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Western Nantlle Ridge – Craig Cwm Silyn and Mynydd Graig Goch from Nebo

By Dave Roberts   

on August 7, 2013    4/5 (1)

Western Nantlle Ridge – Craig Cwm Silyn and Mynydd Graig Goch from Nebo

Route Essentials

Route Summary

Rough route at the quieter end of the Nantlle Ridge.

See the end of the article for local information about parking, public transport facilities, pubs and cafes.

Distance

13.8 km

Ascent

751 m

Time

Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.

Start Location

Nebo

Difficulty

Hard Walk

Hazards

off path

Weather Forecast:

Met Office Snowdonia Mountain Weather

Check out our Best Mountain Weather Forecast?
Remember that we cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent. Read up on Mountain Safety , Navigation and what equipment you’ll need. 

Western Nantlle Ridge – Craig Cwm Silyn and Mynydd Graig Goch from Nebo Ordnance Survey Map and GPX File Download

View the full route map

Download file for GPS

Western Nantlle Ridge – Craig Cwm Silyn and Mynydd Graig Goch from Nebo

This really is the unfashionable side of Snowdonia, usually only visited by those descending the Nantlle Ridge and rarely as a location from which to start many walks (other than doing Nantlle the ‘Wrong Way’). So it was only, eventually, that I’ve got around to setting off this end of the Nantlle Ridge as a quick, after-work bimble. All I can say is that it’s going to be repeated many times over the coming years, with views that make this route spectacular.

The Route

1 The route starts in the hamlet of Nebo – use the map on the right for driving directions, or catch a bus from either Porthmadog or Caernarfon. You can park on the road here, just taking care not to block the road, or continue up the road to SH489504 where there’s enough parking for a couple of cars.

Nantlle Ridge from Nebo

2  Facing the school, take the lane left and due east, following it for 1km until you reach the end of the metalled road. From this point, the crags of Cwm Dulyn and Cwm Silyn dominate, and belie their relatively modest height.

3 There’s a clear path to your right here, which is boggy for the initial stretch but improves quickly enough. Follow this between two walls and you’re soon on open hillside marked Rhos Las on the maps. The right of way is clear enough on the ground, and you should make for the corner of the wall at SH498501 before following this wall for half a kilometre or so.

Nantlle Ridge from Nebo

 

4 The path continues to climb steadily across a rugged slope, with upright stones at regular intervals making navigation straightforward enough for you to start enjoying the views across to the dark crags of Craig Cwm Dulyn and back towards the sea. Continue along this path for a further kilometre, until you reach the dry stone wall.

Nantlle Ridge from Nebo

5 There’s a faint path that runs parallel to the dry stone wall which seems to climb endlessly up towards the summit of Garnedd Goch, but it’s less than a kilometre away and only 200 vertical metres. It just feels further.

6 Finally, on the summit of Garnedd Goch, you can take a breather. Just a quick breather as this is just the highest point on this far end of the wide summit plateau of Craig Cwm Silyn. So head vaguely in a northeasterly direction along a faint path, parallel to the wall (which is easier to follow but tends towards boggy). You can take the direct route, or as we did tonight, follow the cliff tops for a bit of variation. This gives you much better views towards Cwm Silyn that you’d otherwise miss out on.

Nantlle Ridge from Nebo

7 Finally, you reach the summit. While you’ll have noticed on the walk across, the views from here are peerless in the area. Eryri in one direction, Anglesey and Llyn in another and all the way towards South Wales and Pembrokeshire filling the rest of the vista. If you can’t see anything, then there’s your usual summit shelter that’ll at least take the chill off the weather.

Nantlle Ridge from Nebo

8 Once you pull yourself away from the view, you can retrace your steps as far as Garnedd Goch, and down the stone wall towards the track you ascended on. You can walk to the track, or alternatively take a shortcut across the rough grassland from a wall junction. Whatever you do, don’t bother looking for a more direct route from Garnedd Goch. The southern aspect is all scree and heather, which we discovered to our cost.

9 You’ll reach the shallow incision of Bwlch Cwmdulyn, with a clear path that diverges from the wall and soon vanishes en route to the summit of Mynydd Graig Goch. In mist a bearing will be essential. While sections are wet, you’ll be hard pressed to get into problems or even get your feet wet.

Nantlle Ridge from Nebo

10 Mynydd Graig Goch is a remote outpost of Snowdonia, which despite bearing the title of Mynydd in Welsh, was recently elevated to 2000ft and ‘officially’ deemed a mountain in the eyes of those whose OS Maps haven’t been updated since the 70s and the press who don’t really know any better. As it was over 600m in the first place, this was always a mountain for many and the fuss was a bit of a surprise.

Nantlle Ridge from Nebo

11 The summit is an interesting jumble of tors and boulders, with the views along the Welsh coast a particular attraction.

 

12 Descent is a bit tricky, in that you need to clamber over the Great Wall of Nebo (which can be crossed with care) and then down rough grassland towards Llyn Cwm Dulyn. It’s easy to find yourself directly above Craig Cwm Dulyn if you’re not careful, so you need to aim roughly northwest. A path does appear almost at the bottom and a bit late to help your progress, which leads you to the shore of Llyn Cwm Dulyn and an access track.

Nantlle Ridge from Nebo

13 Follow the access track to the left, joining a minor road after 500m and Nebo soon after.

Local Information and Recommended Maps and Guidebooks

Route Summary:

Rough route at the quieter end of the Nantlle Ridge.

This walk includes the 2 Washis of Craig Cwm Silyn, Mynydd Graig Goch

This walk includes the 2 Hewitts of Craig Cwm Silyn, Mynydd Graig Goch

This walk includes the 3 Nuttalls of Craig Cwm Silyn, Mynydd Graig Goch, Garnedd-goch

Route Start Location: Nebo

Distance
Ascent
Time
13.8 km 751 m

Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.

Activivity Type: Hard Walk

Summits and Places on this Route

Facilities

None

Hazards

off path

Remember that we cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent. Read up on Mountain Safety , Navigation and what equipment you’ll need.

Parking :

limited in Nebo

Public Transport:

Buses from Caernarfon and Porthmadog.

Traveline for UK Public Transport

Weather Forecast:

Met Office Snowdonia Mountain Weather

Check out our Best Mountain Weather Forecast?

Recommended Maps

Guidebooks:

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Dave Roberts

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