Foel-fras
One classification here — Simm — belongs to a list OpenFell holds only part of, so it has no list page. See how far the coverage goes.

- Height
- 944.1 m · 3,097 ft
- Prominence
- 62.8 m
- Grid reference
- SH 69616 68124
- Coordinates
- 53.19416, -3.95315
- County / area
- Conwy/Gwynedd
- Region
- Snowdonia
- OS Landranger
- 115
- OS Explorer
- OL17E
- Summit feature
- 2m high rock spike 70m SW of trig point
- Key col
- SH 6880 6651 (881.3 m)
About Foel-fras
Foel-fras is the eleventh-highest summit in Wales and sits at the northern end of the main Carneddau ridge, about 10 km east of Bethesda on the Gwynedd–Conwy boundary. Drum lies north along the ridge; to the south is Foel Grach, with the subsidiary top of Garnedd Uchaf (925 m) between them.
The reservoir of Llyn Dulyn lies 400 m below to the south, and the smaller Llyn Anafon to the north. Its position makes it the first of the Welsh 3000s encountered by anyone starting that round from the northern end. Access is usually from the small road signposted for Aber Falls at Abergwyngregyn, which ends at a car park beyond the falls.
Background written from facts in the Wikipedia article on Foel-fras (CC BY-SA 4.0). Heights, prominence and grid references come from the Database of British & Irish Hills, not from Wikipedia.
Access rights here
Conditional Right to roam: Right to roam only on mapped CRoW open access land.
Permission needed Wild camping: Permission needed everywhere.
General position for Wales — local byelaws, seasonal restrictions and closures can override it. Full details: access rights in Wales ·check another location.
Daylight at this summit today
- Sunrise
- —
- Sunset
- —
- Daylight
- —
- Civil twilight ends
- —
Computed astronomically for 53.194, -3.953. Plan your finish with the daylight safety planner.
Summit weather live
Loading forecast for the summit (944 m)…
Forecast adjusted to summit altitude. Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0).
Finding the summit
rock spike is higher than top of trig point and about 50cm higher than block of rock 30m SW of trig point.
The recorded summit point is 2m high rock spike 70m SW of trig point. That distinction matters on broad or flat tops, where the obvious cairn is not always the true high point.
- Survey method
- Abney level/Leica RX1250
- Record revised
- 13-Dec-17
- Drop measured from
- SH 6880 6651 · 881.3 m
Survey notes are field observations recorded in the Database of British & Irish Hills (v18.3, CC BY 4.0) by the hill-surveying community.
Long-distance paths past this hill
One waymarked long-distance route runs within 2.5 km of the summit — useful if you are linking this hill into a longer walk, or want a made path for the approach.
| Route | Total length | From summit |
|---|---|---|
| Cambrian Way | 483 km | over the top |
Route lines © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); distance from the summit computed by OpenFell.
Reaching Foel-fras by train
One National Rail station sits within 8 km of the summit — close enough to make a car-free day of it. Distances are straight lines, not walking routes.
| Station | From summit | Summit lies |
|---|---|---|
| Llanfairfechan | 7.3 km | S of the station |
Each station page lists every hill in its reach, long-distance paths from the door and a live-times link — see all stations with hills in reach. Station positions from NaPTAN (OGL v3.0).
Get food nearby
3 places to eat or drink within 10 km of the summit, rated under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (Scotland runs its own Food Hygiene Information Scheme, a pass/fail equivalent).
| Place | Type | Rating | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caffi Almas | Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 4 out of 5 | 6.1 km · NW |
| LDC Catering (Llanfairfechan Golf Club) | Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 4 out of 5 | 6.2 km · N |
| Llanfair Arms | Pub/bar/nightclub | 4 out of 5 | 6.6 km · N |
Classifications and ratings are the local authority's own and can be coarse — this is a lead, not a guarantee of opening hours or that food is served to non-residents. Follow a name through to the official rating page to check, and confirm before you rely on it.
Food hygiene data from the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland (Open Government Licence v3.0). Distances and directions computed by OpenFell from the summit.
Which hill this one belongs to
Foel-fras is not counted as an independent hill in its own right. In prominence terms it belongs to Carnedd Llewelyn (1,064 m) — the nearest Marilyn you can reach from this summit without first dropping below its key col, 881 m.
Grouping is by prominence alone: a summit belongs to the nearest higher Marilyn it connects to without a deeper intervening col. Over a large massif that can gather hills no one would walk in a single day, and which few would describe as parts of the same mountain — it is a measure of independence, not a suggested route.
Nearest listed peaks
| Peak | Height | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Llwytmor | 849 m | 1.3 km |
| Garnedd Uchaf | 925 m | 1.5 km |
| Drum | 771 m | 1.9 km |
| Bera Mawr | 793.7 m | 2.1 km |
| Foel Grach | 975.4 m | 2.3 km |
| Bera Bach | 806.5 m | 2.4 km |