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A Guide to the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

Following AcornsExploring the Offa’s Dyke Path is easier

than you might think

Following AcornsExploring the Offa’s Dyke Path is easier

than you might think

What lies beneath?Archaeological secrets unearthed

Back where they Bee-longThe return of the Native Honeybee

What lies beneath?Archaeological secrets unearthed

Back where they Bee-longThe return of the Native Honeybee

The Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is not only nationallyprotected, but locally cherished. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are regardedas Britain’s most treasured landscapes. Along with the National Parks their specialcharacter represents our finest and most precious landscapes.

The dramatic emergence of the Clwydian Range from sea level is seen from localtowns and villages like Prestatyn, Mold and Ruthin, as well as being an impressivesight from the Wirral, Merseyside and Cheshire. The Clwydian Range forms a 35kmnorth to south chain of undulating hills extending to 160 km2 and rising to 554metres at the summit of Moel Famau.

The Range stretches from the Vale of Clwyd in the west to the Dee Estuary in theeast; from Prestatyn Hillside in the north to the Nant y Garth pass in the south. Theopen heather moorland of the high ridge dominates the small hedged fields andcoppice woodland of the lower slopes. In places, limestone rock outcrops areexposed in attractive wooded escarpments and on the fringes of the area, highlyfertile farmland gives a soft pastoral foreground to the hills.

People have visited the Range for 100’s of years for its countryside, wildlife andviews. Denbighshire Countryside Service in partnership with Flintshire,landowners and other professionals manage the AONB not just for conservationand heritage but also for the local people and visitors. Around ½ million peoplevisit every year, particularly to the two Country Parks, Loggerheads and MoelFamau. The Offa’s Dyke National Trail follows almost the entire length of the ridgeoffering walking routes to some of the wildest countryside. The superb quality ofthe landscape is complimented by the high quality accommodation, activities, foodand welcome that together are the Clwydian Range experience.

In partnership we protect, improve and raise awareness of our rich biodiversity,stunning geological features and archaeological treasures. Our tourism vision is topreserve the quality of the Clwydian Range experience for future generations toenjoy and explore. This high quality comprises both environmental and spiritualaspects of a visit. From repairing well walked paths to promoting the excitingactivities and locations that can suit any visitor’s needs; from a three day adrenalinepumping adventure to a week of massage, meditation and visits to sacred places.

Hopefully this guide will give you a sense of what it is like in and around ourArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty and will encourage you to indulge in what ison offer.

Vanessa Warrington, Countryside OfficerThe AONB Team, Denbighshire Countryside Service, Loggerheads Country Park, Nr Mold,

Denbighshire CH7 5LH

� 01352 810614 Email: [email protected]

The views expressed by the contributors are their own. Denbighshire County Council accept no responsibility

for any errors or omissions.

www.clwydianrangeaonb.org.ukwww.denbighshire.gov.uk/countrysidewww.ridetheclwyds.comwww.loggerheads-wales.co.uk

contentsWelcome to ‘Capturing the Clwyds’

Fire & Ice

Adrenaline Junkies

I thought I knew Moel Famau

Following Acorns

What lies beneath?

Autumn Fresh

Back where they Bee-long

Welcome to‘Capturing the Clwydian Range’

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Bryniau Clwyd Ardal o HarddwchNaturiol Eithriadol (AHNE)

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Map designed and produced by RJS Associates in associationwith Denbighshire Countryside Service.

Dyluniwyd a chynhyrchwyd y map gan RJS Associates mewncyd-weithrediad â Gwasanaeth Cefn Gwlad Ddinbych.

© Cyngor Sir Ddinbych 2000.

This map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permissionof Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’ s StationeryO © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyrightand may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Denbighshire County Council.LA09008L. 2000.

Atgynhyrchir y map hwn o Ddeunydd yr Ordnance Survey gyda chaniatâd yrOrdnance Survey ar ran Rheolwr Llyfrfa Ei Mawrhydi © Hawlfraint Y Goron.Mae atgynhyrchu heb ganiatâd yn torri hawlfraint y Goron a gall hyn arwain

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Travel by bus inDenbighshire &Flintshire and helpto reduce pollution!

