now a 'densely crowded everyone is suffering

AND THERE ARE FEARS THINGS COULD GET WORSE HERE

- 

Nor is northeast Wales immune. A new national park is planned in the region, centred on the Dee Valley, and Flintshire Council is developing its coastal offer, still an under-the-radar resource for visitors.

Meanwhile, tourist numbers in Wrexham have climbed 20% year-on-year since the Hollywood take over of its football club in 2021.

According to Andy, a lack of infrastructure to meet these pressures is shortchanging both locals and visitors. Having moved to Bala from West Sussex seven years ago, he can see both sides of the equation.

“Some places, like Bala and Barmouth, have relatively large car parks, but elsewhere parking is either small or nonexistent, like in Capel Curig. I don't think many visitors realise that Eryri is just mountains, lakes and bogs, with small communities and very little else.

“The signage is poor and the pubs are all shutting. Toilet provision is awful. The few facilities are poorly policed, so it becomes a free-for-all. If you're not into walking, there's little to do: you see people descending on Bala at 11am-12pm and wandering around before realising there's nothing for them there.

“and it’s very expensive ~ £4 for an ice cream, £15 for fish and chips. For families, it becomes unaffordable. Visitors themselves deserve much better, never mind the locals.”

Cooler holidays

Despite rising staycation costs, and weather that doesn’t always match social media depictions, some experts believe regions like North Wales should brace for more tourism.

According to Trainline data, rail bookings to the UK’s 12 most popular seaside towns surged 25% this month. One explanation is the settled UK weather, another are the heatwaves raging over continental Europe.