Here is a great bit of advice.
Avoid Pen Y Pass, as their parking charges are a downright disgrace, a crisp £10 note, that's if you can get a parking place that is, and it fills up almost at the crack of dawn.
The payment warden, in his tiny hut on the left of the carpark, is so vigilant in possible payment dodgers, that he is up and down like an angry guard dog.
Ascend Snowdon from Llanberis, its still the same mountain your aiming to climb, and in doing so will add another tenner to your worthy charity cause, and here is a special place to park for free, and its as safe as houses.
Not that i want you to avoid paying the sometimes excessive parking charges starting to emerge in and around Snowdon.
Just up the road, past the large Royal Victoria Hotel, you will come to a small row of cottages, and a now disused chapel, on the left hand side of the road, if your approaching from the Mountain Railway station side, and right hand side, if your coming from the Pen Y Pass daylight robbery side.
On the very corner, about 80yds past the last little cottage currently for sale, just opposite the slate sign saying Llanberis ( left side from Pen Y Pass- Right side llanberis), which will be on the right hand side of the road, there is a small opening down a rather unkempt tarmac hill, which leads to a parking area under some trees.
Currently there is a serious fly tipping issue there, but there's enough room to park around six or seven vehicles, and its totally free, and as safe as houses.
As its a public right of way, leading to a series of walks in and around llanberis, Gwynedd council have little option, but to leave this access open, and its almost an impossibility to levy any parking charges there ( that's the situation at the moment)
Not many people are aware of its existence, that included me, until early this year, and ive been parking within a 100yds of it, for well over twenty years,without knowing it was there, but i now use it regularly.
Why should i pay excessive parking charges to a council, who already levy enough council tax off me, for living in Dyffryn.
During last months very hot weather, the huge carpark opposite the Llanberis Mountain Railway station, was full to the gills, annoyed visitors wanting to park, were turned away.
Less than half a mile down the road, in my little free car parking area, there was one solitary vehicle.
Now you know of its existence, make use of it, as in the past few years, tariffs for Britains most popular mountain, are heading towards the summit.
£10 for Pen Y Pass, £5 for the Llanberis supermarket sized area, and a fairly affordable £4 in and around the mountain.
Where does all this significant revenue go ?, into Gwynedd councils pockets, and more likely than not, not in the maintenance of the paths up you know where.