| Moel Siabod | |
| Elevation M: | 872 |
| Prominence M: | 600 |
| Prominence Ref: | [1] |
| Listing: | Hewitt, Marilyn, Nuttall |
| Translation: | shapely hill |
| Language: | Welsh |
| Pronunciation: | in Welsh ˈmɔil ˈʃabɔd/ |
| Location: | Snowdonia, Wales |
| Map: | Wales Gwynedd#United Kingdom |
| Label Position: | bottom |
| Coordinates: | 53.0731°N -3.9325°W |
| Grid Ref Uk: | SH705546 |
| Topo: | OS Landranger 115 |
| Fetchwikidata: | ALL |
cy|'''Moel Siabod'''|bare hill|italic=no|paren=left with unknown meaning of 'Siabod') is a mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, which sits isolated above the village of Dolwyddelan. At 872m (2,861feet), it is the highest peak in the Moelwynion mountain range. The UK National Mountain Centre, Plas-y-Brenin, is located at the foot of Moel Siabod. From the top of the mountain, it is reputedly possible to see 13 of the 14 highest peaks in Wales on a clear day without turning one's head.[2] [3] [4]
The name Moel Siabod is wrongly translated as shapely hill, although William Williams in Observations on the Snowdon Mountains (1802) proposed that the name comes from siadod, meaning 'bare hill, whose head or crown is covered in new-fallen snow'. J. Lloyd-Jones of Dublin University, in his Enwau Lleoedd Sir Gaernarfon 1928 (Cardiff), favours Middle English origin 'shabbèd', 'shcabbèd', 'shabbid', 'sceabbed(e)' ('scabbed' Modern English), therefore proposes a shabby, scabby, scarred mountain.
The mountain is easily accessible from the north via Capel Curig and nearby Pont Cyfyng (by separate paths) and from the south via Dolwyddelan.
The highest part of the mountain forms a relatively level, rocky ridge approximately 800 m long, running roughly south-west (from the summit) to north-east. At the north-eastern end of this main ridge there is a fairly steep descent towards Pont Cyfyng. At the south-west edge of the main ridge there is a further, much steeper ridge that branches off to the east, as well as several precipitous cliffs.
The north-west side of the main ridge is relatively gentle and supports a variety of flora and has numerous paths. The south-east side has many sharp drops down to a hanging valley. This valley, fenced in on two sides by the main ridge and the ridge running east from the summit, is at roughly 500 m above sea level and contains Llyn-y-foel (Welsh for lake of the mountain). There is both a steep descent, following a stream that emerges from the lake to the south-east, and a gentle descent, to the north-east, from this valley.
As mentioned above, the two main ridges are fairly rocky; an ascent up the minor ridge will usually require the use of hands, as will the ascent to Llyn-y-foel from the Dolwyddelan path. The terrain around the lake is prone to be boggy, especially on the northern side, and the path to the lake from Pont Cyfyng frequently turns into a flowing stream.
There are several routes to the top of Moel Siabod, only one of which is marked on the local Ordnance Survey map. All of the paths below, excluding the route from Llyn-y-foel directly onto the minor ridge, are marked on the 'Snowdonia Snowdon and the Moelwynion' Harvey SuperWalker map.
Leaving the centre, the route crosses the Nant Gwryd via the ancient bridge "Pont-y-Bala"; it almost immediately enters Forestry Commission land and follows a variety of dirt tracks and footpaths before exiting onto open access land and continuing south up the grassy northern side of the mountain.
