Nuttalls of the Hebog Ridge: Moel Hebog, Moel yr Ogof, and Moel Lefn

We had a fairly average weekend weather-wise here in Wales. With nothing much planned I decided a day in the hills would be nice. It would be an opportunity to bag a few more Nuttalls too. So, after packing a day-pack on Friday evening, I headed north early on Saturday morning so as to arrive in Beddgelert at first light.

Day trips in the hills at this time of year are tricky, with first light not arriving until almost 8 a.m. and darkness closing in by 5 p.m. So, there isn’t enough time for any epic long-distance hikes. Camping is, of course, always an option to extend such a trip, but it results in some long evenings sat in the tent in the dark. Today, therefore, was just a short hike that would hopefully take in the Hebog Ridge

The Start: Up Moel Hebog

The journey began with the steep ascent of Moel Hebog (783 m). The climb was quite a leg-burner, but the effort was rewarded with panoramic views of the valley below with Beddgelert nestled in it. There were a few rocky sections that allowed some scrambling too, but never anything difficult.

The clouds soon closed in around me as I climbed and by the time I reached the ridge there was little to see. Just grey cloud, the occasional patch of snow and the frost-covered ground below my feet. There was also some interesting rock here and there, including a nice band of volcanic bombs.

At the summit, standing at 783 metres, Moel Hebog dominates the skyline above Beddgelert, but today I was shrouded in cloud and I could see nothing but the trig point and the dry stone wall. I took a quick photo then sheltered behind the wall as the wind was pretty strong up here and it wasn’t exactly warm! I hadn’t seen anyone on the climb and it felt quite a lonely place up here today as well. That was the first Nuttall of the day bagged though and the highest point for the day too – the rest should be fairly easy.

Moel yr Ogof

From Moel Hebog, I turned left and headed in a northerly direction down a steep descent following the stone wall. At the bottom there was a boggy crossing and some nice places to camp before I was climbing once again through a rocky cleft and up towards Moel yr Ogof (655 m). This is a peak steeped in history and famously associated with Owain Glynd?r, who is said to have hidden in its caves during his rebellion against English rule. While I didn’t venture into the caves this time, I may head back here one day for more exploring and possibly a wild camp.

The rocky summit was bagged and I continued on my way making good progress – it was still only 10 a.m.

Moel Lefn

The final peak of the day, Moel Lefn (638 m), was a quieter, less dramatic summit but no less rewarding. The ridge walk connecting these peaks was an undulating path with views stretching to the coast and deep into the heart of Snowdonia. I didn’t have great views today thanks to the cloud but I did get glimpses of the sea around Porthmadog and the slopes of Snowdon could be seen too. There seemed to be a glimmer on sunlight on Snowdon now and then. Again, it would be nice to come here on a sunny day as I’m sure Snowdon and the Nantlle ridge would look lovely from here.

The Descent

It was downhill all the way from here, first along a ridge above various old mine and quarry workings far below. Then down to the deep chasm of Princess Quarry and eventually though some slippery forest path to a fire-road in the Forest.

The footpath then took me across some deep boggy ground for a while. I stopped here for a short lunch-break and sat there airing my feet for a while. I then continued on through the big and eventually down to more forest roads. One of these was closed due to recent storm damage that had brought down loads of trees in the area. I did take a look but the deadfall was too dense to get through. It was then just a short walk back to the car after 8.7 miles, 1,000 metres of ascent and just under 4 hours in the hills.

That’s another 3 Nuttalls ticked off my list, and plenty more to go. I wonder which ones will be next?

Tags: Nuttalls