Crowds of people flocking to see a waterfall that has been identified as being one of the “most famous” in Europe is causing chaos for nearby villagers.
The 120ft cascade at Aber Falls and its surrounding area have been popular tourist destinations since the 18th century but as the waterfall gathers increasing attention on social media, the flow of people wanting to see it has turned into a stampede.
It means an access road to the falls has now become so busy that the nearby village of Abergwyngregyn in Snowdonia (known as Eryri in Welsh) can become 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, which is also called Rhaeadr Fawr (which means “big 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, which was placed 12th.
The popularity data comes from German travel provider SpaDreams, which analysed 219 European waterfalls for popularity across 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.
The waterfall is the latest example of a site which has become over-run with tourists after becoming popular on social media, similar to the beautiful little UK village being ruined by ‘human poo’ and parking chaos. It’s also 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. Gwynedd council says it 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 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. Cascading from more than 60 metres, it creates an imposing curtain of water that creates large, rainbow-forming mist clouds.