Car Parking at Horseshoe Falls

Over the past few months, representatives from the Canoe Wales staff team have met with representatives from the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB and Denbighshire County Council to discuss the proposed parking restrictions at Horseshoe Falls car park, Llangollen.

They were productive meetings where the current issues within the car park were discussed, along with intended outcomes and some suggestions of how to manage unintended consequences.

Before exploring the car park issues themselves, it is important to note that the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB, and Denbighshire County Council are very supportive of paddlesports activity in the local area. They have worked hard to improve access locally and have, as an example, developed egress points at the lower Dee Mill. They do not wish to unfairly target on inhibit recreational paddlers from using the car park and are working hard to understand the likely consequences of any parking restrictions or barriers.

It is also important to understand that they are considering a barrier of 2.4 – 2.5m (not the 2m which is being circulated). The barrier would be high enough to allow a car with a kayak on a roof rack into the car park. They are also considering a locked retractable barrier to:

• Enable local community groups (like clubs and Scouts) to use the car park.
• To enable increased access during paddlesport events.
• To enable increased access off-season or when there are reduced pressures on the car park.

The proposed restrictions on vehicles parking in the car park are in response to the following issues:

1. Health & Safety. Increased pressures on the car park and the various groups using it have resulted in a number of near misses. Without taking immediate action, it is assessed as a high probability that someone will soon be seriously hurt.
2. Overnight stays. This is a small car park under extreme pressure particularly over the summer months. Large high sided vehicles, including mobile homes, add significantly to congestion and are a serious health and safety concern.
3. Erosion. The high use of the site – particularly by commercial companies with big vehicles and trailers– is causing significant erosion and damage to the site. If action is not taken to manage the usage of the site, this erosion will mean the site will have to be closed for major repairs – meaning reduced access for a significant period of time.

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB and Denbighshire County Council realise there may be unintended consequences to the barrier and are interested in understanding what these unintended consequences would likely be.

Therefore, they have asked Canoe Wales to conduct a survey of paddlers who use the site to better understand how local paddlesport groups and individuals may be impacted by such plans.

If you are a user of the site, we would very much appreciate it if you could click on the link below and complete the survey. Please be honest and accurate in your response. It is important they can make decisions based on the most accurate information.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation and understanding.