Ordnance Survey (OS) has been criticised for using invented English names, including “The Mushroom Garden” and “Milestone Buttress” for locations across Eryri national park.
The OS, the UK Government’s national mapping agency for Great Britain, has caused an outcry among locals, with Nant Peris resident, Eilian Williams, leading the fight locally and nationally.
Nation.Cymru has been given access to just one of the complaints made by Eilian to the OS, where he makes clear his dismay at the denial of the original Welsh names in favour of recent English monikers, mostly coined by visitors and hikers.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the Welsh language being preserved and also for the Welsh names to be documented.
If the names appear on an OS map then mountain rescue will be aware of them. I mean, ideally people would be able to use their phone with the OS app to give a map reference to the rescue team but seeing as it’s usually the ill prepared that get into trouble then a way to narrow down a search is useful especially in challenging weather conditions.
Also having heard cousins repeatedly pronouncing Dolgellau as “doggyloo” even after I had explained what the real pronunciation was makes me sceptical that putting the Welsh names on a map which will be largely used by non-Welsh speakers would be helpful.