SPACE RACE: CAR PARKS SEE HUGE STAYCATION SURGE
As visitor numbers to N.Wales soar, so does the pressure on roads – and parking. Andrew Forgrave looks at the top 10 (official) hot-spots
VILLAGES and towns across Snowdonia and Gwynedd are seeing surging visitor numbers as people discover the area for the first time. Car park data shows some areas more than twice as busy as before the pandemic.
Local authorities are trying to improve the visitor infrastructure amid complaints from local people of blocked roads, double parking and loss of peace and quiet. Gwynedd Council and Snowdonia
National Park Authority (SNPA) have developed park-and-ride services to areas where new car parking is neither practical or desirable.
Early signs from 2022 suggest the staycation boom is far from over.
Many guesthouses and campsites have seen good early bookings and trouble has already been seen on Snowdonia’s roads even before the holiday season has begun.
Across the scores of car parks provided by
Gwynedd Council, usage rose by 24.6% to almost half a million visits last year. At honeypot sites, the increases were often much larger.
SNPA’s car park figures are more mixed, with new pre-booking arrangements at Snowdon’s Peny-Pass car park apparently affecting usage of other car parks in the area.
As well as the mountains, car parks were also exceptionally busy along the west Gwynedd coast – perhaps even more so.
Here are the 10 towns and villages with the steepest rises in visitor figures, based on car park ticket sales:
Fairbourne: Embankment car park (Gwynedd Council): 2021 - 8,170 visits (204.7% up on 2019) Ffordd y Traeth car park (Gwynedd Council): 2021 - 13,117 visits (82.7% up on 2019)
In recent years Fairbourne has gained unwanted notoriety for its obsolescence: in three decades it is forecast to be reclaimed by the sea, its residents thus becoming Britain’s first climate change refugees.
Nevertheless, house prices here are climbing sharply. As well as its beach, Fairbourne has plenty of facilities, including a golf course, narrowgauge railway and amusement arcade. It’s also the start/end of the Mawddach Trail to Dolgellau.
Morfa Dyffryn: Benar car park (Gwynedd Council): 2021 - 4,346 visits (202.4% up on 2019)
This stretch of the Gwynedd coast has seen a surge in popularity: during the late May Bank Holiday weekend in 2021, footfall data showed Talybont had the biggest increase in visits of any coastal town in Wales or England. Many visitors are drawn to the area by its beaches and setting-sun views out across Cardigan Bay and up the Llŷn Peninsula. A popular spot is Morfa Dyffryn beach between Barmouth and Harlech, served by Benar car park. Nant Peris: Nant Peris car park (SNPA): 2021 - 11,471 visits (136.7% up on 2019)
This car park’s rising popularity became inevitable as Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA) placed a greater emphasis on park-andride visits to Snowdon.
It sits in the small village of Nant Peris at the bottom of the Llanberis Pass below Pen-y-Pass. SNPA’s decision to introduce peakseason pre-booking for parking (and some pretty hefty charges) at Pen-yPass followed scenes of traffic chaos as motorists parked illegally on the A4086. Sherpa buses now run regularly between Nant Peris and Pen-y-Pass for the Pyg Track.
Bala: Llyn Tegid car park (SNPA): 2021 - 25,652 visits (70.5% up on 2019)
As a gateway to Snowdonia’s mountains, Bala has long been a popular destination. An increase in local glamping sites has helped accommodate the number of people wanting to spend time in the area. An obvious attraction is Llyn Tegid, the largest natural lake in Wales, which offers watersports, swimming or just a place to watch the world go by. For outdoor enthusiasts, the white waters of Afon Tryweryn are world-famous for kayaking. Bala is steeped in culture and is home to Bala Lake Railway.
Nant Gwynant: Pont Bethania car park (SNPA): 2021 - 12,937 visits (64.1% up on 2019)
Parking here offers a host of walking opportunities, not least to Llyn Gwynant and the spectacular Cwm Llan waterfall. The latter lies near the start of the tough but increasingly popular Watkin Path to Snowdon’s summit.
It’s thought costly prebooking at Pen-y-Pass car park may have prompted some visitors to consider other routes up Snowdon. The Watkin Path winds its way up the mountain from the National Trust’s Hafod y Llan farm, passing a spot that has become a stopping-off point for Insta photo hunters – the Watkin Pools – further fuelling the area’s popularity. It’s caused real problems for residents, who complain of cars being parked on both sides of the A498. A large lay-by near Caffi Gwynant is regularly double-parked, preventing locals parking outside their homes. Harlech: Min-y-Don car park (Gwynedd Council): 2021 - 73,139 visits (76.2% up on 2019)
This large car park next to the town’s famous golf course is firmly pitched at beach lovers rather than castle enthusiasts, though there’s no reason why visitors pitching here can’t do both. From Min-y-Don the beach is reached through Morfa Harlech National Nature Reserve, another area designated for its impressive sand dunes. The four-mile stretch of golden sand is backed by Snowdonia’s mountains with Cardigan Bay views. Beddgelert: Colwyn Banc car park (Gwynedd Council): 2021 - 17,637
visits (51.9% up on 2019)
A small stone-built village that has long been a favourite with holidaymakers, walkers especially.
With its picturesque bridge over the Afon Colwyn, it is the gateway to forests, lakes, mountains and the Aberglaslyn Pass.
Beddgelert’s car park provides the easiest access route for climbing Moel Hebog, the mountain which directly overlooks the village. For those who prefer to travel in style, Welsh Highland Railway stops in the village.
Nearby lie two big attractions, the Sygun Copper Mine and the National Trust’s Craflwyn Estate. A Sherpa bus runs from Beddgelert to Llyn Cwellyn for access to the Rhyd Ddu path up Snowdon.
Llandanwg: Llandanwg car park (Gwynedd Council): 2021 - 16,687 visits (57.2% up on 2019
Another spot on the west Gwynedd coast that has become increasingly congested as visitors head for the area’s beaches. Cars regularly park on verges along a narrow access road to avoid paying £2.20 for up to four hours in Llandanwg’s pay-and-display car park. The scrapping of the planned £14m Llanbedr bypass scheme is likely to mean continued hold-ups in the area. The area’s main attraction is the beach, which attracts families and some anglers. As it shelves gently into the sea, it’s a good place to swim.
Dolgellau: Marian Cefn car park (Gwynedd Council): 2021 - 18,100 visits (39.3% up on 2019)
Lying on the Afon Wnion, Dolgellau is the second largest settlement in southern Gwynedd and the surrounding area is popular with hikers and climbers. It is often used as a base for people heading up Cadair Idris. Aberdyfi: Penhelig car park (Gwynedd Council): 2021 - 14,925 visits (up 88.2% on 2019)
Some 60% of the town’s population were born outside Wales and more than 40% of properties in the village are holiday homes. Many are drawn to the former fishing village by its sandy beach that stretches north from the mouth of the River Dyfi up towards Tywyn. Sailing and windsurfing are popular as is walking, Aberdyfi being a place where Snowdonia’s mountains and beaches collide.