All the Walking Routes up Moel Siabod in Snowdonia
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All the Walking Routes up Moel Siabod in Snowdonia
Carnedd Moel Siabod may be a solitary mountain, but it has a number of distinct walking, hiking and scrambling routes up. The usual tourist path from Capel Curig, Snowdonia, the wide grassy ridge of Moel Gid, The NE ridge from Pont Cyfyng and  the Daear Ddu Scramble which can be walked from either Pont Cyfyng or Dolwyddelan. The walking highlights of Moel Siabod have to be the views across Snowdonia, especially towards Snowdon, as well as the scramble up Daear Ddu. Llyn y Foel is as perfectly situated a mountain tarn as you’ll find, and one that’s been on my wild camping to do list for far to long.
What pubs are good for Moel Siabod? There’s plenty of options for the thirsty walker, with the Bryn Tyrch and Tyn-y-Coed in Capel being particular favourites. There’s also the Pen y Gwryd to consider if you descend on that side of the mountain and the cosy Gwydyr Hotel in Dolwyddelan.
Recommended Moel Siabod Maps: Note that Moel Siabod finds itself unceremoniously placed at the corner of the two north Snowdonia Outdoor Leisure OS maps, so you’ll need both! We printed our own map for the Moelwynion using one of the various services online in order to have the range on one easy to read map (we did the same for the Carneddau too!)
OS Explorer OL17 Snowdon & Conwy Valley, Snowdonia BMC (British Mountain Map) ,  Explorer OL18 Harlech, Porthmadog & Bala Map, Landranger 115 Snowdon & Caernarfon
Moel Siabod Weather Forecast:Â Met Office Snowdonia Mountain Weather Moel Siabod
Here’s our run-down of all the Walks up Moel Siabod. Route stats are for one way unless otherwise stated!
Walk up Moel Siabod From Capel Curig
Height Gained – 700 metres,  Distance – 5 km, Time –3 hours.
This is the direct route up to Moel Siabod that starts at Plas y Brenin. It’s a steady plod through the forest, followed by a steady plod up the hill to the summit of Moel Siabod. Despite being regarded as the easier route up Moel Siabod, it can still be difficult to find in descent in mist.
Walk up Moel Siabod from Pont Cyfyng
Height Gained – 700 metres,  Distance – 4 km, Time –3 hours.
This is a much more interesting walking route than than the tourist path that starts from Plas y Brenin, which is best used as a descent. The NE Ridge is a superior walk along a blunt ridge, skirting the cwm high above Llyn y Foel. Some of the lower reaches can be a bit of a slog. Add around 3km and 50m ascent if you want to start from Capel Curig.
Scramble up Moel Siabod via Daear DduÂ
Height Gained – 730 metres,  Distance – 5 km, Time –3 hours.
This route also starts from Pont Cyfyng, but it’s often walked from Dolwyddelan and it’s by far the best route up. While it may be a scramble, there’s nothing technical about it and is more of a boulder clamber than a scramble. The main danger is navigation as the route isn’t particularly clear (other than keep to the crest and enjoy the scramble!)
It also passes through Llyn y Foel, and the cwm into which it nestles. It’s ideally placed for a lunch stop before the main scramble up the Daear Ddu.
Ideally finish the walk by descending to Pont Cyfyng via the NE Ridge rather than the tourist path for the best loop from Capel Curig, or follow the next route for our best Moel Siabod mountain outing.
Carnedd Moel Siabod from Pen y Gwryd
Height Gained – 600 metres,  Distance – 6 km, Time –3 hours.
This would hardly win awards for the most exciting ascent, being steady and grassy, but is the route you’d ascend by if you were traversing the entire Moelwynion range. It also gives you an off path option, with wild camping options within a quick stroll of the main road. The views back towards Snowdon are the highlight of this route, making it the best descent option in fine weather.
Moel Siabod and Carnedd y Cribau from Dolwyddelan
Height Gained – 960 metres,  Distance – 19.6 km, Time –7 hours.
This is a longer route and it should go without saying that this one’s a full route at just shy of 20km! As a bonus, it takes in the outlying peak of Carnedd y Cribau in descent. It’s a variation on the Daear Ddu ascent, and while this route was completed whilst camping and so avoided the scramble, including Daear Ddu makes this one the best Moel Siabod routes. Carnedd y Cribau is a minor peak, but boasts one of the best (if not the best) view of the Snowdon Horseshoe. There’s some bog to traverse, but that’s part of the fun! You could also ascend via Bwlch y Rhediad for a more natural circuit.
There’s even a small lake on the summit, and enough room for two small tents!
Dave Roberts
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