A UK-Ireland undersea power link is being rerouted after Harry Potter fans object to a planned cable path near a memorial they associate with Dobby, a fictional house-elf from the series. The issue arises around Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, where fans have left stones reading “Here Lies Dobby,” linking the spot to the character’s burial in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.
Project manager Simon Ludlam says he first learned of the concern after a BBC interview and then received hundreds of calls about the proposed underground location. He initially did not know who Dobby was, and colleagues explained that fans viewed the planned route as going through the “grave.” The National Trust, which owns the site, has asked visitors not to leave tributes because the beach is ecologically sensitive.
According to accounts from multiple outlets, planners then identified an alternative route that avoided the “grave” area. Ludlam adds that while the revised path still came close to real Bronze Age remains, it ultimately avoided the memorial site. The Greenlink interconnector, worth about £430 million, is continuing with the diversion.
