Why the switch to Welsh matters

Snowdon or Yr Wyddfa? Snowdonia or Eryri?

You might be wondering why the official names of Wales’ tallest mountain and largest national park have changed.

But many Welsh speakers would point out that the names haven’t changed at all – Eryri and Yr Wyddfa are the names they have used all along.

“We don’t consider it to be a name change,” said writer and broadcaster Tudur Owen.

“It would feel odd for us to use things like Snowdon and Snowdonia, because they just feel so alien and they’re not words that people in the area use.”

On the mountain, Tony Evans, originally from Pontypridd, but now living in Milton Keynes, said he didn’t even know about the change.

“It doesn’t bother me so long as I can find my way up and down it safely,” he joked.

“It’s a stunning walk and really enjoyable on a crisp autumn day.”

Mohiuddin Kamal, from Rhuddlan in Denbighshire, said he believes the move is “brilliant”.

“People in Wales have their own language and they want to protect their own heritage,” he said.

“I support that and everyone should.”

The park authority voted to use Yr Wyddfa, rather than Snowdon, and Eryri, rather than Snowdonia, in all official communication in November 2022.

It said it was spurred to action after 5,000 people signed a petition calling for the change, and argued the switch would give people across the world the chance “to engage with the Welsh language and its rich culture”.

The national park authority said it would continue to use Yr Wyddfa and Eryri following a survey which found the majority of visitors viewed the change as positive.

Mr Owen said the move should be viewed as a “change in brand” which he argued “companies do successfully all the time”.

“When I speak to visitors often they will be really enthusiastic about Welsh names because they come to Wales and they find the Welsh language and the culture a refreshing change,” he said.

“When you use our Welsh place names you’re not only speaking the language but you’re linking back to 2,000 years of history.

“What drives a lot of the criticism is ignorance – they link the language to politics, they link it to nationalism and some kind of ulterior motive, when it isn’t at all.”

Mr Owen believes it comes down to helping people make an “informed choice”.

“You can choose Welsh or English – but Eryri and Yr Wyddfa are the official words,” he said.

“People are still going to use Snowdon and Snowdonia, and I would never say that they should not be allowed to, but it’s just that choice and we need to make that informed choice.”

He said we should look to other countries “where bilingualism is normal”.

“Wales is, and can be, a truly bilingual country where we have English and Welsh co-existing and intermingling,” he added.

Yr Wyddfa is pronounced Uhr With-Va.

Eryri is pronounced Eh Ruh-Ree.

A park authority survey carried out over the summer found up to 65% of visitors to Yr Wyddfa viewed the changes as positive, while 10 to 15% said they were not in support.

There have been concerns about pronunciation and whether some visitors might be confused.

The park authority said some visitors were “unaware of the longstanding Welsh names and may mistakenly believe they are new”.

But Mr Owen said he had seen no evidence of the use of the Welsh names affecting visitors or trade.

“In the last few months I’ve seen an explosion of people naming their companies Eryri something,” he said.

“We have queues of people coming to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, the cafe is overrun, so it doesn’t seem to be affecting trade at all.”