Improved car-parking for Pen y Fan climbers – but at a cost
PEN y Fan is one of area’s biggest days out for those climbing the tallest peak in south Wales.
However, anyone travelling to Pen y Fan and planning on using the Pont ar Daf car park later in the year will have an extra cost added to their day.
The National Trust, which owns the car park, has announced plans to charge drivers a flat fee of £7.50 to park there once work to extend and redevelop the site is complete.
Adjacent to the main A470, between Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil, Pont af Daf is one of the most popular car parks for Pen y Fan walkers. Members of the National Trust will not be required to pay the fee.
The charge has been announced as work is about to start to transform the car park and add around 200 more spaces. Major improvements during the summer and autumn of 2022 will create more disabled parking spaces, toilets with disabled access and babychanging facilities, and electric vehicle charging points.
There will also be parking for minibuses, coaches and cyclists, and an area for the emergency services and related users of the Beacons, while improvements are planned for signage, footpaths and information to allow people to better plan their day.
Some have branded this new parking charge as an “entrance fee” to Pen y Fan, adding an extra hidden cost to what could be believed to be a free day out.
But Alan Kearsley-Evans, general manager of National Trust Cymru Brecon Beacons and Gower, said: “These planned improvements have long been needed and will transform the visitor welcome at Pont ar Daf which is at the foot of this iconic mountain.
“Improving the car park is a key part of our work in looking after the Brecon Beacons, caring for the land around Pen y Fan and for the network of footpaths so that thousands of people can continue to enjoy walking in this area.”