A mountain rescue team has issued a safety warning and some advice to hikers after an upsurge of visitors to several dangerous areas.
Stressing that ‘No Instagram story is worth the risk’, the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team (LLMRT) urged people not to venture into the old slate quarries around North Wales – no matter how beautiful they may be.
LLMRT said that ‘considerable media and press coverage’ has brought waves of new visitors to the old quarries around Snowdonia, who are often ‘unprepared and inexperienced’.
Hidden dangers at these beauty spots include old railways and ladders that date back more than half a century, often rusted and decayed.
These are prone to collapse at any time, without warning, and are often found above precipitous drops.
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Their words of warning came with a series of photos of people posing on the old railway bridge tracks above Dinorwic Quarry, which jut out into thin air.
The Lllanberis Mountain Rescue Team wrote on Facebook: “When it comes to adventure, we hate to say ‘don’t’, but this is a seriously BAD idea.
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“Rescuing someone from here would be dangerous, horrific, traumatising. 80 year old rusty bolts don’t care about you, or your like count.”
They then posted photos of the same railway line from a few years ago, when it still made a bridge across the quarry.
The hills around Snowdonia are hugely popular with walkers from across the north west, including Mancs who can drive there in just a couple of hours.
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LLMRT say they are ‘increasingly concerned’ about the volume and nature of trips being made to such dangerous landscapes.
The advice issued has urged people to book excursions with professional and qualified leaders and instructors and to be wary of ‘social media meet-ups’.
They also said to bear in mind the three Adventure Smart Questions before heading out on any hill walks or hikes, which are: ‘Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?’, ‘Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?’, and ‘Do I have the right GEAR?’.
LLMRT’s full post on Facebook states: “The slate quarries in North Wales have seen an upsurge in visitor numbers in recent years. While we understand the urge to explore such historic manmade landscapes, there are increasing concerns at both the volume and nature of trips being made into these dangerous places.
“As a mountain rescue team, LLMRT train to operate safely in almost any mountain environment, but there are many hidden dangers in the slate quarries that we can’t always account for. Such unseen hazards can pose a considerable risk to rescuers or emergency services personnel called to assist persons in difficulty in these areas.
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“With the Easter holiday approaching and increasing number of visitors to the area, we’d like to ask people to consider the following:
“The old buildings and infrastructure of the slate quarries (railways, ladders etc.) are over half a century old and in various states of rust and decay. These old structures and fixtures, which can often be found above precipitous drops, could (and often do) collapse at any time and without warning. No Instagram story is worth the level of risk that some people are unwittingly taking.
“LLMRT are aware of many groups, often “social media meet-ups,”, exploring the quarries with unqualified and inexperienced leaders. LLMRT would always recommend that people joining such groups ascertain the qualifications and experience level of group leaders before participating in such events.
“The quarries and similar sites have recently received considerable media and press coverage, some extolling the adventures to be had here, which has encouraged unprepared and inexperienced people to explore these potentially very dangerous places. These articles can encourage the unwary into dangerous areas. LLMRT would always encourage inexperienced people to gain advice from professional and qualified leaders and instructors.”
Chester Zoo opens massive ‘African savannah’, one of the UK’s largest-ever habitats
Daisy Jackson
Chester Zoo has today opened its doors and revealed a magnificent new African savannah habitat, the Heart of Africa – one of the largest in the UK.
The massive new habitat at the beloved attraction is home to dozens of African species, including giraffes, rhino, zebra, vultures and meerkats.
Chester Zoo has created a vast open savannah where guests can come across species living side-by-side, as well as new indoor habitats where you can see smaller species like never before, and habitats you can clamber inside.
The centrepiece of the Heart of Africa is the savannah, where you can see giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, roan antelopes and ostriches all roaming together across grasses and water.
As you weave around the incredible new habitat, which spans an area the size of 17 football pitches (22.5 acres), you’ll also come across several new aviaries where birds hoot, tweet and screech.
There are 31 species of bird here, including a fabulous flock of 120 greater flamingos, three types of critically endangered vulture, colourful black cheeked lovebirds, and Africa’s largest owl, the Verreaux’s eagle owl.
One of the most impressive new areas is the Hidden Savannah, where you can clamber inside a safari jeep that’s within the actual enclosure, so that you can see 10,000 locusts all around you from the driver’s seat.
This indoor habitat is also home to adorable, wrinkly little naked mole rats, who have a network of tunnels to burrow through, and other rodents like short-eared sengi and pygmy mice.
Heart of Africa at Chester Zoo, in pictures
Heart of Africa at Chester Zoo, in pictures. Credit: The Manc Group
As for the cold-blooded animals, or ectotherms, there’s Trevor the African bull frog, plus dung beetles, red spitting cobra, Ethiopian viper and pancake tortoises.
There are 15 other mammal species to encounter too, including African wild dogs, meerkats, Eastern black rhino, yellow mongoose, and dik-dik.
The Heart of Africa stands as a symbol of Chester Zoo’s continued conservation efforts across the continent, which includes combatting poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
It’s thought that the Heart of Africa will attract an additional 200,000 visitors to Chester Zoo each year while creating 30 new jobs.
Heart of Africa officially opens to visitors on Saturday 5 April – you can book zoo tickets HERE.
Two Greater Manchester towns have been named in The Sunday Times’ best places to live
Thomas Melia
Esteemed UK newspaper The Sunday Times’ has published its list of the ‘Best places to live in the UK 2025’, and it features two Greater Manchester boroughs.
Us Mancs didn’t need anymore clarification to know that where we live is incredible but we’ll always take it, especially when the compliment is coming from none other than The Sunday Times.
The publication revealed its annual guide of ‘Best places to live 2025’ which featured more than 70 different locations throughout the nation.
Although we may have been pipped to the top spot, Greater Manchester is featured not once, but twice, which is pretty impressive.
Claiming the victory this year is the market town with a name as pretty as its surroundings, Saffron Walden, which is only 15 miles from Cambridge.
The locations were ranked through a number of key categories including transport, house prices, broadband, schools and a new addition, mobile signal.
All the contributors to the full list acknowledge the obvious missing puzzle piece,food, and we know if this was factored in a few more Greater Manchester locations may have nabbed the ‘Best places to live’ honour.
The first Greater Manchester based entry is The Heatons, a hotspot nestled between the city centreand the city of Stockport, which is actually four neighbourhoods – Heaton Chapel, Mersey, Moor and Norris.
These areas are home to living history in the form of the iconic century old Savoy Cinema and lots of open green spaces.
Food may have been missed off The Sunday Times’ list but it certainly didn’t go a miss on ours.
Mossley has been named on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list. Credit: Instagram, @ariadneexploresThe Heatons also made the list. Credit: Instagram, @fourtheheatons
The second spot which managed to grab the title of ‘Best places to live 2025’ is Mossley, a town packed to the brim with cosy cottages, blissful walks and a close-knit friendly community.
It’s not too far from Dovestone Reservoir and the Peak District National Park – when you’ve got all this greenery on your doorstep you’re bound to be in a good mood.
Our friends over in Leeds at The Hoothave lots to cheer about as Ilkley, Hebden Bridge, Easingwold and Ripon all got a mention.
You can find out the full rundown on all the spots up and down the country that have been selected as part of ‘The Sunday Times’ Best places to live for 2025′ HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
14th April 2023 
