A beauty spot dubbed the country’s best has been ruined by hundreds of ‘careless’ tourists littering, locals say.
Hafren Forest, tucked away in quiet mid Wales, boasts 15 square miles of idyllic scenery including waterfalls, pine trees and a half-a-mile long boardwalk perfect for nature lovers.
It was formerly considered a peaceful ‘hidden gem’ far removed from any major cities, where locals from nearby villages would visit to walk their dogs.
But in recent months the almost 90-year-old plantation which marks the start of the Severn River has gone viral on social media.
TikTok videos describing the forest as ‘mesmerising’ and a ‘must-visit’ have brought a huge wave of tourism – which locals say has ‘ruined’ their beauty spot.
With hundreds of tourists visiting from across the country every week, Hafren Forest has become plagued by ‘littering and traffic’.
Some walkers in nearby villages such as Llanidloes have even begun refusing to visit the forest.
Gail Olwen Gwesyn-Price, 78, was formerly a regular at the walking site which she says was ‘so peaceful’ – but not anymore.
She told MailOnline: ‘I only live 20 minutes away and I used to go up there regularly to meet friends and walk our dogs. It was so nice to have somewhere to walk that was quiet and peaceful.
‘But you can’t go up there anymore, I won’t go again.
‘I simply don’t want to go there, it has been ruined. It’s the same as what happened in Snowdonia – the damage has been done.
‘The area needs tourism because it’s quiet around here but I don’t actually think these tourists are contributing anything positive. They’re not spending any money, they’re just visiting for a day, leaving their rubbish and going home. Maybe some of them are spending their money but not many.
‘I don’t see how the area’s going to return to what it once was.’
Even tourists have been left ‘thoroughly disappointed’ after visiting the viral walking spot.
Steve Hiscock made the four-and-half-hour journey to mid-west Wales from Portsmouth to take in, what he thought was going to be, the idyllic countryside.
‘When I visited I was so disappointed if I’m honest,’ he told MailOnline.
‘There was dog rubbish bags everywhere, litter everywhere, it was pretty disgusting.
‘When we were in the car park we saw a group of people get out of their car with a pile of rubbish and just throw it on top of the rest of the litter. Seeing the lack of care some people had for such a beautiful place was sort of disgusting.
‘People were literally bringing their dirty rubbish and dropping it all over the cark park.’
Another issue which increased tourism has brought to the area is traffic, with narrow roads surrounding the forest becoming congested with cars and campervans.
Mr Hiscock continued: ‘I was only there visiting and it was just absolutely packed with people. It must drive the locals crazy.
‘There’s a narrow road coming in and out of the park and it’s just bound to be a nightmare trying to get around.
‘It’s such a shame that all these hidden gems become ruined as soon as they get a bit of popularity.’
Some angered locals have resorted to posting videos online documenting the ‘chaos’ ensuing on nearby roads.
Mat Edwards, whose home borders the forest, said in a video posted online: ‘From the car park, it’s a seven-mile single track road up from Llanidloes.
‘The volume of vehicles trying to negotiate the lanes, unable or refusing to reverse, affects the local farmers and us locals. And it’s a weekly occurrence to be verbally abused by drivers as well.’
Given that the roads are just yards away from a steep drop, it could be just a matter of time before a serious accident occurs, locals say.
Deputy Mayor of Llanidloes Town Council John Glyn Hughes only echoed such concerns.
He told MailOnline: ‘The Hafren Forest area does get very overcrowded these days.
‘The road leading up to the area is very narrow with very few passing opportunities for vehicles and a steep slope on one side with no barriers.
‘Visitors are travelling fast on the road and do not realise how dangerous it is as an access road.
‘The parking facilities [at the forest] are totally inadequate with cars parked along the side of the road for great distances. The toilet facilities are also massively inadequate with obvious consequences. These are times when the area is festooned with litter of all types.
‘There’s urgent need for a better parking area, better toilet facilities, more litter bins and signage directing visitors to alternative routes.
‘I can confirm that there is a lot of concern locally about the situation and many people are now avoiding what was a beautiful and peaceful place to visit.’
In a statement to MailOnline, councillor Trudy Davies asked visitors to respect ‘our beautiful countryside.’
‘Hafren Forest and the source of the Severn has always been a hidden jewel for us locals just waiting for visitors to explore,’ she said.
‘I just ask that visitors respect our beautiful countryside and don’t litter the areas which not only leaves it unsightly for us and visitors alike but can also be detrimental to the wildlife we have.’
