How a Bus Route Helped Protect Snowdonia National Park

26 June 2025 |

Every year, more than four million people head into the wild beauty of Snowdonia National Park. They come for the mountains, the history, the peace. But with that awe comes impact, most of it on four wheels.

Until recently, over 98% of visitors drove into the park. That’s tens of thousands of cars snaking through narrow lanes, clogging up villages, and fighting for parking spaces at the foot of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). If you’ve seen the pandemic-era photos of cars abandoned in ditches and on verges—you know what I’m talking about.

So what do you do when your most iconic landscapes are being loved to death? You make catching a bus the obvious choice by providing a service designed for the people who use it.

The Sherpa Bus, Reborn

The Sherpa Bus service has been winding through Snowdonia since the 1970s. It was originally created to offer an alternative to car travel in the park. After decades of underinvestment, it was an underused and overlooked service.

Enter Ymgynghoriaeth Gwynedd Consultancy (YGC), working alongside Snowdonia National Park, Gwynedd Council, and Transport for Wales. With backing from the Welsh Government’s sustainable tourism fund, they kicked off a plan to upgrade the Sherpa service and make it too good to ignore.

Littlethorpe was brought on board to reimagine what a bus stop could be. And no, this wasn’t about slapping down a few shelters and calling it a day.

It Starts With the Shelter

The first step? Understand the people who actually use the bus. Climbers catching early starts. Families waiting with kids and bags. Locals navigating daily life in all weathers.

Littlethorpe’s response was bespoke hardwood shelters that didn’t just fit the land, they belonged to it. Shelters with real-time displays for the weary hiker. With solar-powered lights on winter nights. With USB charging for drained phones. With locally sourced Welsh slate roofs that echo the cottages nearby.

It was all about fitting in and standing out.

And because they’re made using FSC®-certified hardwood and traditional joinery, the environmental footprint is light, the craftsmanship is heavy, and the shelters are made to last.

Littlethorpe Bus Shelter in Snowdonia National Park.

The Result? 18% More People on the Bus

That’s not an aesthetic improvement. That’s behaviour change.

In the winter months following the upgrades, Sherpa Bus ridership jumped by 18% with expectations even higher as the summer season kicked in.

And this wasn’t just about getting more people on buses. It was about protecting the park. Reducing congestion. Improving air quality. Giving visitors a better way to travel through one of the UK’s most visited natural wonders.

Why This Matters

It’s easy to overlook the little things in infrastructure, the things that become invisible when done well. But this project proves that design matters. That small decisions add up. That sustainable tourism isn’t just about limiting damage, it’s about rethinking the experience entirely.

As Tom Robinson, Littlethorpe’s Commercial Director, put it:

“Now those who do visit can do so with a little less impact by using the Sherpa Bus service.”

That’s not just a win for public transport. It’s a quiet win for the land.

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