviour in the mountains also needs to be reiterated, namely that we all should be conscious of our impact. Please avoid crowding areas out with big groups and be sure to pick up any litter that you find.

Relevant links: