The walking route website Mud and Routes allows about 4 hours for its Moel Eilio round from Llanberis.
Live for the Outdoors, another route website, allows about 5 hours for its longer round over Moel Cynghorion. The shorter round climbs Moel Eilio, follows the ridge over Foel Gron and Foel Goch, and returns by a bridleway.
The longer round adds a fourth summit, Moel Cynghorion.
Starting in Llanberis
Mud and Routes and Live for the Outdoors both start in the village, at different points.
Mud and Routes starts near the Snowdon Mountain Railway station. You pass the station towards the Victoria Hotel and turn right at a mini roundabout.
Live for the Outdoors starts on Llanberis High Street. You take Ffordd Capel Coch south-west, with the YHA hostel on your left.
That road leads to the north-east ridge of Moel Eilio. Live for the Outdoors calls it a less travelled way up, which can be a little wet in places at first.
Walking Britain’s walk 3057 starts at Maen-llwyd-isaf, a derelict farmstead up a gated road from the centre of Llanberis.
Live for the Outdoors goes by road and public footpaths at first, then onto open grassy hills.
The climb to Moel Eilio
On the Mud and Routes round, the ascent sets off steady.
It then steepens for a couple of hundred metres at a fence, where the path is badly eroded. That steep section soon relents, and the fence leads on to the summit.
Mud and Routes names a steeper, quicker alternative: head for the ridge of Braich y Foel.
The summit of Moel Eilio
Moel Eilio is 726 m, according to go4awalk, a walking route website. Walking Britain agrees in its walk 3057 and its walk 1681.
The summit is flat, and the shelter is a noticeable feature. Mud and Routes calls it a huge shelter. Walking Britain’s walk 1681 describes a broad grassy summit plateau.
Mud and Routes lists the Carneddau, the Glyderau, Snowdon, Moel Hebog, the Nantlle Ridge, the Llŷn Peninsula and Anglesey among the views.
Live for the Outdoors adds Holyhead Mountain and Yr Eifl, and the Wicklow Mountains when visibility is exceptional.
The name is pronounced “moil ay-leo”, according to go4awalk.
The ridge over Foel Gron and Foel Goch
From the summit the ridge runs south-east over Foel Gron to Foel Goch.
Mud and Routes calls it a pleasant, grassy ridge that poses little problem.
From the ridge, it rates the views over to the Nantlle Ridge as the pick. Llyn Dwythwch lies on your left. Llyn Cwellyn and Llyn y Gader lie on your right.
In poor weather or snow, stay back from the steep drops on your left, most usefully behind the fence line.
That is the advice of Live for the Outdoors. It adds that the ridge can be an exposed place in strong south-westerly winds.
The guides name the tops on this ridge differently:
- Foel Goch: 605 m, in both go4awalk and Walking Britain’s walk 3057.
- Foel Gron: 629 m according to go4awalk, but 593 m according to walk 3057.
- A 629 m top: Walking Britain’s walk 3057 lists it as unnamed.
Underfoot, go4awalk describes the summit of Foel Gron as unmarked, just grass beside a fence. Foel Goch is marked by a cairn.
Mud and Routes warns that this Foel Goch is not the Glyder tops of similar name. Those are Foel-Goch and Y Foel Goch.
How busy is the ridge?
The guides disagree. Mud and Routes calls the ridge relatively busy these days.
Walking Britain’s walk 1681, which adds Moel Cynghorion, says you can expect only a handful of other walkers. It sets that against the crowds on Snowdon a few miles away.
Down through Bwlch Maesgwm
Mud and Routes takes you off Foel Goch down a steep grassy slope to Bwlch Maesgwm.
There is no path as such, more an eroded rut. Mud and Routes adds that it is not pleasant, but at least it is short.
The bwlch (a mountain pass) is still above 450 m. A bridleway then runs a steady 3 km down towards Llanberis.
Near the bottom, Mud and Routes turns right off the track, crosses the Afon Goch and the railway, and joins the lower Llanberis Path past the Penceunant Isaf tearooms.
Turn left and downhill, and Mud and Routes puts you at the start in around 15 minutes.
Mud and Routes does not recommend the right of way shortcut near the bottom. It crosses boggy ground.
Live for the Outdoors describes the same bwlch as having a very good public bridleway to Llanberis, if you need it.
Walking Britain’s walk 3057 takes another way. It leaves Foel Goch by the broad ridge to the north. It says to make sure you do not descend into the valley of Maesgwm.
The guides’ figures, route by route
Each figure below belongs to its own route, so none can stand in for another.
- Mud and Routes, the Llanberis round returning through Bwlch Maesgwm: 13.44 km, 668 m of ascent, 4 hours, graded a moderate walk.
- Live for the Outdoors, the horseshoe that goes on over Moel Cynghorion: 14.2 km (8¾ miles), 974 m of total ascent, 5 hours, medium difficulty.
- Walking Britain, walk 3057: 7.0 miles (11.4 km), 697 m, 5 hours 30 minutes, moderate.
- Walking Britain, walk 1681, with Moel Cynghorion out and back: 10.0 miles (16.3 km), 848 m, 7 hours 20 minutes, graded mod/hard.
- go4awalk, walk gw118, a longer version that starts up the Llanberis Path: 11 miles (17.5 km), 1273 m, 8 hours, Grade 7 (Hard).
Walking Britain quotes the distance and height gain of walk 3057 from Maen-llwyd-isaf, not from the village.
Mud and Routes lists the hazards on its Llanberis round as none, usually, with some navigation in mist. It adds that it cannot outline every hazard on a walk.
Adding Moel Cynghorion
The Live for the Outdoors round continues from Bwlch Maesgwm to Moel Cynghorion. A steep, grassy descent then leads towards Bwlch Cwm Brwynog.
Live for the Outdoors says this is not one for complete beginners. It advises a map and compass, with the skills to use them, because this is proper mountain terrain and North Wales weather is notoriously unpredictable.
The Explorer OL17 map at 1:25,000 covers the area, according to both Live for the Outdoors and Walking Britain.
From Bwlch Cwm Brwynog, Live for the Outdoors follows a faint path down into the cwm, past Helfa-fawr. A public footpath then leads north towards Hebron Station and Llanberis.
The Snowdon Ranger Path bends round the lower slopes of Moel Cynghorion on its way up Snowdon.
Getting to Llanberis
The S1 and S2 buses both call at Llanberis. The S1 serves Caernarfon, Llanberis and Betws-y-coed. The S2 serves Bangor, Llanberis and Pen-y-Pass.
Both are on the Sherpa’r Wyddfa timetable from 28 March 2026.
The Eryri National Park Authority, the public body that manages the park, gives about 25 minutes from Caernarfon on the S1. It gives about 50 minutes from Bangor on the S2.
By car, there are car parks in the village of Llanberis. The Authority asks you to park only in designated areas, not on side streets or in residential areas.
Live for the Outdoors warns that the village car parks can fill up quickly.
Walking Britain mentions limited parking near Maen-llwyd-isaf. The village is the start for the other guides.
For a flatter day in Llanberis, Llyn Padarn has a lake walk from Gilfach Ddu.
We compile and explain public route and safety information. We guide nobody and sell nothing on the hill.
Snowdon itself is a separate day, and the Llanberis Path climbs it from the far end of Victoria Terrace in Llanberis.
