Hi, I'm organising a trip to snowdon in July 2012. I have been there a number of times but can anyone help me out with these questions about Pen y Pass carpark please?
1. Are you allowed to park a minibus there? 2. Would it be an issue if I had a small trailer on the bus? 3. We are aiming to park at Pen y Pass at 4:00 AM. It's not likely to be full this early is it? 4. If the car park is full, where could I leave the bus? I'm prepared to drop off my mates, drive the bus somewhere else and jog back to pen y pass if needed.
4am in July there will almost certainly be some people there - probably not many, but some. Get there any time later and you may well struggle.
How long do you expect to be there for - you may not be popular because:
From memory, the some of the spaces are big enough for a minibus - but not for a bus and trailer, so you will be taking up two spaces. As for parking and getting back - last time I was there there was a lot of double yellow lines and, I have been told, the police are sharp on giving out tickets for parking in the wrong place - including tickets for obstruction (fine plus points).
Last time I was there with a minibus group we got the driver to drop us off...he then went down to Llanberis where we met him later on.
Thanks GOF. It may be that everyone in our group is walking, so will not have a driver who can drop us off unfortunately. Point taken about the trailer, don't know if we are actually going to take one yet. if we do, maybe I could lock it up somewhere and collect it after we leave Pen y Pass.
GOF's right, there are some larger spaces (in the centre IIRC) for Transit-sized buses. I've often seen minibuses and splitters there.
A good point about the trailer, too, unless it is a very small one.
Even in July, you should be OK for spaces until about 6am - but by 7am it will be pretty full.
It cost a tenner per vehicle this last year but it seems to go up every year.
Like GOF says I've seen both police officers and local authority parking wardens slapping stickers on cars all along the road from Capel Curig, especially either side of the junction at Pen Y Gwyrd.
If you want to park at the roadside down near the junction by the Pen y Gwryd Hotel, the crucial thing is the county boundary. Near the junction it's Gwynedd - they've made proper laybys and installed ticket machines, and they're hot on enforcing non-payment or issuing penalties for parking elsewhere along the verge.
But go just 300 or 400m beyond the hotel towards Capel and you pass the sign marking the boundary with Conwy... and Conwy don't bother. There are two or three more quite sizeable rough laybys, they're free, and they don't fill up half as quickly because they're that just that little bit further away from Snowdon - we turned up around 11am on a sunny Saturday in October and got a space easily. You should find room for a minibus and trailer too, especially at the time you say you're arriving.*
From any of those roadside parking places, paid or free, there's a concession footpath (a bit boggy in places) that heads back up the hill to Pen y Pass keeping you off the A road.
* Just read your second post - you could leave the trailer in a Conwy layby and take the minibus on up to Pen y Pass
Thanks for all the helpful info guys. Looks like if I get there at 4:00am, there should be no issue parking. Will definately not bother taking a trailer. Thanks Matt C for alternative parking suggestions.
