Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), drawn by Global Adventurer.
The walk
The walk starts from the lay-by car park on the Horseshoe Pass road, at about 400 m. A path crosses the moor to Moel y Faen, 548 m, also called Llantysilio Mountain, and on to Moel y Gamelin, 577 m, the highest of the Llantysilio tops, with wide views over the Dee valley. A track and path bring you back round the hill to the car park.
It is 5.6 km with 269 m of ascent; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy.
This is open moorland: the paths are not waymarked on the tops, the ground can be boggy, and the hills are exposed to wind and often in cloud, so take a map and compass. Sheep graze here, and the mountain is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, where wildfires in 2018 and 2021 did lasting damage: do not light fires or barbecues. The access land can be closed for up to 28 days a year by the landowner, for example for shooting: look for notices.
The car park is free in OpenStreetMap. The Ponderosa Café on the A542 is nearby.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Moel y Faen is also known as Llantysilio Mountain, and Moel y Gamelin is its highest top, 577 m
- The Llantysilio mountains are a Site of Special Scientific Interest and part of the Berwyn and South Clwyd Mountains Special Area of Conservation
- The range recovered from wildfires in 2018 and 2021, and Natural Resources Wales has cut bracken, heather and gorse over about 30 hectares since
- Black grouse gather to lek on the mountain at dawn, and the number has risen in the past year, against the long-term decline across Wales
Summits on the way
- Moel y Faen 548 m
- Moel y Faen [Llantysilio Mountain] 547 m · passed close by
- Moel y Gamelin 577 m
Getting there
Start: Horseshoe Pass car park · Free parking. 53.02450, -3.20490
Directions to the start
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Ruabon: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line is drawn along OpenStreetMap paths and the figures are worked out from it; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.