"On one side was midnight, on the other bright day; the whole extent of the mountain of Snowdon, on our left hand, was wrapped in clouds, from top to bottom; but on the right the sun shone most gloriously over the sea coast of Caernarvon. The hill we stood upon was perfectly clear, the way we come up a pretty easy ascent; but before us was a precipice of many hundred yards, and below, a vale, which, though not cultivated, had much savage beauty."

Lord George Lyttelton on his ascent of Moel Hebog (1756)

Moel Hebog (Hill of the Hawk/Falcon) (783m Ordnance Datum) is located just west of Snowdon, and a short walk northwest from the village of Beddgelert. Its steep rocky summit dominates the view from the village, and is an impressive part of the vista from the summit of Snowdon. In turn, on a clear day, Moel Hebog offers superb views of the Snowdon range, and an excellent position to grab a quality photograph of Wales' highest mountain.

Although the mountain appears steep and rocky from the west, its eastern flank has a much shallower gradient, rising slowly from the Dwyfor Valley, and offers a much easier ascent. Climbing the mountain is usually incorporated into a longer traverse over Moel yr Ogof (Hill of the Cave) (655m Ordnance Datum) and Moel Lefn (Smooth Hill) (638m Ordnance Datum) to the north, and even the Nantlle ridge for those looking for a long day of walking. The former hill, Moel yr Ogof, is thought to conceal a cave where Owain Glyndwr, who led the last Welsh revolt between 1400-1415, hid after disappearing following the rebellions defeat by the English. When approaching from the west, an easy scramble near the summit can be incorporated into the walk, and although the scramble is easy, there is a lot of loose rock and in wet weather it can be very slippery.

Rock Climbing

Due to its marginal position and the vegetated and broken nature of the crag, Moel Hebog receives relatively few visits from climbers. The mountain's climbing is split between three areas – The Summit Crags, Diffwys and y Braich.

Climbs are listed, graded and rated with the aid of the Climbers’ Club Guide to Cwm Silyn and Cwellyn (Eifionydd), so for full descriptions, please refer to this book.

Routes are graded using the British Adjectival Grading System. Technical grades are generally only given to climbs graded adjectivally as Severe (S) or above. A conversion table of international climbing grades by SP member Corax is available HERE! Bolting is strictly prohibited on the crags listed here.

The Summit Cliffs

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade
1.	Pursuer's Folly	72m	4	VD
2.	Glyndwr's Ladder	75m		E
3.	Wish I Could Be Elsewhere	45m	2	VS
4.	May Rib	46m		D

Y Diffwys

The east facing crags of Diffwys (SH 567 476) on the western side of Moel Hebog offer around 10 multi pitch routes graded from V Diff to HVS, and have a height of around 150 metres. Unfortunately the crag is heavily vegetated and hard to access.

Y Diffwys

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
5.	Omega	105m		D
6.	Bending Groove	135m		VD
7.	Anaconda	115m		VD
8.	Caterpillar	115m		VD
9.	Lodestone	90m		D
10.	Tension Crack	80m	4	S
11.	Compression	130m	3	VS
12.	Ignition	102m	4	VS
13.	Redog	58m	2	HVS	5a
14.	Flashback	61m	2	HVS	5a
15.	Chinaman	126m	3	VD
16.	Maiden Gully	130m	5	S
17.	Maiden Buttress	135m	6	D
18.	Pink Slab	120m		S
19.	Two Chimney Route	90m		VD
20.	Explorers' Traverse	175m	8	D

The Rock of Ages

Y Braich

Y Braich

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
21.	Deaf School	23m	1	S
22.	Buzzard Groove	23m	1	VD
23.	Natty Dread	23m	1	S
24.	Birth of Gravity	23m	1	HVS	5a
25.	No More Gain	23m	1	HVS	5a
26.	Not Taylor Made	23m	1	E2	5c
27.	Wild Wind	23m	1	S
28.	Talaq Talaq Talaq	14m	1	E1	5b
29.	Tropical Rain Rib	14m	1	VS	4b
30.	Dark Summer	23m	1	HVS	5a
31.	Song for a Taylor	21m	1	S	4a
32.	Spectrum	21m	1	S	4a

