If someone can't navigate to Crib Goch, perhaps they shouldn't be directed to it. It will still be there next year, and in the meantime they can acquire the skills to get there and - which is my point - get back.

There are a minority of people out there who feel passionately that the hills should be free from all signs, cairns, markings, etc. Their argument being that all of these man made things despoil the environment and can create a loss of adventure and exploration. They also say they can lure inexperienced walkers into a false sense of security.

I'm actually one of those who prefer to find my own way around the mountains but I don't have a problem with adding navigational aids, particularly when so carefully implemented and inconspicuous as those on Snowdon. If they help a lost walker get off the hill or assist the hard pressed Mountain Rescue teams locate someone more quickly then why not?

Sadly, the cairn and sign wreckers are not interested in reasoned argument and will continue to act, as Dewi Davies says, in a selfish way.

@tim The sign showing the route towards Crib Goch is not there to direct people to climb it. It is there to make sure people who were intending to follow the PyG track don't accidentally take a right turn at Bwlch y Moch and find themselves heading towards the foot of Crib Goch, which sadly has happened a lot. On many days in the year hundreds of people will tackle Snowdon via the Miners or PyG Tracks. The vast majority of these people might never climb a mountain at any other time and sadly most cannot navigate. Saving them make this simple mistake is a good enough excuse for me for this small unobtrusive sign.

The discs which have been placed on pre existing stiles are genuine lifesavers. I know of a number of rescues that have had good outcomes, in shortened time-scales, as a result of casualties being able to locate their position and explain it over the phone to the Police and/or Mountain Rescue.

The stiles are already there so that the fences needed for land management purposes can be crossed.

The discs only seem to have been put on the routes on mountains that attract ascents from what are normally non hill goers. The bottom line is that these people will climb the hills whether they have the navigation skills required or not. So given that, let's try to make it a bit safer.

I remember being up Cadair Idris a couple of years ago when i came across a group of north face wearing city folk.. they were on a ''training excercise before going off to tackle Killimanjaro''.
they hadn't a clue where they were, how to get off the hill, nor did they have a map with them.. it beggars belief!! but it does happen.. so im all for the odd marker board.. its not like they're here there and everywhere.

I happen to know that the sign was vandalised before the morning of Sunday 21st October, as I remember seeing it in that state at the time.

Aside from the vandalism issue, I think the sign is poorly thought out. The people who most need the warning most likely haven't heard of Crib Goch and don't know that "rhybudd" is Welsh for "warning". All they will see is an arrow pointing somewhere, therefore suggesting a route to walk on. If they're going to put a sign at all, it needs to be obvious in English that it is some kind of warning.

@stigofthenest

I remember being asked for directions on the summit of Cadair by someone without a map. It is a particularly bad place to be without a map, as it would be very tempting to follow the ridge line east of the summit and then to take an apparently safe descent route to the south down a convex slopes leading to crags. Fortunately I persuaded him to return via a route where the dangers to avoid are more obvious. Regrettably in these situations I am always far too nice and come away feeling that I should have been a lot more blunt.