Moel Hebog and the Pass of Aberglaslyn

Wednesday 4th September 2019

With high winds forecast for this walk I was unsure what to do. I was conducting a memorial tour of the best walks that I have done over the last twenty years in Wales and after very good weather at the start of the holiday I had suffered from strong winds ever since. Moel Hebog must rank as one of the best mountains in Wales with a fabulous path up to the summit that has produced some very memorable walks for me so it had to be on my schedule despite the weather. As I set off from the tourist-filled village of Beddgelert there were a few showers, but the weather soon improved. After my first climb up Moel Hebog in 2004 the Welsh Highland Railway have built their line through Beddgelert so now I had to cross the railway three times while it takes a circuitous route down into the valley until eventually I came off the track onto a grassy path through bracken steadily climbing the eastern slopes of Moel Hebog. Behind me were stunning views over Beddgelert with craggy hills brooding above the village and on the horizon the distinctive peak of Moel Siabod dominated the skyline.

Fortunately I was sheltered from the strong winds from where I was climbing Moel Hebog so I was able to take my time and enjoy the walk as the path became increasingly rocky and made me feel as if this was real mountain walking. It was really satisfying to put feet on rock and occasionally, briefly, hand on rock as I negotiated a few rock bands while the views improved with every step as the Moelwyns and Cnicht came into view south-east through the dappled shade of broken cloud. When a tall cone of impregnable rock appeared ahead of me, looking like a proper, solid mountain blocking my ascent, the path weaves an ingenious course up the rock face with little difficulties to emerge at the top of Y Grisiau. There I found a cairn commanding a superb view across the Beddgelert Forest and towards the Nantlle ridge, and into strong winds. The Snowdon range was completely covered in cloud and the top of Moel Hebog, a short distance away from me now, was also hiding within the clouds, so wrapping myself against the wind I battled up to the summit.

The map indicates there are some piles of stones just to the south of the summit near the impressively sounding Ladder Buttress and South Buttress, but all I could find was broad grassy slopes with occasional insignificant outcrops, and so since it was very windy I retreated back to the top before heading steeply down the grassy slopes to Bwlch Meillionen. Despite the steepness of the terrain I had little complaint from my knees even though I had forgotten to bring my poles on this holiday, and finally reached the bottom of the pass. My route up Moel yr Ogof took me through a narrow cleft in the rocks into a complex terrain of scattered outcrops until eventually I reached the wind-swept summit. When I attempted to continue north towards Moel Lefn I was assailed by strong winds and low cloud that made any further progress no longer fun, so it didn’t seem worth the effort to keep going to the next top. Turning east I found steep terrain that forced me back up towards the summit and from there back down the southern slopes, through the cleft once more and back to Bwlch Meillionen.

There I turned left, now mercifully sheltered from the wind, to take the path through the pass steeply down towards Beddgelert Forest. High up on my left I thought I could see a crack in the rocks, possibly the cave where the great Welsh leader, Owain Glyndŵr, once hid. It was so high up I couldn’t be bothered to try climbing up there, which had helped Glyndŵr make his hideaway all those years ago. Eventually I managed to follow the sketchy path into the conifer plantation of Beddgelert Forest where initially a good path was welcomed, but soon was replaced by a boggy path where I needed to use old tree roots to keep me afloat. The variable path beside the Allt Meillionen took me all the way down through the wood and eventually brought me onto my outward route back into Beddgelert. I seemed to have finished this walk rather early, but when I thought back to my previous walks up Moel Hebog I realised it has always been a half-day walk. With a couple of hours to spare I took the opportunity to do a short walk that I have wanted to do for a long time. After passing the grave of Gelert, the dog that lends its name to the village, I took the fabulous path through the Pass of Aberglaslyn.

The path passes through a narrow ravine and is gloriously rugged with a rough, rocky surface that was a delight to walk along through fabulous scenery where the river crashes over rocks through the gorge. I had so much fun walking along the path I was overjoyed at the prospect of doing it all over again when I reached the end as I turned around and made my way back through the Pass of Aberglaslyn. I really enjoyed the walk up Moel Hebog, because it feels like a proper mountain walk, even though the path is not very prolonged and the hill is not particularly high. Despite the strong winds on the tops I really enjoyed this walk on a fabulous mountain path and I ended the day on an equally good woodland gorge path.