NEARLY UPHILL – GREAT WALKS IN NORTH WALES & MORE!

Practical, beginner-friendly North Wales hiking guides with maps and parking info.

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Moel Hebog Walk & Video Route Guide

MOEL HEBOG video guide

Moel Hebog – a stunning walk in North Wales

Moel Hebog is a beautiful mountain in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. In Welsh Moel Hebog means “bare hill of the hawk”. I didn’t see any hawks but I did see a few buzzards and heard a woodpecker. It’s a beautiful walk and in spring I’d challenge you to find anywhere there are more pretty purple foxgloves growing, they’re stunning!

Foxgloves on Moel Hebog
Foxgloves on Moel Hebog with Craig Wen, one of Yr Wyddfa’s foothills behind.

There’s a lovely weather-beaten Trig Pillar at the summit and the views of Eryri are spectacular. As you walk up you’ll see the Nantlle Ridge, Yr Wyddfa, Cnicht and many more. An added bonus is the occasional (and slightly haunting) sound of trains tooting on the Ffestiniog Railway. It’s the world’s oldest narrow gauge railway.

A steam train waiting - Ffestiniog Narrow Guage railway - Beddgelert
A Steam Train at Beddgelert’s Narrow Guage Railway Station

The Moel Hebog route in this post is a straightforward out and back starting in Beddgelert, you can find the OS Map Route below.

How high is Moel Hebog?

Moel Hebog is 783 meters (2,569 feet) above sea level, the total ascent if you walk from Beddgelert is 2438 ft.

Elevation profile of the Moel Hebog route showing total ascent of 2438 feet, with a peak elevation of 2569 feet at 2.13 miles.

Is Moel Hebog a scramble?

The walk up Moel Hebog involves some very steep sections, with rocky, loose terrain, and some very light scrambling. I wouldn’t really call Moel Hebog a scramble though, you may need your hands very occasionally on the steep section up to the summit. You’ll need a good level of fitness. If you are inexperienced in navigation, save this route for a clear day.

Hilary Pullen on top of the Moel Hebog Trig point
Me stood on top of the Trig at the summit of Moel Hebog!

Where do you park to walk up Moel Hebog?

The most common starting point for walking up Moel Hebog is from Beddgelert. There is a fairly large pay-and-display car park in the village centre.

Moel Hebog Route Map

Moel Hebog Route Map showcasing the hiking trail and surrounding terrain in North Wales.

I’ve plotted the route I took up Moel Hebog on OS Maps. If you’re a premium member, you can see the topographic mapping up to 1:12500. It’s a larger scale than a standard paper map. This is really useful when navigating.

Moel Hebog Route Map on OS Maps

If you are parked in the public car park, take a footpath off to the right and then under the train tracks on an underpass, this then takes you to a farm track which leads up to the start of the walk up Hebog. There is a sign on the gate to show you the point at which you turn off the track and start heading up Hebog.

aerial view map of the start of Moel Hebog walk
Showing the path from the carpark, it goes under the railway track.
The track through large pine trees at the start of the Moel Hebog walk from Beddgelert
The track at the start of the walk up Moel Hebog
Bridge over a stream on the path up to Moel Hebog with Ziggy the Coltriever
The path forks off to the left shortly after crossing this little bridge

If you have good visibility the path is very clear on the ground. After the path forks up to the left you have clear sight of the summit. Pass through a swing gate and then continue on the path on the left side of the mountain up a zig zag path. The path is all scree with just a few sections that may require using your hands. I wouldn’t really call this a scramble, it’s just very lose rock. Watch my video to see all the terrain on the walk up Moel Hebog.

A panoramic view from the slopes of Moel Hebog, featuring green hills, rocky outcrops, and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
A scenic view from the summit of Moel Hebog, showcasing rolling green hills and a lake surrounded by mountains in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park.
A hiker sitting on a rocky outcrop with a dog, overlooking a panoramic view of mountains and landscape under a blue sky with fluffy clouds.
I love this pic! Zig and me looking and feeling very happy just a few minutes from the summit of Moel Hebog

Hilary
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6 responses to “Moel Hebog Walk & Video Route Guide”

  1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
    Alittlebitoutoffocus

    Yes, it’s a fine walk (though quite steep with little let-up until near the summit as I recall). I did it in August 2022, in fine, sunny weather and had a red kite ‘fly past’. 👍👍😊
    https://alittlebitoutoffocus.com/2022/08/16/moel-hebog-walk-snowdonia-national-park-north-wales/

    Reply
    1. Hilary Avatar
      Hilary

      This route became something of a family challenge as myself, my brother and my mother and Aunt had all attempted it but for whatever reason had all ended up not making the summit… bad weather the usual culprit – My brother and I did it 2nd of January 2023 and finally made it up – there was much excitement from those who has never managed it and were now too old to try! I’ve done it a couple of times since and glad to finally make a post of it – it’s a great walk, but as you say it is steep!!!

      Reply
      1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
        Alittlebitoutoffocus

        I didn’t watch the video earlier, but I have now and I don’t recall all those loose stones and rocks. My (possibly faded) recollection was of a steep grassy path. Looking at your OS map, I think I must have followed the (perhaps more direct) green dotted line and not the black dotted one.
        I never saw a soul when I walked up and I think your video also captures the serenity of the mountain. It’s a bit off the beaten track, but well worth it as you say. 👍👍😊

      2. Hilary Avatar
        Hilary

        There’s a steep grassy path right until the last section… or maybe you came up from a different direction?

  2. Rowan Temple Mrs Avatar
    Rowan Temple Mrs

    I am really keen to climb Cnicht but am not going to attempt it unless I am with someone who can map read.

    Reply
    1. Hilary Avatar
      Hilary

      If you go up from Croesor along the Cambrian Way you will find the path is pretty clear (the green diamond path on the map) and on a sunny weekend there’ll be quite a few people 🙂 There’s some great map reading resources on Get Outside (I’m the content Editor there) – https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/knowledge-hub/

      Reply

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