Mystery of Snowdonia Slate Trail ‘phantom post snatcher’ baffles walkers

22 August 2023 , 23:14

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The spate of crimes has left people baffled (Image: Shutterstock / Simon Baylis)

Mystery surrounds a spate of bizarre thefts on a trail in North Wales where someone has taken several signs guiding walkers.

The 83-mile Snowdonia Slate Trail has been targeted several times with locals baffled as to why anyone would bother carrying out the bizarre crimes. Every time they strike they put walkers at risk of going off tracks and becoming lost. The mystery started earlier this year when two signs went missing near Mynydd Llandegai. They were replaced but now all four new waymarks have vanished.

Aled Owen, founder of the trail, told the Guardian : “It’s a mystery, it’s very frustrating because at that point the public right of way is indistinct and the signs help people get through, especially as if you go slightly off route you could be in the bog. People have the guidebook, the map and GPS but some do rely on the signs.

It is unknown why the signs keep being stolen (Shutterstock / Graeme Lamb)

“I don’t think it was vandals – they’d have just chucked them to one side…who knows what the motivation is but I think whoever is doing this must have a quad bike or some other transport because they are heavy.” The trail was created to entice visitors to the area and boost its local tourism. The paths follow carefully designed routes to minimise the impact on the local ecosystem.

A spokesman for Snowdonia National Park said: “We urge all visitors to Eryri to recognise the importance of waymarkers and collectively ensure that we leave no trace, respecting the natural beauty and cultural significance of this area for generations to come.”

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Meanwhile, last month it was reported one village's name is so rude they have decided to take action in a bid to stop people from stealing its sign. Shitterton, a hamlet in Dorset, often makes the list of , and people travel to the area to see what it's like and take a picture of its sign. But in 2010, the hamlet's residents grew so fed up of the sign being stolen they put a stone version up instead.

Villager Ian Ventham told the at the time: "Every two or three years somebody comes along and nicks our sign because, clearly, Shitterton is amusing. We think it was kids who would like to have it stuck on the wall in a den somewhere. I don't think it was malicious, they just did it for fun, but it was exasperating for us. We would get a nice new shiny sign from the council and five minutes later, it was gone."

Antony Clements-Thrower