The Passenger Transport Group,

Denbighshire County Council,

� 01824 706968www.denbighshire.gov.uk/highways

Flintshire County Council,

� 01352 704035www.flintshire.gov.uk

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Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

.Sculpturing the landscape

of the Clwydian Range

Deep seas, crumpled and fractured by

earthquakes; volcanoes erupting and hot ash

falling over the land and sea; tropical seas

teeming with life; huge deltas with swamps and

giant mosses; vast hot, red-stained, sandy deserts

with occasional flash floods washing life away

and, most recently, an encasement of vast ice

sheets sculptured the Clwydian Range.

These events and forces were operating as Walesmoved northward across the globe over manymillions of years, forming the variety of rock typesthat give the Clwydian Range its dramatic landscape.

Once upon a time…………….

Fire Ice


490 million years ago Ordovician PeriodFar in the southern hemisphere, North Wales wascovered by a deep sea. Animals like shellfish,squid-like creatures and strange - now extinct -tiny animals called graptolites drifted with thewater currents. Occasional volcanic eruptions, inwhat is now Snowdonia, spewed out hot ash intothe sea smothering many of the animals.

The oldest rocks and fossils in the ClwydianRange are from this time, many of which can beseen south of Llandegla.

420 million years agoSilurian PeriodThe deep-sea mud was inhabited by strange andwonderful animals; coral reefs, shellfish andcrinoids (sea lilies) with their numerous featheryfeeding arms, waving to filter food from thesurrounding water. The main spine of theClwydian Range, including Pen y Cloddiau, MoelArthur, Moel Famau and out to Dinas Bran, hasrocks that were once part of this deep sea mud.How do we know? One of the best ways to agerocks is to look for fossil Graptolites. Theseanimals evolved very rapidly and the changes intheir bodies can be used to date rocks. At theend of the 19th and the beginning of the 20thcentury, pioneering women geologists spent years⁄

Jacqui Malpas, Geodiversity Officer

�⁄Jacqui Malpas, Geodiversity

Officer for the Clwydian RangeAONB will be running events

throughout the year. For details visit

www.denbighshire.gov.uk/country side or email

[email protected]

working out the complex sequence of rocksin the Clwydian Range. Their professorconsidered the work ‘suitable andappropriate work for females and requiredgreat patience and perseverance’! Vascularplants (land plants with tissues that carryfood) are thought to have evolved during theSilurian Period. Some of the earliest fossilvascular plants were found in the 20thcentury by the same women geologists.

The Silurian and Ordovician rocks weresqueezed by Earth movements to form theslates that are still extracted at theHorseshoe Pass and other parts of NorthWales today.

350-290 million years agoCarboniferous PeriodDuring the early part of the Carboniferous,Wales had drifted to the tropics, south ofthe equator, and was covered by a shallow,warm tropical sea, teeming with bug-liketrilobites and shellfish. Over time the sea-level fell and vast rivers formed deltas alongthe coast with dunes which built up to formsandstones. Later, swamps and hugeforests grew on the deltas. Over time these

forests died becoming buried andcompacted forming Coal. The spectacular Eglwyseg Escarpmentabove Llangollen, Prestatyn Hillside, GraigFawr, Melidan and Moel Hiraddug wereformed during this period. In fact one of theabundant shellfish’s is named afterLlangollen.

200 million years agoPermian - Thiassic PeriodsWales was at the same latitude as NorthAfrica and the red sandstones of the Vale ofClwyd were deposited as a huge desert.The Denbigh Moors were pulled apart fromthe Clwydian Range leaving the Vale ofClwyd between them as a small rift valley,similar to the Great East African Rift Valley.The very steep-angled Vale of Clwyd Faultforms the western side of the ClwydianRange.

2 million years agoQuaternary PeriodGreat sheets of ice moved across Walesseveral times, carving the landscape. The

last glaciation, a thick ice sheet up to 1kilometre thick covered the area smoothingout the hills and gouging out cwms andvalleys. When the ice melted about 14,000years ago, it left behind boulders (erratics),sands, gravels and muds that form adistinctive landscape typified by the Wheeler Valley, thought to be formed from a river flowing under the ice.

Geological processes are still shaping theClwydian Range AONB, but very slowly.Although frost, snow and rain are acting on the landscape it is human beings thatare having the greatest impact. Geologyunderlies the special features of theClwydian Range and it must be managed to protect and enhance the landscape.

At the top of my ‘list of things to dobefore I’m forty’ was to abseil.

