Back

Craig Bwlch y Moch

Snowdonia

A dolerite crag with quite a lot of history. Owned and managed by the BMC, the crag contains some of the very best outcrop climbing anywhere, mainly multi pitch and all grades from V.Diff to E7. The name in Welsh means 'The Crag of the Pass of the Pigs'

Merlin - The flake on the second pitch has come down. There is still some loose blocks at the 1st belay so care must be taken over building a safe belay, and the Rienetta slab first pitch still has alot of loose rock. However the upper pitch is pretty clean now, however definitely goes at a harder grade. 

Ash Dieback has been identified to be prominent at the crag, please be aware that this can severely weaken ash trees. Visit the following website Ash Dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) - Woodland Trust for more details on how to identify ash trees. 

Crag information
Climbing Area: Wales Rock Type: Igneous
Importance: International CRoW Land: Yes
Ownership: BMC Owned No. of Routes: 191
Within National Park: Yes Year Developed: 1951
Grid Reference: SH 57746 40601

Owned and managed by the BMC for climbers, there are very few issues at Bwlch y Moch. However climbers are asked to observe a few points. On no account should the fence at the top of the crag be crossed - all of the land at the crag top is privately owned, including the cliff top path and an agreement is in place with the neighbouring farmer for a permissive path along the cliff top. There is no descent either behind the crag or to the east. If choosing to abseil ensure that a sling is placed around the tree to prevent damage and that you do not cause inconvenience or a hazard to other climbers -"look before you chuck" is the motto here! None of the abseil slings or fixed belays are maintained or inspected by the BMC -so please ensure that you are satisfied with their safety and suitability before using! Van Camping is not allowed at the crag, however if you can find a flat spot to get a tent up at the top, please leave a positive trace, but there are no toilets at the site, closest public toilets are in Porthmadog itself.

 

Parking and Approach

Parking Hadfer Glamping Site are now open for parking from 8am until 8 pm every day. Please pay via the JUST PARK APP. Its £3.70 for up to 6 hours, £6.20 for all day.  The Cafe is now open from 8am to 10pm, and is recommended to book for evening meals as they've been very busy since opening.

If you are climbing longer than these hours please park considerately in laybys, either about a kilometre towards Tremadog village or about half a kilometre to the east towards Prenteg and walking in. 

 

Group Advice

Suitable - but can be very busy, especially at weekends, and a lack of low grade single pitch routes can make it difficult for novice groups.

Area information

A wide range of cliffs - mainly traditional and multi pitch inc. the popular Llanberis Pass, Idwal Slabs, Clogwyn du'r Arddu and Cwm Silyn cliffs, but also outlying outcrops such as Carreg Alltrem. Many crags are on CROW access land - but not all especially some of the outcrops which lie on private enclosed land. Most of central Snowdonia is both designated an SSSI and also is an European Special Area of Conservation on account of the upland habitat and associated geology and plants found here.

Weather Information

There are no guidebooks assigned to this crag

There are no files associated with this crag

Report a page issue Print this article

Crag Update Feed

Use this feed to update other users about crag conditions or similar current information. Suggested updates to page information should be made using the ‘report a page issue’ button above.

Posting as Anonymous Community Standards
3000 characters remaining
Submit
Your comment has been posted below, click here to view it
Comments are currently on | Turn off comments
7
Anonymous User
16/07/2019
Its worth noting that there is a nest of honey bees at the end of the first picth of Hele Bebe. The bees are not agressive and a belay stancd can be found to the side of the tree out od their way. It might be worth any local bee keepers and also climbers investigating the feasibility of removing the nest.
Report abuse
Anonymous User
22/07/2020
21/07/2020 18.00
Path to bottom of Grim Wall Direct area has been changed to slightly higher elevation, due to severe erosion of previous section
Report abuse
Pete_Frost
26/04/2021
Please don't climb on the Oakover slab until the Tawny Owl has finished nesting in the old tree stump half way up the slab. It should be finished by the end of May 2021 because the chicks tend to leave the nest after five weeks. All routes pass too close to the stump and the abseil goes right past the stump too. The adult flew out of the stump on Axeover as we climbed past yesterday (25 April) so we walked off, rather than abseiling. It would be a real shame to scare away the parents and leave the two chicks to starve to death.
Report abuse
Anonymous User
05/10/2022
05/10/22
Warning. Rockfall to the right of The Slip Climbs. Access to these routes are unaffected as are the routes. Keep clear of the area in the trees to the right. Gwyn Jones
Report abuse
Anonymous User
17/06/2023
The abseil station (thick rope and maillons) atop grim wall has been removed. Is this deliberate by the BMC? Has another been installed somewhere else? In the absence of it parties were abseiling off a piece of 5mm cord with no karabiner - it wont last long given the heavy use
Report abuse

Report a page issue

Please use this feedback form to raise any incorrect information on the page, advise any additonal information that should be included, or any page functionality issues.
Immediate crag updates should be submitted via the comments section at the bottom of the crag page. Any comments made through the page issue form will need to be moderated and will not be dealt with immediately.

    Craig Bwlch y Moch

    Snowdonia