Inside the Welsh villages and the ‘Magaluf of Wales’

It’s a country that sees more than a million visitors flock to its mountains and beaches every year, but some villages in Wales feel harder hit than others when it comes to tourists. 

Dubbed the ‘Magaluf of Wales’, Llanberis village has a permanent population of just 2,000 but locals claim they are under siege from disorderly tourists and being priced out of their own homes.

Their defence came after a party of seven English women hikers said they would never return to Llanberis on the slopes of Mount Snowdon again after being snubbed in pubs and abused in the street for being English.

But one local branded tourists a ‘nuisance’, claiming she has been pushed off the pavement and seen a shoe thrown at a woman by a drunk person. 

Meanwhile, in Botwnnog village, plans for 18 new ‘affordable’ homes were put on hold as council committees warned English incomers could cause significant harm if they move to the area or use the property as an Airbnb. 

Gwynedd county council’s planning committee rejected the application by a single vote, noting the ‘harmful’ impact on the language and the ‘lack of need’ for the properties. 

In Llanberis, an angry resident told how she has become used to hearing locals speaking in Welsh, saying of English tourists: ‘I wish they’d just **** off’.

What do YOU think? Do you live in Wales – or are you a tourist? Email [email protected] 

Local Linda Owen, 58, told MailOnline how Llanberis suffers from its popularity, saying: ‘There’s growing anger among us Welsh speakers towards the English. 

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if we went back to the days of holiday homes being burned down again.’

This is a reference to the notorious Welsh nationalist movement of the 1980s when a group called Meibion Glyndwr or ‘Sons of Glendower’ – named after a medieval Welsh prince who fought against English invasion – burned down homes belonging to English people.

Ms Owen, a mother of one, continued: All the tourists are a nuisance.

‘Sometimes there are so many that you get pushed off the pavement into the street.

‘People are that angry. You hear Welsh speakers saying: ”I wish they’d just **** off”.

‘There are so many English here that it does not feel like you are in Wales anymore.

‘It feels like the English are taking over. I know one woman from Liverpool who has bought four or five houses to use as Airbnbs.

‘I think it’s disgusting. My son had to move as he couldn’t afford to get a house here. People are very angry about it.’

Llanberis has recently been rocked by anger against the number of Airbnbs and their link to reports of rowdy hen and stag parties.

Father-of-three Emlyn Roberts, 53, said: ‘There is definitely more anti-English hatred now than in recent years.

‘People are angry that they have bought up so many houses.

‘You hear people talking about wanting to get rid of them and driving them out.

‘But I think it’s just talk. We don’t want a return to cottage burning – that would be madness.

‘People are scared the Welsh identity is being lost as the schools become empty as young families have been forced to move out.’

However, many locals dismissed her account and claimed there is not a large anti-English bias.

Pub cleaner Glenys Hughes, 43, said: ‘Some people are angry about the number of Airbnbs owned by English people but there’s little outright hostility.

‘Tourists are the lifeblood of the village and we welcome them.

‘I think this [hostility] is nonsense.’

However, there have been complaints of fighting in the street late at night with rowdy parties held at Airbnbs. The village has even been dubbed the ‘Magaluf of north Wales’ because of this.

One woman was reputedly seen recently buying fish and chips while wearing just a thong – and drunk yobs in fancy dress are said to have been seen fighting in the streets.

Mother-of-two Sian Baylis, 32, said: ‘There can be fights late at night.

‘I saw one woman throw a shoe at a woman in a bride’s costume once but she was so drunk she missed.

‘In the winter, it’s dead here as a lot of locals have been forced to live outside because of house prices.

‘It’s sad. We should have more Welsh people to be able to afford it here.

‘But we do also get lots of Welsh tourists too – it’s not just English.’

Climbers, walkers and runners have long flocked to the village as a base from which they can explore Mountain Snowdon.

People also enjoy stunning views of Snowdonia around the twin lakes of Llyn Peris and Llyn Padarn.

Boat hire worker Rhys Parry, 26, said: ‘I live in a small village on the mountain above the lake.

‘We have mostly Welsh speakers but more and more English are moving in.

‘We know when someone new has moved into the local community as it’s so small.

‘However we welcome them – one English guy moved in and we have accepted him into our friendship group. He’s now learning Welsh.

‘We need tourists – however some people say there are too many who bring their own food for picnics and don’t spend any money here.’

Retired Sue Worthington, 73, was visiting with her husband John, 82, from their home in Chester this week.

She said: ‘We’ve owned a caravan in Wales for years and we’ve never had any problems.

‘It’s not like how it used to be when English people complained about going into shops and the locals just all speaking Welsh to make you feel unwelcome.

‘The only complaints we’ve heard is about the traffic or parking.’

Netflix’s fantasy drama The Witcher starring The Hunger Games actor Liam Hemsworth is currently being filmed on lake Padarn.

Dog walker Glenys Jones, 71, said: ‘There has been traffic chaos and I haven’t seen any actors yet – just a lot of film crews and people gawping.

‘It’s the last thing we need.’

The distressed seven English walkers whose complaints sparked focus on Llanberis had claimed they experienced an ‘astounding’ anti-English attitude from local residents.

The women, aged between 55 and 70, had travelled from Clitheroe, Lancashire, on a four-day walking holiday but were met with anti-English jibes in the street.

They also said they were snubbed in pubs and restaurants and found it hard to get served.