I’ve been visiting Loggerheads and Moel Famau since I was a child and now I take my children, dogs, wife, thegrandparents and occasionally visitors. Anyone who’s been there knows the amazing scenery, tranquillity andsense of space that you can get in both parks. So for a120ft abseiling experience, where better than the familiar, but scarily named, Devils Gorge near Loggerheads Country Park.

My severe lack of balance and being terrified of heightsdidn’t stop me. abseilUK.com, based at Loggerheads,organised the whole thing. I was impressed by theirconcern for safety, and needn’t have been nervous. Thescariest part was leaning backwards over the edge, withonly a 120ft drop between me and very hard ground - itwould probably be more than a bump if I fell!

“Gradually release yourself down on your rope” was thenext thing I heard from instructor Frank. (I’ll keep my initialresponse to that instruction out of this article!)

So, with the comforting thought that I was secured with asecond rope from the top, I lent back. Further and furtheruntil at about 80 degrees I was told to “step down overthe overhang”.

What seemed like a lifetime later I was over that hurdleand was, to my surprise, lowering myself easily down therope. I hardly needed my legs at all - which was greatbecause they were still shaking! I descended, relaxed alittle and began to enjoy the experience more and more. I could look away from the rock and moss in front of menow to the view of the surrounding caves and trees. Ididn't want the experience to end and my grin got biggerand bigger.

At the bottom I was greeted with a round of applause. Talk about an Adrenalin Rush!

As I was the organiser I’d had to go first, so I had thepleasure of watching my mates follow me down the cliff.There were six of us all together, all colleagues, andprofessionals with a determination to achieve somethingchallenging every couple of months. The rest of the teamlooked remarkably cool on their descents, but havingspoken to them afterwards, most of them confessed tobeing terrified too.

Psychologically we got a huge boost from the Abseilingexperience. Personally, I love the feeling of satisfactionwhen I’ve achieved something for the first time. I’m a greatbeliever in setting personal goals and keeping them inmind everyday. I'd been trying to organise the Abseil for18 months, and at times I thought it would never happen.It may take perseverance and careful planning, but it canand will happen with enough determination.

I'd certainly recommend abseiling to anyone

Visit www.abseilUK.com for details.

Abseiling in the Clwydian Range6 www.clwydianrangeaonb.org.uk

e

Andy Boardman, Wrexham

As I walked away from my car I felt like I was leaving more than just mycar behind - I was also turning my back, for a few hours at least, onall the hustle and bustle of life. Only a couple of miles away bumper to

bumper traffic and trolley to trolley supermarket queues add to the constantnoise that is the sound track to modern life.

Yards from the car park I already felt in another world. The low autumn lightcast long crisp shadows across the Vale of Clwyd giving all the fields andhedgerows, the trees and farm buildings an amazing sharpness and awonderful golden glow.

In the couple of hours spare this afternoon I decided to take the relativelyshort but strenuous walk to the Jubilee Tower at the top of Moel Famau, thehighest point of the Clwydian Range. I have walked this way many timesbefore but it continues to reveal something different to me each time I return.The light, the wind, sometimes the rain, all these things combine to giveMoel Famau its different flavours.

As I came to the top of the first hill I saw one of the Wardens, striding kneedeep through the heather towards the path. When he reached me, and thewell defined path that I was following, I noticed that his boots and thebottoms of his trousers were soaked and covered in heather seed. He washeading towards the summit so we walked part of the way together. Rhuntold me he was the Warden for the moorland and the adjacent forest andwas out that afternoon looking at recently cut areas of heather, looking atnew areas to burn.

That sounded a bit drastic to me, but apparently the wardens have to cut orburn a proportion of the heather every year to allow for new growth. Thisnew growth is good for the sheep (old woody heather is not as tempting!)and for the array of rare birds that nest in amongst the older heather but relyon young heather and bilberry for food.

I had seen the patchwork of cuts and burns in the heather before, but notregistered what it was. Rhun said somebody once reported it as the result ofUFO landings!

