G4OBK and I activated GW/NWs-001 and 008 yesterday and the parking meter in Pen y Pass car park would not accept ten pound notes due to the machine being wet, so if you are intending to arrive there early make sure you have enough change for the ten pounds fee! However, just as we left for the ascent we did see a warden handing out change at around 8am.
73
Nick G4OOE
I thought Car Parking costs in Cheltenham were a Rip Off !!
I would want a Secure Attended Car Park for £10 for the Day !
Stewart G0LGS
In reply to G4OOE:
Save yourself £10 and park in the free carpark at Nantgwynant SH628507 complete with WC.
In reply to G1INK:
I think It may be the extra 300m of climb that puts people off Steve.
Rick
In reply to M0RCP:
My thoughts exactly. I do like the Watkin path but not with a heavy load.
73,
Rod
In reply to G1INK:
Alas that car park now costs £4.00 a day Steve (cheaper for half day). But if you carry on down towards Beddgelert a couple of hundred yards or so there is a lay-by on the right which I use, still FOC at the moment!
The lay-by’s near the Pen y Gwryd pub also now charge which I think is a bit much!
The Nant Peris car park was still FOC the last time I used it, handy for the Sherpa bus’s which run frequently during Spring/Summer months up to the start of the PYG track.
73
Roger MW0IDX
In reply to MW0IDX:
In reply to G1INK:
Alas that car park now costs £4.00 a day Steve (cheaper for half day).
Makes the £1 parking fee in the Moel Famau/Foel Fenlli car park an absolute bargain, Roger.
As specially as you can get two summits for the price of one.
One wonders, just how long before that’s bumped up to fiver.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Sshhh…Don’t let them hear you say that Mike! 
Roger MW0IDX
Alas that car park now costs £4.00 a day Steve (cheaper for half day)
NW-008, NW-001, NW-019 in half a day? Beyond my capabilities - mind you even Liam is faster than me on the hills now, as proven on our recent ODP Road Trip!
I am happy to report that the Cloudside parking area is still FOC - and I don’t mean a brilliant CW operator.
Tom M1EYP
In reply to G0LGS:
The National Park and Gwynydd County Council are keen to limit numbers parking near to Snowdon, hence what many would see as punitive charges.
An alternative is to park down in Llanberis, or other surround towns and villages and use the relatively cheap Snowdon Sherpa bus services. Do an internet search to get the timetables.
73
Gerald
MW6AQU
In reply to MW6AQU:
No they’re not, Gerald. They are keen to screw the maximum profit from their cash cows, us!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
Hi hi!
I think there is some truth in that, but I have some limited direct exposure to the issues relating to visitor transport in Northern Snowdonia.
About 10 years ago Gwynedd County Council (GCC) and Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA) did consult on closing all the car parks adjacent to Snowdon and the Ogwen valley and replacing them with an enhanced Sherpa Bus service and big park and ride facilities just outside the Park. The initiative was called “green key”, it caused widespread complaint (understatement!). The consultation failed to get agreement on the plans.
The pricing has been set to try to deter ever increasing numbers of cars parking next to the mountains. However, one issue is people are not getting the message and just find themselves turning up at a very expensive car park, not realising the alternatives. The fees have been used to enhance parking facilities at Pen y Gwryd where you can park for £4 per day and catch a Sherpa bus.
The green key initiative lives on at the following website which you may find useful.
http://www.snowdoniagreenkey.co.uk/
I regularly use the Sherpa bus service when working on Snowdon with groups. It has the advantage of allowing traverses of the mountain, permitting you to start in one place and walk back to your vehicle somewhere else, which can be more satisfying that a circular or out and return route.
73
Gerald
MW6AQU
In reply to G8ADD:
In reply to MW6AQU:
No they’re not, Gerald. They are keen to screw the maximum profit from
their cash cows, us!
When you’re right, you’re right, Brian.
The only people penalised by such outrageous charges are the low paid and those on benefits etc. Those who can afford to pay, will do so.
The lame excuse that the pricing has been set to try to deter ever increasing numbers of cars parking next to the mountains is utter rubbish. The truth of the matter is, “its a nice little earner”.
At one time, it was possible to park in Stoke-on -Trent council car parks free after 6pm. A few years ago, Stoke-on-Trent Council in its infinite wisdom, introduced 24 hour parking charges in the city. Many of the business were furious at such a rule. It is now possible to get a parking ticket at 4am in S-o-T Council car parks.
