Walkers travelling to climb Pen y Fan will soon be charged to park. The National Trust, which owns the Pont ar Daf 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 ar Daf is one of the most popular car parks to park at to climb Pen y Fan. Those who are members of the National Trust will not be required to pay the fee.
The charge has been announced as work is preparing 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 baby changing facilities, and electric vehicle charging points.
There will also be parking provision for minibuses, coaches and cyclists and an area for the emergency services and other similarly related users of the Beacons, while improvements are planned for signage, footpaths and information to allow people to better plan their day.
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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 over 70km of footpaths so that thousands of people can continue to enjoy walking in this area.”
There have been growing concerns for the safety of the main road as drivers also park on the roadside, which some believe is also damaging the environment of the national park. In past years Dyfed-Powys Police and Brecon Beacons National Park have asked drivers to consider using another car park to climb the mountain.
In the area at weekends there is a reduced speed limit. The National Trust is aiming to finish the work to the car park by winter 2022 and said disruption to the current car park would be minimal. To keep up to date with the biggest news from across Wales subscribe to our newsletters here.
