More Death At The Waterfalls - Are The Brecon Beacons National Park Authority Responsible?
I have been complaining to Brecon Beacons National Park and Natural Resources Wales officials about their poor management of the waterfalls area, particularly with regard to a short section of footpath and the chaos that has arisen following the BBNP’s decision to close it.
As a matter of urgency I have sent the following content, on 17th August 2024, along with this message to both Judith Harvey and Simone Lowthe-Thomas of the BBNP and Brian Hanwell of Natural Resources Wales:
‘This is a blog post that I am working on. I will be publishing this in a couple of days time and I thought I would offer you the opportunity for comment. I would urge that you initiate an emergency meeting, on site, on a good weather day, in order to observe real people using this location, which despite all of your efforts, they continue to do, and in high numbers. I would also ask you to refresh your memories of the points I have been raising and the warnings I have given. I expect action at this location and in good time in order to help prevent further tragedies such as that witnessed on June 26th.’
I received a response detailing that the BBNP would endeavour to respond by the end of August. I responded on 19th August 2024 offering five dates and times that I would be available to meet them at the location with dates available from the 23rd to 28th August and I indicated the seriousness and urgency in this matter. Simone responded saying that they have staff on site most days and they take the matter seriously but she did not mention and so did not agree to a meeting on site with me.
I was complaining about this matter in May of 2022 and then wrote to the head warden in September of 2022. Judith Harvey, the head warden, did not respond. Amongst providing a detailed explanation of my concerns I warned her that ‘any accident at this location must in part, be the responsibility of the BBNP.’
Two women died at this location in January 2023 and I copied my original letter to Judith and adding my dismay at the ongoing mismanagement I re-sent the content to Judith and to Natural Resources Wales. I received a response from Dr Simone Lowthe-Thomas, Director of Nature Recovery and Climate Change at the Brecon Beacons National Park. Her response made it clear to me that the authority does not have a plan to minimise risk at the location and that the authority does not take into consideration the average person’s use of the area.
I also received a non-response from Brian Hanwell of Natural Resources Wales in which he did not comment on the content of my detailed emails but said responsibility for public rights of way was the BBNP’s and signage was NRW’s. I reminded him of my detailed reports on the area and warned him, on 1st February 2023 ‘if action is not taken prior to April and the start of 'the season' further serious incidents will occur’.
By April of 2023 I had come to the end of ‘useful’ communication with Simone and after providing her with as much information as was available to me I ended our email exchanges with this warning: ‘I therefore reiterate my assertion that this area will be the location of incidents, accidents and there is a strong possibility of further deaths.’ And there have been several, the most recent on June 26th 2024.
The death on June 26th occurred in the area I am concerned about and fits the profile of the concerns I have for two years been raising and have repeatedly been warning the BBNP and NRW about.
The matter is complicated as my concern is one of a footpath closure, which I am wholly against, and which does not allow for a circular route to be walked. This 'encourages' many to find their own route and this has been ongoing since May of 2022. As you can imagine, many have found their own route over the two years and new unofficial paths have been created.
I believe that the person who died on June 26th took a path that in May of 2022 was not visible but due to traffic from many over the two years, seeking a circular route, it is now apparent when near ‘Point 22’. From point 15, following the diversion up and away from the river, you are led on a narrow path to the ‘top’ path passing a sign which says ‘help protect rare plants and reduce erosion by keeping on the path’ and that is it to point 22, no further signage at all, and two clearly defined paths, one very wide path and one narrower, leading directly down towards the next waterfall. From the main footpath, this path leading steeply downhill and towards the closed path looks like it is a path in regular use. This is exactly what I have been warning of and exactly what the BBNP staff have failed to take notice of. I therefore predict that unless action is immediately taken that there will be, at this location, further accidents, incidents and deaths.
Here are two maps, the first from 2022 and the second from 2024. On the 2022 map you can see that the route from point 15 to point 32 is available and that is the natural route for hikers, being a continuation rather than backtracking steeply uphill on a path already walked. The second map, from 2024 quite rightly, and at my instigation, removes the path that crosses the river directly above a waterfall. Directing family groups and inexperienced hikers across a river just above a waterfall is in most people’s minds a crazy thing to do, but the BBNP were doing just that until I complained… Further, the path closure from 15 to 32 is clear and this is the main cause of visitors ‘finding their own route’ and so placing themselves in danger.
On the point of mapping, I can find plenty of information, mostly out of date, through blogs and influencer pages and accounts but on the Brecon Beacons National Park website there are no mapping or step by step guides available. This is inexcusable given this area is the most visited in three local authority areas and is likely the most visited in the Brecon Beacons National Park area.
OS mapping still has the closed path shown, even on digital versions…
This image is from the Brecon Beacons National Park website. I checked it on multiple search engines and it never delivered a map
The route that the person who died on June 26th took was from point 15 downstream to the path diversion and then up to the main path. This video shows the route then taken from the ascent from the river on the path diversion and the junction of the main path to point 22. Please note there are no warnings or fences and at point 22 there are two very well-defined routes, one most definitely looking like a main path, leading downhill and onto the dangerous ground above the closed footpath.
These are still shots of the two paths leading from the main path that have become prominent since the footpath closure in 2022.
I took photos of the paths in the area and I detail here my concerns, all previously made to the BBNP, by commenting upon the images. However, it must be noted, that when taking these photos, on and at the approach to the closed section of footpath, I noted a large number of individuals, groups of friends and family groups who had either ignored the closed path sign or had found their own route.
The section of footpath that is of concern to the BBNP and that they closed
One of the many paths heading downstream and above the river. Note the climb to the left of the photo and then in the second photo
What’s this? A relatively new fence and put in on a not dangerous section of the closed path. Why put a fence on a path that is closed? I think this is misleading…
A couple walking down to the ‘Footpath Closed’ fence but not having seen any notice of this from the main path some 20 metres above
A brand new path, created as I had warned, by walkers trying to make their walk circular. This path did not exist in 2022 and it leads to the climb as shown in the second photo or off to the left to the closed path.
And finally, this new path leads over the climb and onto this steep ascent, which is either straight up or it can lead to a very dangerous and narrow path in the woods above the closed path. It is from here that I believe the tragedy occurred on June 26th 2024, with the person walking from above down onto this steep section and trending off to his right and so onto very dangerous ground.
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