New plans may see Snowdon known only by Welsh name Yr Wyddfa

Plans being considered by national park authorities may see Wales’ most famous mountain, Snowdon, known only by its original Welsh name: Yr Wyddfa.

A motion brought forward by a Gwynedd county councillor suggested that Snowdon and Snowdonia should only be referred to by their original Welsh names - Yr Wyddfa and Eryri - by Snowdonia National Park authorities.

The park authority said a task group set up to consider guidelines on Welsh place names would consider the proposal.

The proposal comes amid concerns that Welsh place names are being lost through anglicisation.

Councillor John Pughe Roberts, who put forward the motion to revert Snowdon and Snowdonia’s names, said a number of people have complained that “people are changing house names, rock names, renaming the mountains".

Speaking on BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Frecwast programme, Mr Roberts, representing Corris Mawddwy in Gwynedd, said: "In this area, for example Bwlch y Groes has become Hellfire Pass, Dol Hir is known as Longmeadow and this is happening in many areas."

He expressed his disappointment that the motion wouldn’t be considered by the national park authority but would instead be taken up by a task group.

"There's much talk of people wrongly changing Welsh house names into English and long established place names being eradicated, but the public sector has a duty to lead the way here rather than insisting on this bureaucracy of kicking the can down the road to another committee," he said.

SNPA chairman Wyn Ellis Jones told the BBC: "Authority members decided that there was no need to consider the motion today as a Welsh place names task and finish group has already been appointed.

"This follows previous consideration by the members in a working group which recommended to establish and adopt guidelines to guide the use of place names by the SNPA."

"The authority is committed to protect and promote the use of native place names for everyday use and future generations," he added.