"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.

Climbing

The east facing crags of Diffwys (SH 567 476) on the western side of Moel Hebog offer 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.

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

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