The Moel Hebog Ridge

Paul Shorrock

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Moel Hebog dominates the skyline above the village of Beddgelert and the peak is often used to name the whole range of hills to the west of the Snowdon Range, though the Welsh name for these hills would more likely be the Eifionydd Range.

A perfectly reasonable walk could be made by ascending the 782-metre summit of Moel Hebog ('Bare Hill of the Hawk') from Beddgelert, then returning by the same route, but a better day out can be had by continuing from Moel Hebog over Moel yr Ogof ('Bare Hill of the Cave') and Moel Lefn ('Smooth Bare Hill').

A steady walk from the village becomes gradually steeper, with the final section to the summit being the steepest section by far. The summit has superb views on a good day, giving a good excuse to take a break after the final summit slope. From there an undulating walk to the north along a broad ridge leads in turn to Moel yr Ogof and Moel Lefn.

Moel yr Ogof gets its name from a cave said to have been used by Welsh hero and freedom fighter Owain Glyndwr. The story goes that Glyndwr used the cave to hide from his English pursuers, but as with the tale of Gelert's Grave in Beddgelert Village (see additional information) this is probably another myth. The cave is difficult to find and care should be exercised if you decide on any off-piste exploring.

Having reached the far end of the three peaks making up the Moel Hebog Ridge, there is the small matter remaining of finding a way back to Beddgelert. This route takes you on a convoluted but feasible route through forestry, which will be a delight to lovers of woodland walks. I'm not a huge fan of walking amongst forestry plantations, but 'love 'em or loath 'em', this walk through the woods is a direct line back to the start.

Wales - North Wales - Gwynedd - Snowdonia

Features

Great Views, Mountains, Public Transport
8/9/2019 - Gareth turner

It is worth noting that the track between waymark 7 and up to Y Grisiau is quite precipitous in parts, and the way up between Y Grisiau and waymark 8 starts off with a long difficult scramble on hands and knees. It is not for the faint hearted, I decided that I wouldn't take the risk so headed back down. This walk is stunningly beautiful as far as the views are concerned and well worth the effort but be prepared for the above.

5/30/2017 - Beverly Jones

The forest path at Waymark 19 to 23 is closed (May 2017) due to logging in the area. We managed to navigate as there was no logging activity at that time however there were several fallen trees blocking the path which we had to climb over or under.