Eight Devon bikers fined £960 after stopping for ice creams at Snowdonia lake; trip cost them almost £1,000

Eight bikers from Devon have been fined a total of £960 after stopping for ice creams at Llyn Tegid in Snowdonia, unaware of new parking fees introduced with the installation of ANPR cameras on July 13. Each rider faces two separate £60 penalties for failing to pay the new charges.¹⁴

The bikers, who have visited the area for years, were caught out after stopping twice to buy ice cream. One of the riders stated, “In that time I have never been aware of a parking fee for motorcycles in the bay just as you enter.” They expressed frustration over the lack of signage, saying, “We would of course have paid the measly £1 charge if we had been made aware of it.”

The new parking fees include £5 for up to four hours and £8 for a full day, with motorcyclists now charged £1 to park in a space that was previously free. This has sparked outrage among locals, leading to a petition demanding free access to the lake’s car parks, arguing that “this lake is where this community meets, not a place we should have to pay to stand in.”

The petition has gained traction, collecting 534 signatures in just six days, representing over a quarter of the town’s population. Local resident Elin Pritchard criticized the enforcement model, stating, “Access to a public lake is now gated by a private firm whose income depends on charges and penalty notices being issued.” In response, the Eryri National Park Authority confirmed that the pilot scheme would continue until the end of the October half-term, with potential modifications to the ANPR system thereafter.