Eryri: Review into beauty spot hold-ups over Easter

Recovery vehicles were called to the A5 over the bank holiday weekend

There have been calls for a "better visitor experience" at a popular beauty spot over long waits for buses and illegally parked cars causing hold-ups.

Almost 40 vehicles were towed on Good Friday for parking on double yellow lines or obstructing roads in Eryri National Park, also known as Snowdonia.

There have also been complaints about long queues for buses which are scheduled to run every 30 minutes.

A park official said a review would be held following events over the weekend.

On Good Friday, the A5 was shut after scores of drivers parked illegally on the road.

On Saturday North Wales Police said drivers in breach of parking rules would have their vehicles removed "at their own expense".

Meanwhile, some motorists complained it took them 90 minutes to find a parking space.

Mountain leader Gemma Davies said she and her party decided to use a 30-minute park and ride bus service but faced a longer wait in a queue of about 80 people.

• Eryri visitors warned not to park on yellow lines

• Road shut and cars towed away over illegal parking

"The first bus that turned up was full so we waited 40 minutes for the second bus which could only let eight passengers on," she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Monday.

"The buses are just not frequent enough."

She also said that motorists had "parked in the path blocking buses coming down and going up".

"It's just not acceptable. We need to provide a better visitor experience."

Of the vehicles removed from mountain routes this Easter, 29 were recovered from Llyn Ogwen and nine at Pen y Pass

About four million people visit Eryri every year with the most popular time between April and September.

Councillor June Jones, who represents the Glaslyn ward which covers parts of the national park, said it had "got much worse over the last seven years".

"It's good that the buses are full but there are lots of lessons to be learned," she added.

National park partnerships manager Angela Jones said public transport provision was the "best it has ever been this year" but officials would be "reviewing this weekend" on Tuesday.

She added that while the Welsh government had provided "huge investment to get buses every half an hour" and "there are other options".

"There are other car parks around the area," she said.

"If people did plan in advance... of where they're going to park, what time the buses are running, then we really hope to avoid the situation in the future."