Snowdonia
12km/7½ miles 7 hours
1 SH573502 Head back to the main drive and turn right to continue down past a couple of houses and around a right-hand bend. Now follow the waymarked bridleway towards Beddgelert, eventually passing the Meillionen railway station and continuing out onto open hillside, with great views of Moel Hebog above you. Stay with this to the farm buildings in Cwm Cloch, and here turn right on a good path, to aim pretty much straight at Moel Hebog. This soon steepens considerably, providing a brutal but fast way up onto the summit plateau. Once up, it’s an easy stroll to the trig point.
2 SH565469 Keeping the wall to your left, follow a steep, clear path all the way down into Bwlch Meillionen. Wind your way around the small tarns and boggy patches that fill the saddle, and you’ll soon start climbing again – this time up onto Moel yr Ogof (the Bare Hill of the Cave). It’s said that Owain Glyndw^r used the cavern in the mountain as a hideaway. Continue up into a dark gorge and as you leave this, fork right to hug the crest as much as possible en route to the rock-strewn summit. The views from here are magnificent, with Snowdon to the north-east and the impressive spiny-backed crest of the Nantlle Ridge to the north-west.
3 SH556478 Now keep straight ahead, along the crest. The views stay with you now – it really is a fine place to walk, even if the going is a little rough. You’ll soon drop into another col, this time a little easier than earlier on, and then climb again onto the last true summit of the walk, Moel Lefn. The ground drops steeply into Bwlch Sais here, so care needs to be taken to locate the descent path, especially in poor visibility. The easiest way is to keep straight ahead until the ground starts to drop, then to bear half-left to dissect a clear path. Take this as it cuts a walkable line across the steep slope and then, as it eases, bear left into Bwlch
Sais. Cross this and drop again, a wall on your right, past what’s left of the Princess Quarry. Locate a stile, cross, to follow the wall into Beddgelert Forest. 4 SH553496 Drop steeply down to a junction with a main forest track and turn left then right onto a narrow path that tucks back into the trees. Follow this as it crosses a felled area and then a rough, open area with good views down over Llyn Llewelyn, before coming to a stile. Keep ahead to drop through the trees again, crossing a succession of forest tracks (actually the same track that zigzags down the hill) until you meet
a main forest track. Keep ahead again to drop to a tumbledown wall. Cross this and keep ahead again to drop to the main bridleway you walked in on. Turn left and follow this easily back to the main car park – signed Rhyd-ddu at this stage.