Mother-of-one Amy Hurst, 56, said: ‘The hatred for the English in North Wales is astounding, we will not be returning.’

She added: ‘When we first arrived there, we were walking down the street when one of us remarked on there being a funeral taking place.

‘A guy walking past overheard us and said: ‘It’s free for the English’. It was a bit strange.’

The florist said they were also met with hostility in pubs as one drinker said: ‘Let’s not bother with these, they’re bloody English.’

Ms Hurst said: ‘We felt a bit scared, it just felt very threatening.

‘The vibe was awful all round – we were all shocked at how bad it was.

‘I’ve been to Wales a few times – but this was really anti-English and probably anti-women too – I will not be going back.’        

Meanwhile, plans for 18 new ‘affordable’ homes in the village of Botwnnog were put on hold because of the objections of county and village councillors.

Gwynedd county council’s planning committee rejected the application by a single vote not only due to the ‘harmful’ impact on the language but also because of the ‘lack of need’ for the houses at the village.

Botwnnog community council, which suggested it would be ‘great’ if new houses could go to Welsh-speakers only, also welcomed the decision to refuse planning permission.

Critics meanwhile have claimed the decision to refuse planning permission is discrimination against non-Welsh speakers. 

Ironically, nationalist councillors and other politicians in Gwynedd have complained that unaffordable house prices, often blamed on second homes, forced locals to move away.

Upmarket Abersoch, a seaside village loved by holidaying footballers and the ‘Cheshire Set’, is just a few miles away and often highlighted.

Carol Williams, from nearby Caernarfon, said: ‘Absolutely they should be kept for local Welsh- speaking families – it is important to keep the language alive. 

‘We live in an incredibly beautiful part of the world. If people choose not to live here permanently and fully immerse themselves into the communities, then these houses should be earmarked for locals only.’

Objecting to the development, Botwnnog community council warned of ‘the danger to the Welsh language and the fabric of the community’ and insisted there was no local need as the village has a population of fewer than 1,000 people.

The community council declared: ‘The lack of clear evidence of local need for this number of social houses within this community added to concerns that the properties would be let to people at the opposite end of the county, from non-Welsh speaking communities in Gwynedd, diminishing further the 78 per cent of the current population who speak Welsh. 

‘Maintaining and encouraging Welsh-speaking communities to flourish is essential if the Government is to reach its target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050. 

‘We agree housing and employment opportunities for people within their own villages is key, but large developments such as Cae Capel is not the answer. 

‘The misreporting and distortion on both social media and by reputable media sources of the council’s objections to the proposed development, was disappointing and unfounded.’ 

Christine Booth, 70, another neighbour of the proposed development, also said: ‘If it were going to be for local people then perfect.’

Planning officials have warned the council there was ‘no hard evidence’ to prove the development would cause substantial harm to the language of the community.

Local county councillor Gareth Williams, however, said there was ‘bad feeling’ and concerns in the area, reinforcing that it was important to protect the Welsh language. 

He said: ‘It’s very rare that I see an application go before a committee where everyone in the community feels strongly against it.’

Besides the impact on the Welsh language, another main factor why people oppose the development is because they feel it would ‘spoil the village’ which is already struggling with drainage issues.

Ms Booth added: ‘We haven’t got a shop here, there are no facilities, the bus takes you into Pwllheli and there are not many. I’m not a fluent Welsh speaker but I get the concern about the language.’ 

Kevin Samsome, 70, a retired joiner originally from the Black Country but now flying the Welsh flag outside his home, opposed the development, saying: ‘Eight would probably be all right, but not 18 homes. It will spoil the village. God knows who will be sent, it could be drug dealers from Pwllheli.’ 

He did add, however, that: ‘It’s not an anti-English thing, of course not.’ 

Retired local family man Geraint Hughes, 65, said: ‘I’m not against houses but I think the kind of houses they are proposing, there’s not that much need for them here.

‘There’s a need for social housing but 18 in Botwnnog, out of the way, isn’t the answer. Another major issue is drainage.’

Botwnnog community council added: ‘The community council represented the voices of the residents of Botwnnog who considered this plan to build 18 social houses in a community of only 50 homes to be an overdevelopment, placing added burdens on already overstretched GP services, schools and waste and water utilities.’

Mr Hughes said young people on the council housing waiting list in towns such as Caernarfon and Blaenau Ffestiniog wouldn’t consider moving miles from their families and friends to the village, in the countryside.

New mother Tamara Davies, 28, is also worried about the impact on the privacy of her own home, overlooking the proposed development.

She said: ‘If it carried on with bungalows it would be OK. It’s the scale of the development and we have a bad sewerage problem. It’s not an anti-English thing, my mum is English.

‘I would like to see a list of who is waiting for housing. Do people want to come to Botwnnog?’

Ceri, 29, Mr Samsome’s daughter, supported building the new houses, however, saying: ‘I’m not against it at all. People like us are struggling to get houses. I don’t get why people are against it.’

A villager who wouldn’t give his name also said: ‘There’s nothing wrong with building houses for people wanting houses. I would say there’s need for houses, if not here, for the local area. 

‘Young people have no chance. The price of houses is ridiculous. I think it’s wrong to block the application. People need places to live.’ 

After Gwynedd county council’s decision to reject the planning application, there will now be a ‘cooling off’ period amid fears the county council could face a costly planning appeal.