So, back to the rare birds that are being sowell-provided for here? Rhun told me mostof the work was carried out for red grouseand black grouse although other speciessuch as hen harrier and merlin also benefit.I assumed that grouse were bred forshooting and that surely we could just breedsome more and introduce them. Rhunexplained that they are wild birds thatdepend on the right conditions of themoorland and forest edge to breed, but that

those conditions are disappearing nationally taking the grouse with them.Traditionally a lot of time and expense was put into making sure these


I thought I knew

Moel Famau

conditions were right by the game keepers of the large Victorian estates butas these efforts reduced so did the grouse numbers. At the end of the 20thcentury the Grouse were almost extinct in Wales. Rhun pointed out more of the management work as we walked towards theJubilee Tower. The long line of tall conifer trees that mark the edge of theforest had been pruned. All the lower branches were removed making it easierfor the birds to move freely between the forest and the moorland. Large areasof the forest had also been completely cleared to extend the moorland areasinto the conifer plantation. A series of large holes had been recently dug tocollect rain water, to act as ‘watering holes’ for the birds and encourage thegrowth of wetland plants like cotton grass (grouse food).

The path became steeper as we got closer to the summit. Stopping to catchour breath we took advantage of the view. Ruthin far below and the Llantysilioand Berwyn Mountains in the distance appeared very close in the sharpautumn light. Either side, two imposing Iron Age Hillforts, Moel y Gaer andFoel Fenlli, framed the scene, with the steep ditches and banks of the fortramparts almost glowing in the low afternoon light.

Behind us were five huge round bales perched on the edge of the slope.They were gathered as part of the heather cutting work. Talk aboutsustainability! - These bales were being used by Rhun and the volunteers torepair the side of the path, covering the erosion and reducing the path width.What a fantastic idea! Rhun showed me where they had used the thick mat ofheather further up the path. It had reduced the width of the path by over halfand on closer inspection I could see the young seedlings beginning to takeroot. It looked like hard work but the effect was really impressive.We reached the summit and Rhun went onto the forest path. From the JubileeTower I looked back along the ridge I had walked. I was looking at a differentview than ever before. Rhun had given me a story of the mountain. I wasn’tseeing the rugged wilderness I had always taken for granted - but a veryfragile landscape, intensively managed and cared for. I never imagined thatsome of Wales’ rarest birds and plants live here.

To visit Moel Famau Country Park follow the signs on the A494 (Mold - Ruthin) road. Leaflets are available fromwww.denbighshire.gov.uk/countryside or from Loggerheads Country Park.

Thomas Middleton, Mold

Exploring the Offa’s Dyke Path is e

It was going to be a good day. I could feel it.The anticipation of a long walk, with

panoramic views and a fine forecast alwaysgets the blood pumping a little faster.I had promised sometime ago to take Glyn,my non-walking (but keen) buddy, on anOffa’s Dyke Path ‘epic’ when the weatherimproved (the plan was hatched on a darkwinter evening in the local).

So here we were, in a lay-by in Bodfari, in thenorth of the Clwydian Range, kitted up for thechallenge ahead, having been depositedthere by a bus 5 minutes ago. This was goingto be a linear walk, south along the Offa’sDyke Path, crossing some of the best (andhighest), bits of Clwydian Range. This part ofthe Path doesn’t follow the original earthwork(built by the English king, Offa, in around790AD to keep the Welsh at bay). Theearthwork construction ends West ofWrexham and Chirk, but the Path continuesfollowing the best views. Our time challengewas six hours to complete our walk and meetthe Clwydian Ranger bus at the Clwyd Gate

for a lift back to the car at Loggerheads. Itshould be plenty of time to complete ourchosen section of the Path, a National Trailthat runs a total of 171 miles along theborder of England and Wales from Prestatynto Chepstow. I’m told that over 5000 peopleevery year walk the whole thing.

‘So where do we go?’ asked Glyn, lookingaround the lay-by. ‘Find the acorns’ I said.Glyn soon cottoned on. Over his shoulderwas a wooden waymarker arrow with a greendisc and white acorn symbol. We just followthe acorns, the logo of the National Trail. Wecan’t get lost because it’s really wellwaymarked.’ We crossed a footbridge overthe River Wheeler and began to climb the hillto Moel y Parc. We were soon on soft grass,surrounded by bracken and sheep and after15 minutes were rewarded with great viewsof the Vale of Clwyd and the Town ofDenbigh.

Closing a gate behind us, we started on thesteady climb over open farmland to the


easier than you might think

summit of Pen y Cloddiau, one of four IronAge hillforts on this part of the Range. It wasamazing to think that people lived up here,2500 years ago, in little round hutssurrounded by large ramparts. It was goodto see measures in place to protect theremains. A stone filled frame protects thisancient monument from the countless feetthat cross the ramparts.

