Walk Two Directions – Woods, Buffalo and Hill Forts Halkyn Mountain is about 300m years-old and was formed by being squashed between two ice

sheets. It has been occupied since Neolithic times and supports a variety of wildlife habitats.

This circular walk is just 3.5 miles but it takes in the most diverse range of habitat we have on Halkyn Mountain and is especially attractive to the budding birdwatcher. This walk is situated on the side of

Halkyn Mountain and drops down to Midlist Farm and then slowly climbs up to the Hill Fort at Moel-y-Gaer covering a climb of roughly 100m and then back to the Blue Bell Inn taking in 9 stiles, a kissing gate

and something of a climb!

Built in the mid 1700s at the crossroads of two old coaching routes, the Blue Bell Inn is purportedly named after a local privateer’s boat the Blue Bell. Legend has it that he was later caught and hanged for his piracy

and is thought to be buried a few hundred yards away in the cemetery next to Halkyn Castle.

Leave the Blue Bell Inn car park and turn left and stay on the footpath on your left and walk down the hill note: Spring Sandwort in abundance & the sea fossils in the walls & rocks. Ignore the road junction on your left and you will arrive opposite a stile on the other side of the road. Taking care to cross the road, cross over the stile in to the field and follow the fence line on your left, down the field until you come to an old kissing gate. Go through the gate and follow the path down through the woods (passing through a large group of rhododendrons). Cross the next stile and into an open field, pause here for the views of Flint, Dee Estuary, Mersey, Beeston Castle and the Pennines.

Head across the field to the house on the left and you will find another stile. Cross over the stile on to a lane, turn right and follow the tarmac track. Shortly you will reach a cattle grid on your right, cross over and walk up the concrete path towards Midlist Farm. The pond to the right is a haven for winter birds. If you get a chance, do call in at Midlist Farm to pick up some of their wonderful grass fed Buffalo, Pork or Lamb. Ring Midlist Farm on 01352-781695 to place your order.

Climb the concrete road and where it turns left leave it and continue up the hill, (if you are collecting meat stay on the concrete road to the top and call in at Midlist Farm then go through the farm, over the small cattle grid and turn right and walk past the pond on your left to rejoin the route at ►). You will pass a small copse on your right and you will eventually come to another stile, take care over this as it is old and there are loose rocks.

Cross the next field following the telegraph poles and you will come to a metal stile. Staying on the line of the hedge to the right, you will cross another metal stile and come to a third stile. Cross this stile and head for the pond on your left ►. You will arrive at a small stone footbridge crossing a ditch, turn right here. You will come to a converted chapel on the right and when you do, take the track opposite on the left. Walk up this track passing some houses on the right.

Please take care to respect the privacy of the occupiers of these houses but do take time to look at the first small single storey cottage on the right, it was a toll house, you are on one of the old coaching routes!

Carry on up the track and take one of the paths off to your left across the common and through the gorse. Stay on the common on the left of the road passing a long dry-stone wall on your left. When you arrive at the path on the left hand side of the road you will pass Rhos Helyg School.

After the school you will come to a Bus Stop, cross over the road here (take care of traffic) and head up towards the hill fort, passing Delfryn House on you right, then walk towards the farm house ahead and up on your left. Take the unmade track that passes to the right of the farm house and

continue up this path in more-or-less a straight line. When you come to a small disused quarry veer right and climb up to the ramparts of the Hill Fort of the 1,000 foot Moel-y-Gaer. When you reach the top follow the dyke around to your left and take time to enjoy the view. This impressive hill fort is at least 4,500 years old giving stunning 360o 70mile+ N Wales & NW England views.

Continue around past a rectangular mound on your right (it’s a reservoir serving the local community). When you are almost all the way around the hill fort look out for a path (not the first path on your left) which leads downwards. When you are more-or-less opposite the twin masts in the distance, head down towards a small group of houses.

You will cross a ditch arriving at the end of a lane. Follow the lane along passing Hawthorne Cottage and eventually Riverview. When you arrive at Riverview the track takes a right turn, don’t take this but head across the common, between two telegraph poles. Carry on through the common between the gorse and passing behind the large house on your left, known as The Barracks. In 1868 the Barracks (to the left) was used to house 28 miners Monday to Friday at 3d a week. They were from Derbyshire & Cornwall and worked the local lead mines.

Turn left passing the Obelisk and seat, continue on and then carefully cross the quarry entrance and continue on the path down the road passing Bryn Helyg and the capped Lewis Shaft on the opposite side, eventually returning to the Blue Bell Inn.

Notes: • As with all our walks, key landmarks are shown in italicised bold and items of interest are shown in

italics. • Please keep dogs on a short lead at all times. • Wear good quality shoes or boots & keep to recognised paths & tracks. • Follow the Countryside Code. • Take particular care near old mine workings. The mountain is covered with old, deep & vertical mine

shafts in various stages of repair. Report re-opened shafts to the Grosvenor Estate Office 01244 684400.

Copies of this walk & the countryside code are available from the Blue Bell Inn and its web site where you can also get a route map to find us. Leaflet developed by the Countryside Council for Wales and the Blue Bell Inn, Halkyn Rhosesmor Road, Halkyn, Flintshire. Email:Steve@BlueBell.uk.eu.org. 01352-780309. Ordnance Survey Map Reference: 320908E 370275N (N53:13:25 W3:11:10). O S Map Reference SJ209702 Landranger Grid.

Please let us know using the contact information above about any errors or omissions you feel we need to address before we fully produce this walk leaflet. Walk Two, Version 0.1 Draft.

Walk Two Bird List – Woods, Buffalo and Hill Forts This is the bird list for the Blue Bell Inn’s Second Walk – Woods, Buffalo and Hill Forts. Like all of our bird lists, it is a list of those birds you are most likely to see. While this walk is one of our shortest it probably has the greatest mix of birds and so the birdwatcher and even fledgling birdwatcher should have great fun listening, looking and watching. If you are lucky you may see some unexpected migrants as we are a great stop-over point for many rare and exciting birds.

The lists are divided into three sections covering the birds you will see all year around, those in the winter and those in the summer.

If you would like a fuller description of the birds in the list and you are on-line (there is free wireless internet at the Blue Bell Inn) click on the bird identifier link kindly provided by the RSPB.

Year Round Visitors Blackbird, Black-Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bull Finch, Buzzard, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Crow, Dunnock, Gold Finch, Goldcrest, Goshawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Finch, Green Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Hen Harrier, Heron f/o*, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Kite (Red), Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Little Owl, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan f/o, Nuthatch, Peregrine Falcon f/o, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Red-Legged Partridge, Robin, Rook, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Tawny Owl, Treecreeper, Various Geese f/o, Wood Pigeon, Woodcock, Wren.

Summer Visitors Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Cuckoo, Garden Warbler, House Martin, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Redstart, Skylark, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Wheatear, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Wood Warbler, Yellowhammer.

Winter Visitors Canada Goose, Coot, Curlew, Fieldfare, Great Crested Grebe, Greylag Goose, Hobby f/o, Lapwing, Little Crested Grebe, Merlin, Moorhen, Oystercatcher f/o, Redwing, Siskin, Snipe, Starling, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wigeon.

* f/o = fly overhead.