Moel Siabod SOTA Activation

Summits On The Air reference GW/NW-010, 8 points

Activity Summary

  • 📅 Date : 21st June 2026
  • 📏 Distance : 7.72 km
  • ⬆️ Ascent : 686 m
  • 🏔️ Max Altitude : 873 m
  • ⏱️ Time to Summit : 2:02 hrs
  • 🕐 Total Activation Time : 5:12 hrs

Weather

  • ⛅ Partly Cloudy
  • 🌡️ Temperature 10 ℃
  • 🌡️ Feels like 8 ℃
  • 💧 Humidity 76%
  • 💨 Wind Speed 6 km/h
  • 🧭 Wind Direction NE

Equipment Used

  • Icom IC705 (10w)
  • 2500 mAh LiFePO4 battery pack
  • 2m flowerpot antenna
  • SOTABEAMS Carbon 6 pole
  • PoLo logging app on iPad mini

Parking Location What3Words

///outlawing.prank.needed

Activation Report

As I drove towards Capel Curig, I could see that the summit of Moel Siabod was clear of any cloud and bathed in sunshine. I knew this was going to be a good morning for an activation. I approached the parking spot with some apprehension — it was a Sunday morning, and I hoped that 7:30 would be early enough to get a space. I sighed with relief as I pulled in behind one of only three cars, with plenty of space still to spare. The parking spot is located at SH 71569 57860 and it is free to park.

The parking spot in the layby

I was on my way at 7:45 am, passing over the footbridge at the head of the Llynnau Mymbyr. Clear of the footbridge, a rocky path climbs up through trees for about a kilometre, before reaching open countryside.


Once in open countryside you get the first glimpses of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and its surrounding summits that form the horseshoe.

Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and its surrounding summits

After about two hours of walking I arrived on the summit to find just one other person there, the benefit of an early start. Moel Siabod is another summit with jaw-dropping views on a clear day. You can see the views for yourself in the 360° video below.


Here’s another video from my first activation of Moel Siabod a few years ago — more of those views, from a different visit.

After chatting to the other walker, and soaking up the views, I found a spot to set up my station. As this was going to be a VHF only activation, I tried to stay as high as I could, whilst being far enough away from the trig so as not to cause any problems for other walkers.

My station behind a rock again!

I started on 2m SSB but was struggling to get a spot out. Fortunately Don, GW0PLP, heard me calling. With Don in the log, he then kindly spotted me on SOTA watch.

Views across to Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)

I managed five contacts on 2m SSB before changing to FM. With a bit of switching between FM and SSB I managed to get ten unique contacts in the log, including two summit-to-summits. It had been slow going for a Sunday morning, perhaps because I was out earlier than usual.

QSO summary
QSO Map

With no more callers, I packed away and enjoyed some more views before making my way down. On the descent there were great views looking across to Pen Llithrig y Wrach.

Pen Llithrig y Wrach can be seen in the distance.


Once back at the car, the layby was now full, as you would expect on a sunny Sunday. This was certainly one of my favourite activations of the year, although my list of favourites seems to grow with every summit.

The interactive map below shows a track of the route taken. You can zoom in or out to change the scale. The map can also be shown in full screen. The GPX track can also be downloaded using the link below the map. The route may contain errors and should be used only as a guide.

Download file for GPS

Further information can be found on the SOTA resource page for the summit