The Path now descends through LlangwyfanForest, a coniferous plantation owned byForestry Commission Wales. It looked likethere had been a large fire there recently butamazingly the bracken, heather and otherplants were coming up through the blackenedsurface. I hoped it wasn’t a carelesslydiscarded walker’s cigarette that started it. Weentered the shade of the woods. The sunsent arrows of light through the treesilluminating the path and our acorns. What acontrast to the open tops of Pen y Cloddiau.

We crossed Star crossing, an old Droversroad (one of the routes over the Range used

by drovers to take animals to market in theeast) and climbed a stile into Moel FamauCountry Park. I was surprised that the Parkextended this far north (it was still 3 miles toMoel Famau) and very different to thecountry park further south. A short, sharpclimb put us on the top of Moel Arthur,another Iron Age hillfort. You could definitelysee why they chose this location for ahillfort - steep drops on three sides andexcellent views in all directions. The Offa’sDyke Path skirts around Moel Arthur but itis really worth the detour to the top. Glynand I could clearly see Snowdonia in thedistance as we looked over the Vale.

Dropping down from Moel Arthur webraved another steep climb to the top ofMoel Llys y Coed where a feeling of beingon top of the world washed over us. It wasvery open country, with heather moorlandahead for as far as we could see. Reachingthe summit of Moel Famau, the highestpoint of the Clwydian Range, we stood onthe remains of the Jubilee Tower (originally a180ft tower built to commemorate the 50years of George III reign) and ate our lunch.Snowdonia, Cader Idris and even theCatholic cathedral in Liverpool were easy topick out. What a great reward for our efforts.Through the patchwork of cut heather (to

improve the habitat for Black Grouse) wecould see the next stage of Offa’s DykePath with families, couples and hardenedwalkers making the steady climb up fromthe main car park up to the Jubilee Tower.

The main car park at Bwlch Pen Barraswas not the end of our journey. Anothersteep climb to, you’ve guessed it, anotherhillfort, brought us onto a path sweepingaround the steep ramparts of Moel Fenlli.South of Fenlli, we left the bustle behind,and were greeted by a very pleasantdescent over green farmland around MoelEithinen to the Clwyd Gate. The path leadsalong the busy A494 Mold - Ruthin road tothe Clwyd Gate, our final destination. Withforty minutes spare, before the bus arrived,we enjoyed a well earned drink. Althoughtired, Glyn had a huge satisfied smile on hisface, and we agreed - it had been a goodday, following acorns!

For more information about walking theOffa’s Dyke National Trail, including mapsand guide books, visit the CountrysideCentre at Loggerheads Country Park �01352 810586 (weekends & holidays) and01352 810614 (office hours off season).www.nationaltrail.co.uk

Rhys Huws,Sychdyn

Alarge part of the Clwydian Range iscovered by stunning heathermoorland. The remote hillsides and

peaks are largely uninhabited, even today,but 2000 years or so ago, large familygroups lived in simple roundhouses withinimpressive fortified hillforts on many of thewildest summits.

The Countryside Service and our partnershave been working to develop a Heather

and Hillfort project. This will, hopefully, bring£1.5 million into the area, to protect andraise awareness of these amazing hillfortsand the stunning heather landscape. Taking a lesson from Channel 4’s ‘TimeTeam’, this summer, we decided to invitearchaeologists and members of the public

onto three hillforts to ‘do some virtualdigging’ to uncover details of the hillfortscovered by the earth.

The technical term for what we were doingis Geophysical Surveying. There are severaldifferent methods of geophysicaltechniques, all of which allow us to get a‘picture’ of what is below the groundwithout having to dig the site up. At thehillforts two techniques were used.


What lies beneArchaeological secrets unearthed

Resistivity Survey measures the resistancein the ground, the drier the ground themore resistance, and Magnetometry whichmeasures the magnetic properties of theground. This technique particularlyidentifies burnt areas and metal but theoperator has to make sure they aren’twearing anything with metal in (even metaleyes on shoes or glasses frames!)

We looked at two Iron Age hillforts in theClwydian Range; Moel Fenlli and Pen yCloddiau and Caer Drewyn hillfort inCorwen. The 40 strong group, aged from13 to 70, were led by professionalarchaeologists. Each day started withbriefing followed by 3 hours surveying insome of the wettest and windiest weatherever! Finally we returned to our warm baseand over tea the experts downloaded ourfindings onto the computer and we wereable to see the results of our work andtake copies home.

