The turn of the year is a great time for wrapping up warm and getting outdoors – and what better than a walk with a pub at the end?
When it comes to family-friendly walks in Wales, there’s a clear winner, according to outdoor experts at Millets. By looking at routes that are accessible and have pubs nearby, the company picked a circular walk near Llangollen, Denbighshire.
At 14.5km (nine miles), this is not a short trek. But it packs a lot in and the area is not short of welcoming pubs. By including ratings and reviews, Millets assessed the route as “almost perfect” – comfortably ahead of the country’s next best family-friendly walk listed by All Trails, a 6.8km circular trail near Rhosilli, Swansea.
Of its winner, the company said: “The trail offers scenic paths, good views, and historic sites, taking walkers from Trevor to Llangollen via Trevor Hallwood and Castell Dinas Bran. Reviews celebrate views of castles and Welsh wildlife. You can also stop at pubs such as The Corn Mill, Sun Trevor and the Bull Inn for refreshments or to warm up on this walk.”
Two other North Wales walks made the top five. In third spot was the Belgian Promenade at Menai Bridge, Anglesey. This two-mile out-and-back trail offers beautiful views of the Menai Strai, taking walkers to Church Island. En route are the Bridge Inn and the Anglesey Arms.
In fifth spot was five-mile Glasfryn and Gwysaney Circular in Flintshire. Starting from the Glasfryn pub in Mold, it passes through the beautiful Gwysaney Estate before descending into Soughton and heading back.
Described below is a longer trek above Llangollen, again starting from Trevor. With snow possible in the coming week, this route could be even more spectacular.
Even without snow and ice, this is a challenging route and with temperatures expected to plunge, proper equipment is needed. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
The scalloped edges of the majestic Eglwyseg limestone escarpment
(Image: Geir Hval (www.MacWhale.eu)/Wiki)
Trevor to World’s End clifftop circular
The mountains here may be smaller and less dramatic. But for top-of-the-world views, the Clwydian hills stand comparison with those of Eryri (Snowdonia). Not for nothing is the area regarded by walkers as one of the best-kept secrets in North Wales.
Routes abound but for tried-and-tested walking, you can’t go far wrong with a circular hike around one of the most impressive rock formations in Wales. It’s not short – but everywhere there are breathtaking vistas from and of the Eglwyseg Escarpment.
It takes you to World’s End, a narrow cliff-enclosed valley with a river ford that’s long been popular with walkers, cyclists and bikers. Along the way, you can look down on the medieval hill castle of Dinas Brân, hike a section of Offa’s Dyke and perhaps divert to a giant stone cross that serves as a war-time memorial
A walker familiar with the route is Wrexham’s Arron Gary Coe, a trail guide who helps run the Love Wales page on Facebook. “What makes this walk so good is you can stick to the same path both ways and the views are totally different,” he said.
At this time of year, snow and ice is a distinct possibility, so it pays to be well-prepared. An ideal time to visit is in autumn when the plateau above the escarpment is coloured red and purple by heather.
The circular walk detailed below is around 10 miles and will take around six hours, depending on stops and conditions. It’s possible to start from World’s End but parking there is much sparser.
Route of the circular walk from Trevor Rocks to World’s End along the Eglwyseg escarpment
(Image: Google)
1. Starting point and the escarpment
Off-road parking is possible at a few points along Panorama Walk road. The largest and handiest for this walk is near Trevor Rocks – no one knows if he does or doesn’t (it’s an old joke). The WhatThreeWords location for the car park is ///tangent.scribble.transmits.
Panorama Walk can be accessed from the A539 Ruabon-Llangollen road either via Tower Hill in Acrefair, or Garth Road, Trevor.
From the car park, turn left back up Panorama Walk and, when the road bends right, pick up the footpath to the left. This leads up to the top of the escarpment with views down to Castell Dinas Bran, Llangollen and the Dee Valley.
Sights along the way include Castell Dinas Bran
(Image: Arron Gary Coe)
The Eglwyseg limestone cliffs run for around 4.5 miles (7.2km) and the route follows their curves. In the past, the cliffs were quarried for building stone, with kilns built to process limestone to lime.
Parts of the escarpment rejoice in names like Craig y Cythraul (Devil’s Rock) and Tair Naid y Gath (the Three Leaps of the Cat). It’s a SSSI conservation area that’s one of only three sites where the Welsh Hawkweed has been recorded. Also present here are rare ferns such as Limestone Oak and Rigid Buckler.