Y Braich Bach

No.	Name	Length	Pitches	Adjectival Grade	Technical Grade
33.	No More Flaying	13m	1	VS	4c
34.	no More Slaying	13m	1	VS	5a
35.	Ni Ydy'r Indians	13m	1	E1	5b
36.	Fair and Squaw	13m	1	VS	4c
37.	Tomahawk	13m	1	VS	4c
38.	Ar y Drwm	13m	1	HVS	5b
39.	No More Playing	13m	1	VS	4c
40.	More to Gain	13m	1	VS	5a

Winter Climbing

Moel Hebog currently only has one winter line of any note, again on the Y Diffwys crag.

Companions Way is a Grade II, steep rake that runs around 100m from left to right across the centre of the crag. Descending can be done easily at the southern end of the crag, although to be fair, your better off carrying on to the summit of Moel Hebog.

For more information read Welsh Winter Climbs (Cicerone Guide) by Malcolm Campbell and Andy Newton.

Getting There

The mountain can be reached from the A 4085 which runs between Caernarfon to Penrhynddeudraeth and parking is available at Beddgelert (SH 590 481) and Rhyd-Ddu (SH 571 525). Rhyd-Ddu can also be reached on the Welsh Highland Railway which is a steam train that runs from Caernarfon. The railway is currently being extended from Rhyd-Ddu to Porthmadog with stations at Beddgelert and Beddgelert Forest which will be very handy for getting to the bases of both Moel Hebog and Snowdon.

Red Tape

For the most part there is no red tape, however if your walk takes you through Beddgelert Forest then checking if there is any felling going on is a good idea as access will be denied from the affected areas.

Countryside Access Map

Camping

There is a perfectly located Forestry Commission campsite situated in Beddgelert Forest (SH 578 490) and is within 3km of the summit of Moel Hebog and 1km of Beddgelert. There are also a number of hotels and B&Bs nearby in the villages of Beddgelert and Rhyd-Ddu.

Maps

View this map on Multimap.com
Get directions on Multimap.com

Navigation Maps

OS 1:25k Explorer Series OL 17 Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa
OS 1:50k Landranger Series 115 Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa
Harvey Map Services 1:25k Snowdonia: Snowdon and the Moelwynion
Harvey Map Services/BMC 1: 40k British Mountain Map: Snowdonia

Road Maps

OS Road Map 9 Wales/Cymru & West Midlands

Guide Books

Snowdonia (Official National Park Guide) by Merfyn Williams
The Mountains of England and Wales: Volume 1 Wales (Cicerone Guide) by John and Anne Nuttall
Hillwalking in Wales Vol 1 (Cicerone Guide) by Peter Hermon
Hillwalking in Wales Vol 2(Cicerone Guide) by Peter Hermon
Hillwalking in Snowdonia (Cicerone Guide) by Steve Ashton
Ridges of Snowdonia (Cicerone Guide) by Steve Ashton
Scrambles in Snowdonia (Cicerone Guide) by Steve Ashton
Welsh Winter Climbs (Cicerone Guide) by Malcolm Campbell and Andy Newton

External Links

General

Snowdonia National Park Authority
Gwynedd County Council
Local Information from Gwynedd.com
Local Information from Snowdonia Wales Net
North Wales Index
Countryside Council for Wales
The National Trust
CADW
Royal Commission on Ancient & Historical Monuments in Wales
Gwynedd Archeological Trust
British Mountaineering Council
The Climbers Club

Weather

Mountain Weather Wales
Weather from the Met Office
Weather Channel UK

Travel

Welsh Public Transport Information
Uk Train Timetable
Welsh Highland Railway

Accomodation

Youth Hostel Association in Wales
Beddgelert Forest Campsite
Cae Du campsite near Beddgelert

Maps and Guide Books

Ordnance Survey
Harvey Map Services
Cicerone Guide Books
Climbers Club Guide Books

Images