North Wales village paying price for waterfall amongst 'most famous' in Europe
Also known as Aber Falls, the 120ft cascade and its surrounding area have been popular tourist destinations since the Romantic Period in the 18th and 19th centuries. As the waterfall gathers increasing attention on social media, the flow of people wanting to see it has turned into a stampede.
An access road to the falls have now become so busy that the nearby village of Abergwyngregyn can become traffic gridlocked at peak times. Residents complain of being trapped in their homes, unable to leave a village that was home to the last native prince of Wales.
In terms of popularity, the waterfall was ranked 10th in Europe, placing it alongside some of Iceland's iconic cascades. Another North Wales waterfall to feature prominently in the study was Horseshoe Falls on the River Dee in Llangollen, Denbighshire, which was placed 12th.
To arrive at its findings, German travel provider SpaDreams analysed 219 European waterfalls. Search volumes were aggregated from Google, Bing, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and TikTok.
The Hamburg-based company said waterfalls have long held a certain allure. 'Anyone who has ever stood in front of a waterfall knows its magic: the hypnotic roar of the water, the caress of the spray on the face, the feeling of being in touch with the pure energy of nature,' it said.
With a total search volume of 202,330, Rhaeadr Fawr is not the biggest waterfall in Wales but it's regarded as one of the most impressive. Billed as a 'must-visit' attraction, with scenic walks, it's within easy reach of families from Liverpool and Manchester wanting a day out.
The waterfall has attracted celebrity endorsements too: last year model and TV personality Christine McGuiness described it as 'the most magical, beautiful thing I have ever seen' after visiting it on BBC's Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales.
As it lies just a mile from the A55, the waterfall is easily accessible. A narrow road winds through Abergwyngregyn up to Aber National Nature Reserve where ticketed car parks are run by Eryri National Park and Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
At busy times, villagers say queuing traffic can snake back all the way to the dual-carriageway.
Cyngor Gwynedd is sympathetic to the issues and has met representatives to discuss solutions. But it said there are 'no easy fixes'.
In the past, Horseshoe Falls (search volume 166,020) has also faced illegal and inconsiderate parking, though enforcement has helped ease the issues.
According to the SpaDreams study, Europe's highest profile waterfall is Rhine Falls in Switzerland (search volume 674,250). One of the Continent's biggest falls, spanning 150 metres, it sees up to 600,000 liters of water per second plunge over a 23-metre drop.
In third spot was 165-metre Marmore Falls, Italy, the world's largest man-made waterfall having been created by the Romans.
Otherwise, seven of the top nine were waterfalls in Iceland, crowned by the majestic Skógafoss (search volume 551,950). Cascading from more than 60 metres, it creates an imposing curtain of water that creates large, rainbow-forming mist clouds.
Other Welsh waterfalls to feature in the European list were Swallow Falls near Betws-y-Coed, Conwy (search volume: 62,660, 36th place) and Henrhyd Falls in Bannau Brycheiniog (search volume: 62,660, 44th place).
