moel siabod from pont cyfyng

About trip

Moel Siabod is one of those mountains famed for its perfect outlying position giving it excellent panoramic views to higher mountains. The views to the Snowdonia, Glyderrau and Carneddau ranges from Moel Siabod are awesome. It has an impressive pointy profile which drivers on the A5 often mistaken for Snowdon. This walk absolutely typifies Snowdonia's ruggedness and shows the walker fine examples of its fascinating industrial past with a walk through the old Rhos Slate Quarry ruins. The walk starts from the quaint village of Pont Cyfyng by the beautiful Afon Llugwy waterfalls. The route reaches the stunning and wild Llyn y Foel and then takes the walker up a fun and exciting scramble of its impressive Deaer Ddu south east ridge. After enjoying the summit views you then get to enjoy the panorama of the high North Wales mountain ranges all the way down the descent of Moel Siabod's long north east ridge. This walk splits over the OL17 and OL18 OS Explorer maps so be sure to take both as otherwise navigating off the summit on sheet OL18 may be difficult, especially in bad weather. Route Directions Hard 5.5 Miles 764m Ascent 5 Hours This walk starts from the quiet village of Pont Cyfyng situated on the major A5 trunk road between Betws y Coed and Capel Curig. There is layby parking on the side of the road by the lovely Cyfyng Falls at grid ref SH 735 571. From the main road head south over a pretty stone road bridge that crosses the Afon Cyfyng. This is a beautiful river with falls and wildlife set in a stunning valley. Head down the tarmac road but don't take the first footpath on the right, instead continue for another fifty metres and look for the rough road that ascends to the right with a cattle grid at its entrance. Don't be put off by any 'No Road Access' signs. The road takes a steady ascent towards Rhos Farm. As the road comes to a sharp right bend towards the farm follow the diversion footpath sign straight on that takes you through a diversion route that bypasses the farm completely before joining the road again. Where the diversion path meets the road again turn left and after fifty metres head through the gate or over the stile on the road. The road now becomes more of a track and heads out on to open land. Continue along the easy track for just over a kilometre, ignoring any paths to the right. You will eventually reach the shores of an unnamed dammed lake. The track bends right following the north shore of the lake and then swings left and makes its way in the direction of the old quarry spoil heaps. The track will round one large slate spoil heap and then reach a lovely water filled old quarry hole backed by a quaint waterfall on its back wall. There are some interesting old buildings and almost perfectly laid man made waterways. The path passes the small water filled quarry and continues in a west then south westerly direction for less than a kilometre towards Llyn y Foel over boggy ground. Llyn y Foel is the first natural lake you'll come across on the walk, it was created by the glacial hollow on Moel Siabod's eastern side. The silent and peaceful lake sits at 530 above sea level and is one of the best lunch spots you could ever ask for. The glacial hollow gives this side of the mountain its most exciting aspect with Llyn y Foel being flanked by one of Snowdonia's most famous ridges, the Daear Ddu. Head towards the foot of this ridge and make your way on to the fun scramble ascent of its crest. The Daear Ddu ridge is a fairly straight forward scramble without too many difficult steps or reaches required, you can stay slightly left of the crest if you find it too difficult. The ridge is about seven hundred metres long. Once at the top of the ridge it tops you out just a few metres from the stone OS trig pillar marking the highest point of the mountain. The views from this summit are stunning. The panoramic view north west is one of the main reasons people climb this mountain. From left to right Snowdonia, Glyderrau and Carneddau the three huge main mountain massifs of North Wales stand like the giants they are. To descend off the mountain head in a north east direction from the summit and take the long descent of Moel Siabod's north east ridge. The path simply sticks to the highest part of the ridge and descends on a very straight north east trajectory for two and a half kilometres. The only difficulties you'll find will be walking over the flat slabs in wet weather. Once you finally reach the bottom of the north east ridge head slightly right over open land and you will reach the track you left earlier in the day. Turn left at the track and head along it until you reach the stile and gate above Rhos Farm. Continue along the road for fifty metres then turn right to the diversion path you took earlier. The diversion path will take you back to the sharp bend below Rhos Farm. From there turn right and head down back to Pont Cyfyng and the start of the walk. You can finish off the day by visiting the bustling yet still surprisingly quaint almost alpine town of Betws-y-Coed where there is a vast amount of outdoor shops, cafes, restaurants and of course the lovely tumbling waters of the Afon Llugwy. This info was from a website treking britain