Start of path to Moel Hebog.
Towards Moel Hebog's north-east ridge.
| Moel Hebog from
Beddgelert Moel Hebog |
| Estimated net time | 3-3½ hours | ||
| Difficulty | No difficulties. | ||
| Drinking water | Several streams along the route up to where the path starts. | ||
| GSM coverage | Poor coverage in the lower section, but else OK. | ||
| Parking | Room for many cars at the car park in Beddgelert centre (free per 2013). | ||
| Start height | 45 metres | ||
| Vertical metres | 740 metres for the roundtrip. | ||
| Trip distance | 7.3 km | ||
| GPS-file | X (descent only) | ||
| Map |
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| Route photo |
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From the village Beddgelert in north-west Wales, where roads A498 and A4085 intersect, drive 230 metres along road A4085 in the direction of Caernarfon, and park on the large car park on the right hand side of the road.
Walk 330 metres further up the road from the car park and turn left across a bridge (the sign about "private" doesn't apply to walkers). Follow the road 750 metres and turn right onto a gravel path immediately after a stone house. Stay on the wide gravel path 120 metres and turn left onto a slate path, and then turn left again onto a path after another 100 metres. This path runs west up to 250 metres and then turns south-west and takes you all the way to the summit. At the summit plateau you will find a proper cairn at the far (south-west) end, but the highest point is located 40 metres north-east and is marked by a pile of stones.
Descend by reversing your ascent route.
When I woke up in my Beddgelert B&B this Saturday morning I was pleased to notice that it was a nice and sunny day. But a closer inspection of the conditions revealed that my morning's target Moel Hebog was covered in fog. This made me have a second think about where to hike this morning, but I concluded that the weather might be the same as the previous day with just morning fog. And since I would be able to walk from the front door of my B&B it seemed a waste to actually drive somewhere else.
Based on route descriptions found on Internet I found the correct gravel road towards the path leading to the summit, but I missed a path junction and ended up walking much further north than I should have. I finally concluded on my mistake 1 km later, and had to navigate back towards Moel Hebog's north-east ridge. This wasn't too bad since there were paths through the forest, but it did cost me a fair bit of time and energy. And with another two hikes planned for later today I didn't want to waste either of these resources.
When I eventually got back to the right path I could enjoy a steep path leading up to the summit ridge, but the thick fog didn't give much pleasure. But I could sense the fog was about to lift so I decided to hang around a little on the summit to see if it would lift completely. That didn't happen before my patience ran out and I started my descent without having had much views.
During my descent I met several other hikers, including a group of at least ten hikers, and they probably made a good decision by starting their hike a little later. My consolation was that I had the benefit of the improved weather during my next two hikes.