One of the tallest in Wales, Pistyll Rhaeadr in the Berwyn Mountains, was ranked 60th with a search voume of 33,120. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
7 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
The new direct train line set to connect the UK to a European city for the first time
Plus, the new European rail service launching next year linking two major cities TRACK ON The new direct train line set to connect the UK to a European city for the first time Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE Government has revealed plans for a new rail link between London and a new European country. The UK and Germany have joined forces to create a direct rail route to Berlin. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 There could soon be a direct rail route between the UK and Germany Credit: Getty 5 Berlin is known for its vibrant culture and top class beer Credit: Shutterstock Editorial The new direct train would allow both Brits and Germans a flight-free way of getting to each country. For Brits, this meant they could be exploring the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie "in just a matter of years", according to Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander. The secretary added: "This landmark agreement – part of a new treaty the Prime Minister will sign with Chancellor Merz today - has the potential to fundamentally change how millions of people travel between our two countries, offering a faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying. "A new task force will bring our nations closer together and create new opportunities for tourism, business and cultural exchange, building on a landmark deal we signed earlier this year to explore introducing direct services to Switzerland." The plans are also set to give the UK a big economic boost, with the creation of jobs and strengthened trade links. Alexander added: "This is central to our Plan for Change – breaking down barriers, thinking boldly about the future, and making long-term decisions that better connect Britain to the world. "Working with Germany, we're building bridges between our people and paving the way for a more sustainable, connected future." It has not been made clear where the new train service would depart from in London. Currently, St Pancras International is the only London station that provides direct international passenger trains, including ones that connect to Germany - via a change in Brussels. This is due to St Pancras being the terminus for High Speed 1 (HS1) - the only high-speed rail line in the UK that connects to the Channel Tunnel. The Sun reviews business class travel on the Eurostar 5 Currently, Brits need to change in Brussels to get to Germany Credit: Getty Berlin is known for its vibrant culture and top class beer, which includes Prater Garten, the city's oldest beer garden having first opened in 1837. Currently, St Pancras International is the only London station that provides direct international passenger train services, including those that connect (via a change in Brussels) to Germany. This is because St Pancras is the final station for High Speed 1 (HS1) - the only high-speed rail line in the UK that connects to the Channel Tunnel on the UK side. However, Stratford International and Ebbsfleet International stations both sit on the HS1 line. In theory, both of these places could handle international services. However, the Eurostar - which is the main operator through the Channel Tunnel - has not served these stations since the Covid-19 pandemic. 5 Services to Europe run from St Pancras International in London at the moment Credit: Getty Eurostar has also announced plans to create direct trains from London to Frankfurt in Germany and Geneva in Switzerland in the early 2030s - which would still likely depart from St Pancras International. A new high-speed line known as High Speed 2 (HS2) is under construction in the UK. Whilst the line will primarily be used for travel within the UK, such as linking London to the West Midlands, there have been some discussions about a link between HS1 and HS2. If this link were to be built, it could allow for direct international services from other parts of the UK via HS2. New European rail service A NEW European train service, launching next year, will connect Prague, Berlin, and Copenhagen, marking the first direct route between Prague and Copenhagen in a decade. Operated by Czech, German, and Danish rail companies, the service will primarily run twice daily. The journey from Prague to Copenhagen will take around 11hours - a duration expected to decrease with the completion of the Fehmarn Belt Undersea Tunnel. Onboard, passengers can enjoy a dining car, a children's cinema, and improved mobile signal. The ComfortJet trains will also offer space for bikes and be wheelchair accessible. This initiative is one of 10 pilot projects supported by the European Commission to enhance cross-border rail travel. The construction of HS2 is also behind schedule and the Government confirmed in June that the completion of the line would now be delayed beyond the target date of 2033. Plus, a gamechanger new budget train line is to launch from London next year.
Daily Mirror
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Prague Airport terminal 'closed' amid 'possible presence of explosive'
A major airport in a city loved by British tourists was "closed" after possible explosives were found in a secure area. A section of Prague Airport was temporarily shut today after an urgent police operation was launched this afternoon. The airport's Terminal 2 was shut following the "possible presence of an explosive", according to local cops. The major European airport announced the temporary closure in a X post, saying: "For security reasons, access through the central security checkpoint in Terminal 2 has been temporarily suspended. "A police operation is currently taking place on site. As a precautionary measure, part of Terminal 2 has been temporarily closed to the public."
The Herald Scotland
14 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Does airline travel really need to be so terrible in 2025?
