Wales
Moel Meirch South Top
575M
1885FT
About Moel Meirch South Top
Situated in the rugged, undulating terrain of the northern Moelwyns, this rocky minor summit offers a wilder alternative to the busier Snowdonia peaks. It stands as a quiet vantage point above the hidden Llyn Edno, surrounded by a complex landscape of boggy hollows and sharp, glaciated outcrops.
Key Statistics
Rank
214th Highest in Wales
Parent Range
Snowdonia
Prominence
?
21.5m
Nearest Town
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Geology
You are trekking over layers of sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. These compressed sediments form the solid foundation of the mountain beneath your feet.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SH663499
Latitude
53.0296°N
Longitude
3.9951°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Welsh 'Moel', meaning a bare or rounded hill, and 'Meirch', the plural for stallions. This suggests the high plateau was historically used for grazing hardy mountain ponies.
- •This summit serves as a sentinel for walkers heading toward Llyn Edno, a remote and atmospheric high-altitude lake tucked into a hollow just to the south of the ridge.
- •Navigating the ground around this top is famously difficult in mist; the plateau between here and Moel Siabod is a maze of peat hags and small rocky rises with few distinct paths to follow.
- •From this specific vantage point, the well-known 'Matterhorn' profile of Cnicht is revealed to be an optical illusion, appearing instead as the long, narrow spine of a ridge stretching towards the sea.
- •The Moelwyns are renowned for their 'knobbly' terrain, and the South Top provides a perfect example of a summit that often requires more time spent dodging bottomless puddles than actual climbing.