Same old story, the motorist is an easy target.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to MW6AQU:
Thank you for the valuable information Gerald. I was with Nick on Saturday when we parked at Pen-y-Pass and we split the £10 fee between us. I can understand the logic of what the National Park did and a compromise was seemingly reached. There is no way that car park at Pen-y-Pas could cope with the demand anyway during the main tourist season. It was almost full at 7.30am on a poor winter day in early March, and still almost full when we got back at 5.00pm. I imagine many motorists turn up there, can’t find a space and then cause further congestion.
I will be taking a group of walkers from my walking group up Snowdon later on. We will be in several cars so we will use the park and ride facility you suggested, valuable information.
The £10 parking fee blow can be lessened by including NW-008 Y Lliwedd on your walk, as we did and so we got better value for money - 24 points for £5 apiece.
73 Phil
In reply to G4OBK:
There is no way that car park at
Pen-y-Pas could cope with the demand anyway during the main tourist
season. It was almost full at 7.30am on a poor winter day in early
March, and still alomost full when we got back at 5.00pm. I imagine
many motorists turn up there, can’t find a space and then cause
further congestion.
Phil,
Doesn’t need to be summer to fill up completely. At the end of December 2010 it was snowbound and entry was impractical. There were cars parked beside the road on both sides of the pass and when a coach and a lorry met things came to a complete standstill.
I think that previous posts have been unnecessarily critical of Park and Council; I think they have done a good job with the large parking area at Nant Peris but it is a pity there is no path from there linking up with the Llanberis path near Halfway. It seems to me that that putting in such a path would be the best way forward unless the shuttle bus is run far more frequently. Anyway, compare the charges with a packet of cigarettes or a round of drinks (or even our city centre parking) and they don’t seem to be too bad.
73,
Rod
In reply to MW6AQU:
permitting you to start in one place and walk back to your vehicle
somewhere else, which can be more satisfying that a circular or out
and return route.
Hi Gerald
A very good idea - linear walks add a new dynamic! Try the Honister Rambler for Dale Head and Robinson and Grisedale Pike and Grasmoor too.
73 de Paul G4MD
In reply to M0JLA:
I think that previous posts have been unnecessarily critical of Park
and Council; I think they have done a good job with the large parking
area at Nant Peris but it is a pity there is no path from there
linking up with the Llanberis path near Halfway. It seems to me that
that putting in such a path would be the best way forward unless the
shuttle bus is run far more frequently. Anyway, compare the charges
with a packet of cigarettes or a round of drinks (or even our city
centre parking) and they don’t seem to be too bad.73,
Rod
A path begins at Ynys Etws just up the road to Nant Peris, it goes up just to the left of the huge cliff known to climbers as Cyrn Las (where it is a little rocky) and in the hollow of upper Cwm Glas Mawr you have the choice of a scree trudge up the headwall or a rising traverse to the right (mostly on grass) to the ridge of Gyrn Las which will take you to Crib y Ddysgl or the railway if you prefer. The adventurous will go left in the hollow and take the easy scramble up the Clogwyn y Person arete!
Its not on my edition of the 1:25,000 map but it is well known to climbers and scramblers who use it as access to their adventures and a quick descent to the Vanol Arms!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
Brian,
Thanks for this info; I don’t know that side of the mountain very well and there is nothing on my maps so I will investigate. Perhaps if this were marked on the maps it would encourage more people to use the Nant Peris car park. The last few times I have been there in winter there have been fewer than five cars.
73,
Rod
In reply to G8ADD:
Hey Brian, that’s my quiet little secret bit of the Snowdon group… don’t tell everyone - ha ha!
I use that route to bivi/camp by Llyn Glas and also as a quiet way onto Crib Goch via the North Ridge.
Seriously though, it is not a maintained path and the route can be far from distinct even in clear weather, definitely an area that needs some proper mountain skills as if the mist comes down there is a lot of steep ground around that could trap the unwary.
I’m not trying to make out that it’s the North Face of the Eiger or anything like that, but if you are a casual walker used to following well made and obvious routes, in generally non hazardous ground, this area may not be for you.
On the other hand it is very pretty and gets you away from the crowds.
73
Gerald
MW6AQU
In reply to MW6AQU:
Oops, sorry Gerald!
I love that North Ridge approach to Crib Goch, and its so peaceful, too, on a mountain where peace isn’t easy to come by. Did you ever approach it by the Western Gully of the Nose of dinas Mot and the scramble above? Good value when the rocks aren’t greasy!
73
Brian G8ADD