Moel Siabod
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 2.5-3 hours
Difficulty: moderate
Parking: Free on road parking by Llynau Mymbyr LL24 0ET
Refreshments: Plas y Brenin
Sheep watch: Sheep throughout entire walk other than woodland by Llynau Mymbyr
Moel Siabod is a lonely mountain in Snowdonia, whose trig point sits at almost 900m, high above Betws-y-Coed and Capel Curig. The routes up can be easily varied and are always beautiful, with views of 13 of the 14 highest peaks in Wales from the summit on a clear day.
The trail starts from Plas y Brenin where you should find plenty of space for on road parking. You’ll start by crossing the Nant Gwryd river via a footbridge and start the uphill trek along a wide and easy-to-follow footpath that leads you through the woodland of Braich Bryn-engan. The terrain can get uneven at times, involving some rocky sections and exposed roots.
Emerging from the forest, the path steepens slightly and, later on, becomes a little more difficult to follow, particularly nearer to the summit. It won’t be long once you’re out of the woodland before the the spectacular views over the surrounding mountains open up. You’ll pretty much have a permanent view of the Snowdon horseshoe on your ascent!
We stopped for our lunch at the summit of Moel Siabod which offers such fantastic views, it’s like having your own private front row view of Snowdon.
Descend via the same route and if it’s a nice day, we’d really recommend a stop off at Llynau Mymbyr on your return – it’s one of our absolute favourite lakes and makes for a lovely swimming spot in warmer weather too! We took the paddleboard out on a recent trip and this was such a lovely end to our day.
The Plas y Brenin hostel is a good spot to stop for a cold drink after your walk. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to do this walk, it’s definitely one that we’d try again though perhaps a different route to avoid the out and back.
Thanks for reading,
Cara, Andy, Poppy & Maple x
