Snowdon parking to be pre-booked to stop 'chaos'

People will now have to pre-book to park to walk up Wales' highest mountains to stop queues at the summit.

Hundreds of people were fined for dangerous parking as hikers flocked back to Snowdon when lockdown restrictions were eased last year.

Plans to help prevent future chaos include making visitors book 24 hours ahead to park near the mountain.

Angela Jones, of the national park authority, said it "encourages people to plan ahead".

The pre-bookable system is in place this year in Pen y Pass, the starting point for some of the most popular paths up Snowdon.

The system will be in place for the entire summer following a successful pilot at the end of last summer.

Ms Jones, of Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA), said people would have to download an app or book online before driving to the mountain.

"You have to book at least a day before you intend to travel, so you can't book within the 24 hours before you want to come here.

"We want people to think what they're going to do here in Snowdonia before they come, where they're going to park, where they'll stay and what they're going to see," she said.

Ms Jones said while parking under the new system would cost "a little more", it would be less than last year's pilot.

She said the extra cost would go towards funding the Sherpa buses and contribute towards paying security staff to patrol the carpark overnight.

With increased visitors after lockdown travel restrictions were eased, new digital messaging boards have also been put up at beauty spots reminding people key information.

It comes after people were urged to respect the countryside after after "widespread" reports of visitors leaving litter and using beauty spots as toilets.

Catrin Glyn, from Yr Wyddfa Partnership, said while the digital touchscreens were currently disabled due to Covid, people could still see messages on them.

"For example, there's a page explaining that Hafod Eryri - the building and cafe on Snowdon's summit - is closed and that it's better for people to use toilet facilities before they go up," she said.

"There's also an up-to-date bus timetable so that people can see exactly when the buses leave for Pen y Pass or Llanberis," she said.

Ms Glyn said volunteers were picking litter on all the paths and an information van would be heading to beauty spots to give visitors advice.

If a success the scheme could be extended to other areas such as Cwm Idwal in the Ogwen Valley.