Foel Fenlli - ©’d to the RoyalCommission for Ancient and HistoricMonuments of Wales.

We took a group up Moel Fenlli to recordthe surface structure and find out the extentof the Bronze Age Barrow beneath thesurface.

“We found out that the barrow extendsfurther than it looks on the surface. Theweather was cold and very windy but westill succeeded in our task.” JonathanTipping.

“For all archaeology buffs, Channel 4’sTime Team programme is addictive viewing.However, when presented with a chance tobecome involved with the real thing, it’s anopportunity not to be missed!… we eagerlyenrolled for a place on the investigation …and were not disappointed.” PaulineEmery and Graham Humphreys, Pen yCloddiau.

"At the end of the morning we had a threedimensional map of our part of the fort.After lunch we swapped over to do

geophysics. It was fun, and quick to do,everyone had a go with hardly anymistakes… we were all proud of what weachieved, since for most of us it was ourfirst time doing any sort of surveying work.”Sioned & Owen Petrie, Caer Drewyn.

“The biggest thing that sticks out about thatday was the wind, but it was also great funand informative - I like walking, and Ilearned a lot about geophysics that I didn’tknow. And there was a nice view.” PhillipSkippon, on work experience at CaerDrewyn.

The events were a great success and theresults formed part of the applicationwhich was submitted to the HeritageLottery Fund in January 2007. If this issuccessful we hope to run more of theseactivities so watch this space…………….

For more information, or to follow theprogression of the bid visitwww.denbighshire.gov.uk/countryside.

www.ccw.gov.ukFor information on the Wales’ Countryside including, new access land and thecountryside code please visit the Countryside Council for Wales on

Helen Mrowiec, Project Officer

eath?


Woodland walk, relaxing river side,breathtaking views from the limestonecliffs and a wealth of history and wildlife.

�Fun for all�Interactive Countryside Centre�Discovery Trails�Café and Outdoor Shop

LoggerheadsCOUNTRY PARK

�Fantastic walking routes for all�Plenty of parking�Wonderful views�Flat surfaced access for all trails �East access to the Offa’s Dyke

National Trail

Visit www.denbighshire.gov.uk/countryside for a downloadable leaflet or ring 01352 810614

www.forestry.gov.uk

Moel Famau Country Park and Coed Moel Famau

01352 [email protected]

Hotels, B & B’s and Self-catering accommodation

Places to visit and things to do in

www.rhyl-prestatyn.co.uk

www.borderlands.co.uk

For local accommodation, things to see and things to do.

Visiting the heart of the Clwydian RangeAONB Loggerheads and Moel Famau

www.loggerheads-wales.co.uk

www.ridetheclwyds.com

� Mountain bike routes for all abilities� Downloadable maps� Bike specific facilities� 3D ‘fly-throughs’� Accommodation� News and events

Autumn is my favourite season for walking. Thedramatic colours and that crisp freshness of theautumn air. However the thought of a peaceful picnic

during my ramble no longer inspires me as it did in thesummer months. A welcoming pub, a real fire, a good pintand some warm comforting food after my effort is moreenticing. The villages, within and surrounding, the ClwydianRange Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty offer a wonderfulchoice of pubs to compliment a walk.

Here's a taste of two local pubs and a walk to work up thatappetite!

This walk is an exhilarating 6 miles in the north of the ClwydianRange, with breathtaking contrasting views of coast, sea,estuary, towns, hills and mountains. The route links the twoancient and picturesque settlements of Gwaenysgor andLlanasa, home to characterful country inns. Along the way youcan see wonders such as a distant lighthouse, a wind farm, anElizabethan mansion and a 17th century Dovecote.

One of the highlights of the walk is the easy climb to theancient summit cairn on Gop Hill. Gop cairn is the secondlargest prehistoric mound in Britain (14 metres high and 100metres wide). The mysteries of Gop Hill are a source offascination and conjecture to archaeologists and historiansalike. The site has even been rumoured to be the burial placeof Queen Boadicea. What is known for certain is that in 1886the skeletal remains of fourteen humans from the Neolithic andearly Bronze Age were found in the caves below the summit.

