25.02.23 Moel Siabod (SH705
546, only bwlch surveyed) and Cefn y Cerrig (SH 674 545)
Having scrutinised
several OS maps a circular walk was devised from the viewing-point car park (SH
658 541) between Llyn Gwynant and Pen y Gwryd.
I had never started a hill walk from this point and found the idea
rather novel. I arrived just after 8am
and soon set off along the road to Pen y Gwryd, flanked by a stunning view of
Yr Wyddfa. Remnants of recent snowfall
speckled the upper slopes and the buffeting of a cold north-easterly reminded
me that winter was not yet over.
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| Yr Wyddfa looking resplendent as ever (Photo: Aled Williams) |
As I approached Pen y
Gwryd, the masses bound for Yr Wyddfa were already filling up the available
roadside car parking spaces. I slipped
by unnoticed as I headed to the first of my surveying objectives; the critical
bwlch of Moel Siabod. I had assisted
Myrddyn Phillips with the survey of this pass back in 2017 and was eager to
collect a couple of extra data sets given that the drop result was so close to
the 600m prominence threshold for Major status (hills that appear in Mark
Trengove’s list The Major Mountains of
Britain and Ireland). Two data sets
were taken at the bwlch, each involving a lonely five-minute vigil in the
numbing chill of the north wind.
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| Gathering data at the bwlch of Moel Siabod (Photo: Aled Williams) |
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| The view toward Cefn y Cerrig (Photo: Aled Williams) |
Having packed away the Trimble, I headed towards
the high point of the day; the potential new Welsh Highlands Sub of Cefn y
Cerrig. It felt good to be out on the
open mountain, although the underfoot conditions made the traverse of the moor
a squelchy affair. Drier conditions
prevailed once on the arm of Cefn y Cerrig was reached and a leisurely walk
soon brought me to the base of the summit tor.
 |
| The view of Dyffryn Mymbyr (Photo: Aled Williams) |
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| Gathering data at the summit of Cefn y Cerrig (Photo: Aled Williams) |
I had visited the summit of Cefn y Cerrig once
before in December 2005 and my memory of it as a fine rocky top was affirmed by
the stunning view of Dyffryn Mymbyr. This
time, there was work to do. The high
point was duly located and the Trimble was placed into position for
measurement. During data collection I
sheltered in comfort on the south-western side of the summit rocks and spied my
descent route.
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| Gathering data at the bwlch of Cefn y Cerrig with Yr Wyddfa as backdrop (Photo: Aled Williams) |
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| Cefn y Cerrig (Photo: Aled Williams) |
Once the Trimble had completed its task, I
scrambled down the rocky facade of Cefn y Cerrig to the bwlch connecting it to
its parent peak; Clogwyn Bwlch y Maen. The
critical position was located beside a partially frozen pool and the final data
set of the day was gathered shortly afterwards.
The ground between Cefn y Cerrig and the car was pathless and wet, but
quick progress was made regardless. The
sudden appearance of Llyn Gwynant signalled my imminent arrival back at the car
and the end of an enjoyable morning on the hill.
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| Heading down from the hill (Photo: Aled Williams) |
Survey Result:
Moel
Siabod
Summit Height: 872.2m (converted to OSGM15, from previous
Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)
Summit Grid Reference: SH 70524 54631 (from previous Trimble GeoXH
6000 survey)
Bwlch Height: 272.3m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SH 66044 55603 (from previous Trimble GeoXH
6000 survey)
Drop: 599.9m (P600 Major deletion)
Dominance: 68.78%
Cefn y Cerrig
Summit Height: 502.0m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SH 67480 54509
Bwlch Height: 491.2m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SH 67511 54413
Drop: 10.8m (Welsh Highland Sub addition)
Dominance: 2.14%
For details on the 1st bwlch survey of Moel Siabod
For details on the summit survey of Moel Siabod
For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet
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