The Lake District is a beautiful spot where many go to walk, see the views, walk the dog, have a picnic etc.
Now there is a car park there which is the subject of much debate as the second you cross the line in to the car park you get picked up on camera ANPR which ok is normal but you are being charged from then, Now there is 3 ticket machines but only the one works and that one is the cash only one, this has been like this for a long time a few years, A deliberate ploy? why have the card ones not being fixed in over 3 years?
If you haven't got cash and you leave the car park you get a parking fine of £100 or £60 if you pay it quickly.

If you pull on the car park as you cross the line in to the car park at say exactly 1:00pm and by time you park get a ticket out of the machine it is say 1:04pm and your ticket will say (if you choose one hours worth of parking) 2:04pm so you go on your walk come back and drive off at 2:03 PM you think you are clear, No you will get a parking fine as you have overstayed by 4 minutes! they will go off the time you crossed the line in to the car park and ignore the fact it takes everyone a few minutes to park and buy a ticket. it is a scam and there are many people who have been fighting tickets and lost as there is a sign in small writing at the end of the terms and conditions sign which states you should purchase your ticket BEFORE entering the car park! Who does that? Also you can't see the sign until your on the car park! Crafty and naughty.

Many folks have been bringing this car park to the publics attention on many sites and continue to do so so I am bringing it to the attention of Buzz members so none of us ever get fined/scammed call it as you see it.

Here is one couple explaining the whole thing who have taken it on themselves to try and help people not get caught out by this crafty trick.

Avoid this car park or be very watchful of the times you enter and leave.

Here is one ‘testimonial’ from someone online…

"I live local to the area and had always parked here previously be it a few years ago with no problems. However, this time the car park has changed. The tariff shows £5, which I paid for 2 hours by debit card. Obviously you don’t know how long your stay will be and you can’t keep going backwards and forwards to pay more for your stay if you're out swimming or walking etc.

"I came back from swimming in Grasmere and Rydal and was approx 20 minutes over and there wasn’t anything to say what you should do, so I went home. 10 days later £100 fine or £60 if you pay within 14 days.
If that’s not a rip off what is!."

He went over his paid time….he incurred a fine and it’s someone else’s fault!

I rest my case M’Lord.

As a National Trust member, I used this car park quite a few times when the National Trust used to lease it from Lowther Estates, which is a private landowner.
Unfortunately, when the lease expired about 15 years ago, Lowther Estates renewed the lease on the rest of the land the NT were leasing but they would not to renew their lease on the car park land. Instead, they contracted a car park management company to operate it - I guess that contract gives the private estate more money.

It caught out a lot of National Trust members at first - the car park layout was the same, so if they hadn’t realised the car park was no longer National Trust and left their Nat Trust stickers on the windscreen to show they were entitled to free parking - then they got slapped with a parking penalty fee. (The National Trust had put up signs in the Car Park before the take over to let people know it would no longer be National Trust after a certain date but these were taken down as soon as the new company took over)

Since then, a few different companies have managed the car park over the years, I think - I’ve seen bad reports over the years about unfair penalties, especially in the last couple of years, with stories of “sharp practice”

It is not fair or reasonable to print a different time on the ticket to the time when your ticket actually runs out - I think that would confuse the majority of people. Also, from the comments I’ve seen, it seems that the signage does not make it clear how you can add extra money to top up your ticket if you have already stayed longer than you expected - which is easy to do when you are taking a circular walk.
If the Lowther Estates were bothered about the folk who are using their car park, to go walking on land they are already making money from by leasing it to the National Trust, they would do something about this problem - at the very least a “pay on exit” scheme that would calculate and clearly tell you how much to pay, with card machines that work.

I haven’t used that car park since it was taken from the National Trust, so I have no personal experience of what it’s like now - if I’m going to pay for Parking, I prefer the profit to go to a good cause, so I’d rather use a National Parks car park.
If White Moss Car Park is that bad, I hope folk will boycott it - vote with their feet!

There’s alternative car parking in Grasmere, if folk want to walk around Lake Grasmere from that side, or in the National Parks Car Park at Pelter Bridge, at the other end of Rydal Water - that’s where I parked last time I went for a walk around there.

Here’s a walk around both lakes from the National Parks car park at Pelter Bridge - avoiding parking at White Moss!

www.lakeswalks.co.uk/walks/rydal_water_and_grasmere_water/

Their own fault for going 20 minutes over, It isn't about the ones who deliberately ignore the time limit it is about getting a ticket at 1:04 pm and then leave at 2:03 pm and get a £100 fine for the 3 minutes difference between driving on to the car park and the time it took to pay for a ticket.
Arrive 1:00pm get a ticket for parking at 1:04 pm leave the car park at 2:03pm and get a £100 fine.

There will always be an idiot who thinks they are entitled and it is always someone elses fault when they screw up which that one Pats quoted sounds like.
Check out trip advisor for people who got stitched for a couple of minutes difference between driving in a paying for a ticket and leaving.

unhappy folk with car park.

I haven't been to the car park in question, however, one question that does come to the fore is, are the ticket machines outside the car park? if they are, then it is on the vehicle owners to purchase before entering, a bit ridiculous i admit, but it is what it is
I know most, if not all, supermarket car parks now work on the ANPR system, removing any need for ticket machines, i also know, it is ok to park in their car parks, without shopping at the supermarket, free of charge, so long as you do not overstay you 90 minutes/120 minutes allocated time
Different parking management companies operate with slight differences, however, if the ticket machines are inside the car park, yet you are being timed as soon as you enter, then there is your two legs to stand on when disputing any charges

Bruce wrote: there is a sign in small writing at the end of the terms and conditions sign which states you should purchase your ticket BEFORE entering the car park! Who does that? Also you can't see the sign until your on the car park! Crafty and naughty.

I have looked on StreetView and even if people were aware of the necessity to purchase a ticket before entering, there's nowhere to park outside on the road. In fact, if the police saw people parking outside to go and get a ticket, they would tell them drive in first.

Thanks for the warning.

DarrenM wrote: I haven't been to the car park in question, however, one question that does come to the fore is, are the ticket machines outside the car park? if they are, then it is on the vehicle owners to purchase before entering, a bit ridiculous i admit, but it is what it is
I know most, if not all, supermarket car parks now work on the ANPR system, removing any need for ticket machines, i also know, it is ok to park in their car parks, without shopping at the supermarket, free of charge, so long as you do not overstay you 90 minutes/120 minutes allocated time
Different parking management companies operate with slight differences, however, if the ticket machines are inside the car park, yet you are being timed as soon as you enter, then there is your two legs to stand on when disputing any charges

This is a huge part of the problem the ticket machines are inside the car park and most are always broken so there is only one and you end up waiting up to 15 mins before purchasing a ticket according to those who use the car park.

As Moonlitroad says the entrance is on a main road so stopping outside and walking in to purchase a ticket first is dangerous, Who parks outside a carpark and walks in and buys a ticket? I always make sure I have a parking space before paying for parking. It is a crafty scam.

Then there is the two legs to stand on, the parking management company cannot charge you when you enter the car park until you have purchased a ticket, it is either charged from the ANPR system, or from the ticket machine, not both
As you say it is a scam and will be until someone steps up