UKH

Hi all,

I’m taking my wife up Snowdon on Saturday and would love to take up her the Watkins path. From going in the past the parking in Nant Peris is quite limited, are there any park and ride options or other parking options if the small car park is full when we arrive? Logistically we’re only able to arrive around 9.30am as my parents are looking after my toddler. I know there are plenty of other options in the national park but we’d really like to do this route if possible. 

thanks in advance 

Dan

Are you sure you mean Nant Peris? Or Nant Gwynant maybe?

I was going to say there's a huge car park at Nant Peris but not aware of any routes up Snowdon form there unless you take the bus to Pen Y Pas.

Assuming you mean Nant Gwynant you can park in Beddgelert and gut the S4 Snowdon Sherpa bus to Nant Gwynant.

https://diogel.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/GwasanaethauGwe/FfeiliauSystemau.Allanol/...

Not actually used this bus personally, but it seems to get you to the bottom of the Watkins Path.

https://www.mountain-walks.co.uk/snowdon-watkin-path/

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0355596,-4.0479007,2a,75y,67.52h,90t/data=!...

Warning: It's a small car park compared to the popularity

Hi, thanks for flagging. I did indeed mean Nant Gwynant. That'll teach me to post before my morning coffee.

If you are parked in Beddgelert and using P and R, worth considering going up the Watkin and down one of the tracks from Rydd Ddu.

thanks Tom - this is the one I had in mind. I just wasn't  sure how full it would  likely be by 9.30 (I'm guessing full) so was hoping for a back up plan. 

https://diogel.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/GwasanaethauGwe/FfeiliauSystemau.Allanol/...

It looks like parking in Beddgelert and using the S4 Sherpa route to the Nant Gwynant car park is what you should be after? In Which case GrahamD's post is worth considering

EDIT:  https://www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/Residents/Documents-Residents/Parking,-ro...

Edit 2: depending on times if you follow GrahamD suggestion you *might* even be able to catch the train from Rhyd Ddu back to Beddgelert rather than the S3 Sherpa, now that'd be an extra dimension to a day's walking

That's fair. My pre-coffee response told you to "gut" a bus so good luck with that.

Much better than the Watkin path is to start up the Watkin then turn left to hit the col between Yr Arran and Snowdon, then take the south ridge of Snowdon to the summit. 

Rather than use the Pay and Display car park at the bottom of the Watkin Path lots of people park for free in the large lay-by next to the houses further along the road towards Beddgelert. This isn’t normally a problem (and you might be ok at 9.30am) but unfortunately the Watkin has become increasingly popular and some recent weekends have seen lots of cars parked badly along the side of the road as well. All to the annoyance of local residents and a situation which will probably eventually lead to the same sort of parking curbs as seen in Ogwen.

There are also some large lay-bys further along the road by Llyn Dinas that are rarely used and would only add about a mile to the round trip up Snowdon.