No human remains were found in the actual cairn so it ispossible that it was erected by early people as a memorial tothose buried below. It has also been suggested that the cairnmay have been used as a signalling station or beacon by theRomans during their occupation of this area in the first centuryA.D, although there is no direct evidence of this. Whatever thetruth may be, Gop Hill is a fascinating place, tantalising andenigmatic.

The starting and finishing point of this walk, the ancient village ofGwaenysgor, is mentioned in the Domesday book and has a12th century church with a tiny lepers' window. The church hasthe only unbroken parish records in Wales, dating from 1538.

At one time there were three pubs in the village but alas onlyone remains as a hostelry. The Eagle & Child Inn was initiallybuilt in the early 19th century as a farmhouse but has beenlisted as an inn since 1851 in census returns. The inn takes itsname from the legend of a medieval nobleman who persuadedhis wife to adopt his illegitimate child, alleging it had been foundin an eagle's nest on his estate.

In the early days it consisted of one little bar with a small fire,linoleum floor and outside lavatory. But things have moved on,not only has the pub been extended in recent decades toinclude a dining room, but it has also added an award winningbeer gardens. It is now a popular destination for lunch ordinner, with an impressive flora display of hanging basketsoutside in the summer months, and a warm comfortable interiorfor the rest of the year. For further information on opening timesor to make a table reservations ring 01745 856391

3 miles of breathtaking scenery rewarded with a pint

Pete Lewis and Lorna Jenner

Autumn Fresh

3 miles of breathtaking scenery rewarded with a pint

Gwaenysgor - Llanasa circuitDistance: 9.6 km/6 miles (with short cut 7km/4.4 miles)Time: 3 - 3.5 hrsParking and start: Gwaenysgor view point car park (SJ 075 819) to the north of Gwaenysgor village oralternatively Llanasa (SJ 106 814).Grade: Moderate, many stiles, small ascents/descentsPubs: The Eagle & Child, Gwaenysgor

The Red Lion, Llanasa.

The Walk1. From Gwaenysgor car park, turn L and descend 200mdown road. At sharp L bend turn R onto path alongwoodland edge. Cross stile into field and follow LHboundary for 20m then cross stile. Follow LH field edgeuphill. Turn R in corner and then L over stile. Continuehalf-L across field and over stile. Continue across field withtransmitter on R. Cross stile and go half-L across arablefield to cross stile onto track.

2. Cross track and climb over stile into field opposite. Bear L across field and follow LH boundary besidewoodland. Cross stile and continue across next field.Cross 2 stiles close together at woodland edge and crossfield ahead. Cross next stile' and follow narrow pathskirting overgrown pond on R.

'For a short cut, omitting Llanasa, turn R before stile andfollow fence past overgrown pond on L. Then cross stileon L and follow way markers downhill across fields to road.

3. At path junction turn R, ignoring stile ahead. Continuealong this path, bearing L beyond pond and follow forapprox 1.4km (can be muddy). Turn R onto wide trackand follow for 600m to road. At road turn R, passing17thC Henblas Hall on L, and continue to road junction incentre of Llanasa.

The historic village of Llanasa lies cradled in a fold of hills450 feet above sea level, a perfect example of a smallWelsh community virtually untouched by the passage of

Circular Walk (This walk is included in Rural Walks in Flintshire. You can Pick up a copy from Loggerheads Countryside Centre.)


Autumn Fresh

time. Llanasa means "church of Asa" and is believed to havebeen founded in the sixth century when Asaph, the secondbishop of what is now St Asaph, built a church there. Thepresent church, which has an unusual old bell cote with a singlebell, dates to the late 15th and early 16th century. Its mostremarkable feature is the magnificent stained glass contained inthe two large east windows, originally from Basingwerk Abbey.The village is full of other historic buildings including a fine 17thcentury hall, tithe barn cottages and former Victorian school.

The village inn is also well worth a visit. The 17th century RedLion Country Inn is a welcoming place to take refreshmentsduring or after your walk. Its spacious interior contains 2 barsand a separate dining room. A cosy ambience is created byreal fires in the stone fireplaces. It is very much a family runbusiness that prides itself on good Real Ales, as well as anextensive menu of delicious bar meals and main courses usingthe freshest local ingredients. The menu includes vegetarian andchildren’s options. Booking is advisable at weekends Tel. 01745854291. If you fancy staying longer there are 5 ensuite roomsthat are Welsh Tourist Board 3 star rated.