July is an especially chaotic month for flying. It makes it the perfect time for workers to take a stand against staff shortages, low wages and poor working conditions. At the beginning of the month, air traffic controllers in France walked out for two days on July 3 and 4, citing low staffing levels and 'toxic and authoritarian' management. I was sitting in my cramped little window seat on board a Ryanair flight, anxiously rubbing the Saint Christopher around my neck, when the apologetic pilot announced to passengers that we might be stuck on the tarmac for several hours waiting for a slot due to airspace capacity restrictions. Flying is a privilege, I remind myself. But it sure doesn't feel like an honour these days. Between the illusion of low-cost ticket prices based on the infuriating strategy of 'unbundling' to the industrial action-inducing conditions for aviation workers across Europe and the UK, has flying ever been this bad? French air traffic controllers were not the only workers taking strike action this month. In Finland, industrial action rocked Finnair and Helsinki Airport across several days in a dispute over wages (some dates have since been called off). Across Italy, baggage handlers at several Italian airports took part in a 24-hour strike on July 10. Workers at a clutch of other airports in Italy took part in separate strikes around the same time. Spanish airline and airport workers also went on strike. July 26 should be a fun day to travel as Spanish and Italian aviation strikes coincide with the last day of a walkout by around 100 Glasgow Airport workers. Needless to say, this summer has seen record disruption with hundreds of flights cancelled and tens of thousands of passengers impacted. A huge part of the problem is that demand is back to pre-pandemic levels, but staffing levels are not. Budget cuts during Covid, coupled with stalls in training across parts of the aviation industry, have put pressure on everyone from baggage handlers and air traffic controllers to airport ambassadors, support officers and more. Then there is the squeeze on airspace over Europe caused by the war in Ukraine. Conflict in the Middle East has also led to hundreds of cancellations. As a passenger daring to go on vacation in the summer, these sorts of delays and cancellations are to be expected nowadays. And they are mostly out of the control of airlines. Industrial action on the ground is considered 'extraordinary circumstances', so airlines are not required to pay passengers compensation for any delays or cancellations caused by strikes. Airlines have been pretty vocal about their dissatisfaction at having to cancel hundreds of journeys. EasyJet boss Kenton Jarvis said the airline was 'extremely unhappy' at the French ATC strikers. Michael O'Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, accused French air traffic controllers of 'holding European families to ransom'. Buckled up on the tarmac, I debate forking over more than a fiver for a pack of Pringles and a lukewarm Sprite during the agonising wait to take off. As excruciating as it is to spend hours in a parked Boeing 737 (hours that could be spent on the beach), the torture of travel begins the moment you try to purchase a flight from a budget airline. Further inconveniences, delays and cancellations do not feel out of place in a system that is broken thanks to a low-cost model that created an incredible race to the bottom. July, for the obvious reason of demand, is not a cheap month to travel, even if you are flying with a budget airline. So, I pay a fare which only covers my bum in a seat that barely scrapes the minimum legal-size standard and try and figure out how I can pack everything I need into a little backpack. The size of which (40x20x25cm) is far smaller than the actual space beneath a seat. What the heck? I think. The airline describes this allowance as 'generous'. For the honour of putting a bag in the overhead locker, you have to pay for priority boarding. It allows the airline staff to examine the shorter, non-priority queue and pick off holidaymakers with oversized bags one by one with ease. It's marketed as a system that is all about efficiency, but it doesn't exactly feel more efficient. It feels more like creating artificial scarcity by limiting how much space you and your things are allowed to take up. Last time I checked, the layout of the aeroplanes did not shrink and neither did the overhead lockers. The unbundling model, which airlines say is good because it means people pay for what they want, is infuriating to me. There is little overlap with the policies of different airlines, confusion abounds, and as a nervous flyer anyway, the mounting fees at every turn are a never-ending source of jump scares. Airlines once prided themselves on how wonderful the experience was. Now the whole process has been so dehumanised, broken by design and frustrating that it leaves me wondering just how bad things are really going to get before they start getting better. Air fares might be low, but they are still increasing. So are all of the ancillary charges. As a customer, I am becoming less and less tolerant of being squeezed for every last penny before I've even landed. I look forward to travelling and taking time off work, and the first few hours of it are sometimes, if not always, completely ruined by the terrible state of air travel. Across the UK and Europe, we seem to be reaching a breaking point. If staff and passengers are the losers under the current system, who are the winners? Those who decided that air travel was a financial product and not a service. And I reckon those folk can afford to fly First Class. Marissa MacWhirter is a columnist and feature writer at The Herald, and the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. The newsletter is curated between 5-7am each morning, bringing the best of local news to your inbox each morning without ads, clickbait, or hyperbole. Oh, and it's free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1
