Harry Potter fans helped push a major power cable away from Dobby’s “grave” in Wales, only for the changed route to pass close to real ancient burial remains.
The dispute involved the Greenlink Interconnector, a high-voltage electricity link between Ireland and Great Britain. The Guardian reported that the £430 million project, roughly $580 million, was rerouted after fans complained that the original path would disturb the Freshwater West memorial associated with Dobby from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The fan tribute sits at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire, where Dobby’s beach burial was filmed for the final Harry Potter movies. Visitors have long left stones, socks and other items at the site, even after conservation warnings about the protected coastal area.
Greenlink project manager Simon Ludlam said the team found a way around the fictional house elf’s memorial. The route that followed still brought planners close to Bronze Age remains, including urns associated with human burial.
The Original Route Went Near Dobby’s “Grave”
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Ludlam discussed the route controversy on the Energy Revolution podcast, according to The Guardian. He said the Greenlink route was originally set to pass through the area associated with Dobby’s memorial at Freshwater West.
The reaction began after Ludlam pointed out the planned cable route during a BBC interview. Once viewers realized where the underground cable could go, Greenlink received hundreds of calls from Harry Potter fans concerned about the tribute.
Ludlam said he initially did not know who Dobby was. A colleague eventually explained that the company was being accused of planning to run the cable through Dobby’s “grave,” turning a film-location memorial into a real planning headache.
Greenlink Found a Different Path
The company then worked with planners to move the route away from the fan site. Ludlam said people were pleased once the memorial was avoided, joking that “Dobby’s happy.”
The changed path came with its own awkward detail. Ludlam said the route went close to real Bronze Age remains instead, while still avoiding the fictional grave. The Guardian reported that the remains included urns associated with human burial.
The cable has since gone into operation. Ireland’s Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment said in April 2025 that the 500MW Greenlink Interconnector had entered commercial operations after construction and testing.
Dobby’s “Grave” Has Been a Tourist Site for Years
The memorial grew from the Harry Potter films rather than the books alone. Freshwater West was used for the beach burial scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and fans later began leaving painted stones, socks and messages at the real location.
The socks come from Dobby’s story in the series, where receiving clothing represents freedom for a house elf. Over time, that connection turned the beach into a pop culture pilgrimage site for visitors who wanted to mark the character’s death.
The same popularity has caused problems at Freshwater West. The beach is managed by National Trust Cymru and sits in an environmentally sensitive coastal area.
The National Trust Had Already Asked Fans to Stop Leaving Items
In 2022, National Trust Cymru allowed the Dobby memorial to remain at Freshwater West in the immediate term after a consultation. It also asked visitors to stop leaving objects at the site.
ITV News reported at the time that the Trust warned against leaving socks, trinkets and painted pebbles because they could enter the marine environment and food chain.
That earlier warning made the cable dispute more complicated than a simple fan victory. The memorial was protected from the cable route, but conservation groups had already said the beach needed fewer objects left behind.
The Power Link Is a Major Energy Project
Greenlink connects EirGrid’s Great Island substation in County Wexford with National Grid’s Pembroke substation in Pembrokeshire. The project uses subsea and underground cables to link the Irish and British electricity grids.
The company has described Greenlink as a 500MW interconnector designed to support energy security, regional investment and the integration of low-carbon energy. Its Welsh route comes ashore at Freshwater West before continuing underground toward the Pembroke area.
Greenlink previously said the Pembrokeshire section included a subsea cable coming ashore under the beach and dunes at Freshwater West, then continuing underground to a converter station near the existing National Grid substation.