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Parking plea at beauty spot to avoid Easter chaos

George Herd
BBC News
Getty Images The summit of Yr Wyddfa - Snowdon, crowded with about twenty people waiting to touch the trig point marking the highest point in Wales. Stone steps are on both sides of a rock formation with a trig point on it, with people crowded around in walking gear. It is a clear sunny day with whispy clouds in the background, but a mostly blue sky.Getty Images
Yr Wyddfa is well known for crowds queuing to step onto the summit of Wales' highest mountain - this year looks to be no different

Visitors to Wales' largest national park are being urged to think about how they travel to avoid parking chaos or risk being towed away.

It comes as restrictions at one of Eryri National Park's most popular locations come into force in time for Easter.

From now until November, those heading for Pen y Pass below the summit of Yr Wyddfa, or Snowdon as it is also known, will have to pre-book parking at £20 for an eight-hour slot.

There have been scenes of traffic mayhem in the area in previous years, with vehicles double parked on nearby routes preventing emergency vehicles from getting through.

Those tempted to flout strict rules by parking on the road are being warned they face penalty fines, and could have their cars removed by police.

Officials said introducing pre-booking for Pen y Pass parking along with stricter enforcement action and an improved bus service had drastically reduced problems in the area.

"The pre-booking had to happen because of the dangerous sights we saw during Covid and after Covid," said partnership project manager Catrin Glyn.

She added cars were parked right down the road, which meant ambulances could not get through.

"It was chaos - we had to do something as a park authority."

Catrin standing at the Pen y Pass car park. She is wearing a black down jacket with the Eryri national park emblem on the coat, and the word 'staff'. She has long dark brown hair and is looking directly at the camera. Behind her is the car park with numerous cars. In the background is a rural mountainous landscape.
Pre-booking for Pen y Pass is just one of the measures the park authority is taking to ease congestion, says the park's Catrin Glyn

It is the third year the pre-booking scheme has been in operation following a pilot when lockdown was lifted in 2021.

While some might wince at the cost of a slot at Pen y Pass - rising to £40 if you wanted to stay longer than eight hours - park officials hope it will help persuade visitors to look at alternative ways to explore the area.

They want to encourage more people to make use of the extensive bus network around Yr Wyddfa, including a large park-and-ride site less than 10 minutes away with services running every 15 minutes in spring and summer.

"It's really important for the park. We have a carbon emergency - we have to reduce carbon (emissions). We really have to think about how we travel in the future," added the park's partnership manager.

"That's definitely something we aspire to - having those options for people so they can come into the park on sustainable transport."

A man wearing a cream baseball cap, with sunglasses, and a short grey goatee beard. He is smiling broadly, wearing a blue fleece jacket, with the straps of a blue rucksack visible. Behind him to his left is a man with dark hair and a fuller dark beard, and a woman in a grey down hood jacket. They are all stood on a rocky footpath on the foot of Yr Wyddfa
Visitor Deshen from London decided to take the bus to Pen y Pass

For day visitor Deshen, who was visiting with his family from London, parking at Pen y Pass was not an option.

"I didn't even check here to be fair. Down there it's a fiver to park, you get a bus - the bus is nice. It's regular," he said.

Rachel in a dark coloured mountain jacket and dark baseball cap, with sunglasses perched on its peak. Behind her are rocky outcrops at the base of Yr Wyddfa
Rachel parked a mile away from Pen y Pass, and after descending from the mountain said she wished they had thought about pre-booking

Another hiker who had been to catch sunrise on the summit of Yr Wyddfa said she wished she knew about pre-booking or the bus before arriving from Ipswich.

"We had to park about a mile away. It's not too bad, but it does mean a bit of a longer walk back," said Rachel Brown.

"I think the more transport you can have around here is definitely a lot better, I'd say."

Adam, who is bald with a short full face beard, wearing sunglasses and a grey t-shirt, crouches on a footpath on Pen y Pass. His hands rest on his dog, a black and white spaniel cross called Benji. Behind him the peaks of the Yr Wyddfa range can be seen - down the Dyffryn Peris valley towards Nant Peris and Llanberis. There is a clear blue sky without any clouds.
Adam says he hopes to use the bus in the future, as he will be able to take his dog Benji with him on his treks as well

One particularly adventurous walker was trying to make it up the mountain twice in one day with his dog Benji.

"I know the area is really well serviced by the buses and you can get around to all the different routes up Snowdon," Adam Brown said.

He paid just £6 to park on the other side of the mountain and said he would not be opting for a £20 bill to get a slot at Pen y Pass.

"I wouldn't be paying that - I'd be getting the bus, definitely, because dogs can go on them, so I can bring my dog with me as well."

Sherpa bus picking up passengers at Nant Peris. The bus is a green double-decker, with the destination sign Betws y Coed and S1 service indicated
The Sherpa bus service runs to Pen y Pass from the nearby park-and-ride site every 15 minutes during peak season

The bus network is called Sherpa'r Wyddfa - or Snowdon Sherpa - with more than a nod to the connections between the area and its base as a training ground for Sir Edmund Hilary's first successful attempt on Everest, paired with with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

The service was revamped after Covid to help serve both the local communities in the areas around the mountain as well as visitors.

A graphic explaining prices for parking and using the bus service. Parking: From April to November you must pre-book a slot on the Eryri National Park website. Eight hours: £20, all day £40. Sherpa bus network. Adult day pass £7, child and concession £4.70, family day pass £15. Dogs are allowed.

One of those extolling the scheme's virtues in the run up to Easter was Welsh government transport minister Ken Skates, who joined other passengers heading towards Pen y Pass from the national park gateway village of Betws y Coed in Conwy county.

"It's all about a positive visitor experience - it's not just about getting from A to B," said Skates.

"It's about enjoying this incredible landscape in a relaxing environment, rather than having to go through the stress of driving around, trying to find a parking space. It's all part of the tourism experience.

"Parking congestion in parts of the park are an incredible problem, not just for visitors, but for the people who live here. So by putting on additional public transport schemes, by making sure they are reliable and punctual, we're encouraging people to get out of their cars, get on to the buses and to enjoy this landscape far more."

Recovery vehicles preparing to tow vehicles at Pen y Pass on a summer's day. In the foreground is a yellow and black information sign in Welsh and English stating parking there is pre-booking only, and directions to the Nant Peris park-and-ride with a blue and white P symbol and bus logo
Police are urging visitors to plan their journeys - including where they will park

North Wales Police has reiterated the parking message - as well as calling on the public to make sure they stay safe while exploring the national park as summer approaches.

Ch Insp Steve Pawson said: "North Wales Police have and will continue to work closely with partners – including our volunteer Mountain Rescue Teams who are experiencing unprecedented demand on their services this year.

"We all have an individual and collective responsibility to take additional care if heading up Yr Wyddfa or any other mountain in Eryri.

"If you do intend on visiting Yr Wyddfa and surrounding areas please ensure that you plan in advance.

"Planning on where you will park is also an important factor as we don't want to witness dangerous or irresponsible parking like we have seen in years gone by."