The Upland Path Advisory Group (UPAG) based in Scotland, brings together path managers, contractors and hill user groups from across Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland. The group has a site visit most years, bringing the network together at a notable site to discuss erosion challenges and best practice in path construction and maintenance in upland areas. Matt McConway, Helping the Hills Trainer and Technical Advisor attended the 2026 UPAG site visit to North Wales.
Crossing deep peat, particularly on sloped ground, is a major challenge in path construction and management throughout Britain and Ireland. On day one, the group visited Cwm Idwal to see a path using various stone work techniques to address this challenge. This included a stretch of large flat stones, effectively floated on top of the peat, that due to their sheer size were very stable. While this has created a sustainable path, sympathetic to the landscape, sourcing and transporting such large stones comes at a high financial cost.
On day two, the group visited Snowdon itself, using the Pyg Track and Miners Track to loop the mountain. This gave the group an opportunity to see different path construction approaches and interventions over time. Most of the path surface is stone built with sections of bound aggregate path. The long term objective is to replace much of the aggregate sections with stone surfacing to reduce the maintenance burden and provide a more durable walking surface.
The site visit provided the opportunity for discussions around novel techniques, the challenges of funding and the use of plastics (including boardwalks made of recycled plastic) in the uplands.
You can read Matt’s full site visit report on our Resources page.