There are quite a few well known peaks in and around where we live which I’ve not climbed yet. So when Jude suggested I went for a walk yesterday, it had to be Moel Siabod. At 872m or 2,861ft, it’s not the highest of peaks, (indeed Jude announced before I left that it was only the 22nd highest in the Eryri/Snowdonia National Park), but it does give fabulous views of many of it’s taller neighbours. (Click here for a full list of the mountains over 2,000ft in the National Park, including a picture, taken from Moel Siabod, with some of those peaks marked).
I was slightly concerned that it might be very busy, given that it was a sunny Sunday, but I needn’t have worried, as I saw no more than 20 people on the ascent and a similar number going in the opposite direction as I walked down. Clearly the attraction of Snowdon is much greater!
The route I chose was circular and I decided to go anti-clockwise, that is directly up from Capel Curig on a well trodden path. It was largely featureless, apart from the views, as you will see below (especially pic 7). After reaching the summit, the path dropped steeply over some uneven, boulders (which played havoc with my dodgy left knee) and I began to wonder whether I should have gone the other way. After about half a mile, the path levelled out, but, I have to say, the descent did seem twice as long as the ascent and I felt sorry for the people who were just starting to make their way up.