A walk along the top of the scalloped escarpment winds around headlands, either side of which streams flow. On the plateau above are barrows, cairns and kerb circles, all evidence of early Bronze Age occupation. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
The cliffs are popular with rock climbers
(Image: Arron Gary Coe)
2. Rock climbing, bomb craters and giant stone cross
At the far end of the escarpment is Craig Arthur (Arthur’s Rock). Some 800 rock climbing routes line the area’s cliffs but the huge rampart of Craig Arthur offers the finest tests.
At around 40m it’s the tallest of all the cliffs along the escarpment. For climbers, it’s a crag of national importance, offering spectacular views. For mountain rescue teams, it’s a regular site for call-outs.
From here, the route tracks alongside and then around woodland below the escarpment. It’s possible to drop down to World’s End through trees, but the main route continues around them down to the Minera moorland road.
The Airmen’s Monument above World’s End
(Image: Arron Gary Coe)
At the head of the World’s End valley, you can make a triangular diversion to the Airmen’s Monument, if you have the legs: it’s another 0.5km uphill. The monument is a large cross made from stones that commemorates the WWII pilots who died on Ruabon Moors.
In amongst the heather and bilberry are huge craters resulting from a spot of wartime subterfuge. As German bombers headed to Liverpool, Acrefair and Rhydymwyn, fires would be lit on the moors to mimic a heavily populated area. The craters bear testimony to the ploy’s success.
One recent visitor said: “Wales is sometimes called God’s country. Take a walk up to the Airman’s Grave, sit down and take in the views – very soon you will know why they call it this.”
The ford and ‘stepping stones’ at World’s End (Dyffryn Eglwyseg)
(Image: Llywelyn2000/Wiki)
3. World’s End and its mines
When the route hits Tarmac, turn left back down the road to World’s End. Many hillside streams in the area have been culverted but the one at World’s End hasn’t: cars need to ford the stream here, blocks of stones helping to prevent accidents when the water is in full spate. They double as stepping stones.
The landscape here is natural, picturesque and largely wooded, with some nice footpaths to explore. At the head of the World’s End Valley are the cliffs of Craig y Forwyn, where a lead and silver mine operated in the mid 19th century.
On the opposite side was the short-lived Pant Glas slate quarry. Here, in 1886, some 1,000 tons of overhanging rock collapsed, killing three men. The quarry closed six years later.
From the stream ford, continue down the road a short distance to a kissing gate on the left. This takes you along Offa’s Dyke.
On the moors above World’s End
(Image: Arron Gary Coe)
4. Offa’s Dyke viewpoint and the Eglwyseg valley
Offa’s Dyke continues through woods to emerge back under the escarpment. Further along is an official viewpoint beneath Craig Arthur, giving more superb views of Eglwyseg valley across to the Horseshoe Pass.
Earth terraces line parts of the valley once used for arable farming. Historically, much of the land was owned by farming families and not by powerful estate landlords. In his 1778 book A Tour in Wales, Thomas Pennant alluded to this when describing the valley.
He wrote: “Long and narrow, bounded on the right by astonishing precipices, divided into numberless parallel strata of white limestone, often giving birth to vast yew-trees… this valley is chiefly inhabited (happily) by an independent race of warm and wealthy yeomanry, undevoured as yet by the great men of the country.”
Stained glass window depicting 7th century St Collen and his sword at St Collen parish church, Llangollen
(Image: Wolfgang Sauber/Wiki)
A medieval church has disappeared from the landscape below and a 19th century nonconformist chapel lies in ruins. It’s this area that gave rise to the legend of St Collen, the former Glastonbury abbot who gave Llangollen its name.
Having settled here, he was said to have killed a flesh-eating giantess called Cares y Bwlch, who roamed the hills around the Horseshoe Pass. His success came after Arthur, another giant living on the Eglwyseg Rocks, ignored her call for help.
After slaying the giantess, Collen washed his bloody sword in a nearby spring, later called St Collen’s Well. It’s famed for its ability to cure warts.
The Panorama Walk is an idyllic route with only the occasional passing car
(Image: Arron Gary Coe)
5. Final leg
As Offa’s Dyke Path winds down scree slopes, it eventually links to Panorama Walk. From here it’s a straight walk back to the car park, edging slightly uphill.
This is a rewarding walk but not for the faint-hearted. However there are scores of paths and tracks in the area if the route needs to be abridged.
“Beautiful up there, amazing views wherever you look,” said one reviewer this summer. Another added: “Well worth the view at the top! If you haven’t done it, what are you waiting for?”
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