4. Turn R in front of Red Lion, signed Gwaenysgor/Trelawnyd,passing village pump and pond. Continue along road for 1.5km,passing lane on LHS and entrance to Talfryn Farm. At next roadjunction turn L. Where the lane bends L cross stile on R markedGop Hill. Continue ahead up field and cross stile. Ignore firstKG & stone stile on R heading into wood. Continue ahead tocross KG/stone stile in corner signed Gop Hill, ignoring moreobvious KG/stile in front.

5. Follow permissive path (white arrow) bearing L alongwoodland edge. Path soon rises gently through wood, beforerejoining boundary. (Snowdonia visible westwards). Continuealong wood edge, soon swinging half-R thro' trees and followpath across summit cairn on Gop Hill (wide views).

Return down path and, after a few metres, drop down R to gothro' KG. Head diagonally L to descend slope. After 50m turnR to rocky outcrop with cave below. After visiting the caveretrace your steps and descend to faint green track across mid-slopes of Gop Hill. Follow this track R passing above farmbuildings and stone dovecote, before swinging R to cross stileat bottom of wood. Go ahead over another stile, then downmiddle of large field, bearing L towards road, passing telegraphpole, to cross stile ahead. Cross next field and stile in corneronto road.

6. Follow road R into Gwaenysgor. (NB Busy Road!) Continue onroad uphill out of village back to the car park.

Circ

ular

Wal

k

Our native honeybee(Apis Mellifera Mellifera)has lived in the British

Isles for the last ten thousandyears. Many Colonies weredestroyed in the early twentiethcentury by a disease known asthe Isle of Wight Disease (fromthe outbreak location).Importation of bees, to increasehoney production, had beganfifty years earlier and to makeup for these losses, peoplebegan importing even largernumbers from other countries;in particular Italy and EasternEurope.

A tiny parasitic mite called‘Varroa Destructor’ is the mostprolific killer of our bees.Discovered in Devon in 1992,this mite has now spread acrossEngland and Wales, causingwidespread colony losses.

Many researchers believed thenative honeybee to be extinct,but it has been shown to stillexist in isolated pockets inWales, Yorkshire and particularlyin Ireland.

Our native bee has distinctcharacteristics, in particular itscolour. Although beingdescribed as black, it is in fact adark leathery brown. It is wellsuited to our climate, able tosurvive long cold winters. Thebees also have an affinity to thenatural habitat of heathermoorland, widespread acrossthe Clwydian Range.

I am among many people in Britain and Ireland who are hopingto breed these black bees to ensure the survival of the species,and to reintroduce it into areas where it has disappeared. Forthree years I have been keeping hives of native black bees inMoel Famau Forest, within the Clwydian Range AONB.

It hasn’t been easy! One of the obstacles to raising pure bred

honeybees is the matingbehaviour of the queen bee.Mating takes place in the air,and the queen can mate witharound fifteen drones (malebees) some of which may haveflown 8 miles from their originalcolonies. Because of this, mostmating results in crossbreeding. Unfortunately thismeans that pure bred queensare not produced, and thatundesirable characteristics,such as aggressive behaviour,can emerge.

There are two ways that wecan avoid this cross breeding;artificial insemination, which isexpensive and technical, or thesetting up of mating colonies inisolated regions away fromnon-native colonies. Becausewe are a relatively small scaleoperation it is not cost-effectiveto use the first method. Localbeekeepers in Denbighshiredecided to use an isolated siteon the Denbigh Moors for amore controlled mating. Webring hives onto the site fromMay to August to providesuitable drones, in sufficientnumbers, to enable queens tobe produced which have littleor no cross-breeding. Ourproject enables otherbeekeepers in the area to useour queen bees, to furtherstrengthen the native colonies.

Eventually we hope that theintroduction of new bloodstockinto the local bee populationwill lead to the re-establishment

of our native honeybee throughout the Clwydian Range and theVale of Clwyd.

‘Moel Famau honey’ from the Clwydian Range AONB isavailable to buy from Loggerheads Countryside Centre, ordirect from Geoff at the Celyn Farmers’ Markets in Northopand Mold (www.celynfarmersmarket.co.uk).

The return of the

NativeHoneybee

Back where they Bee..long!

Geoff Critchley, Chairman of South ClwydBeekeepers Association


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