Snowdonia National Park and North Wales Police warn of parking problems at Pen y Pass and Ogwen due to snow condditions.

Due to the excellent wintry weather, the peaks of central Snowdonia have been innundated with walkers, climbers and others making the most of the conditions. However the sheer volume of visitors combined with the heavy snowfall has been creating problems for motorists at Pen y Pass and at Ogwen. The car parks at these venues are covered in deep snow, severely limiting parking spaces, and as a result visitors have been parking on the highway, causing serious congestion and obstruction. Snowdonia National Park have a policy of not clearing snow from car parks if further snow is forecast, as they see this as a burden on resources. However BMC is encouraging them to clear snow from the car parks at these sites,  as winter conditions such as we currently have will undoubtedly lead to a large number of users.

The alternative being suggested by the National park is to park further down the valley, but with limited parking here and a reduced bus service due to winter timetables this is not practicable for winter mountaineers and could even be a safety issue, as climbers returning late face a long walk out in poor conditions if they miss the last bus!

Further information from the BBC Wales website

In the meantime, please try to park sensibly and not block the highway. Remember that the A5 at Ogwen and the road through the Llanberis Pass are both clearways, and parking enforcement (i.e. parking fines) is being carried out by the authorities. If possible, use public transport and share transport to avoid exacerbating the situation.

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