Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Buses head to/from Rhyl (11G; one hour), Prestatyn (11G; 40 minutes), Mold (126; 24
minutes), Flint (11/20; 14 minutes) and Chester (11; one hour).
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Clwydian Range
Designated an Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB), the 62-sq-mile Clwydian
Range stretches from the coast at Prestatyn to within 10 miles of Llangollen. Most walk-
ers rush past the Clwydian Range in their haste to get to Snowdonia, and while it's lesser
known, it's a no less attractive an area for family walking and more strenuous hiking. The
waymarked paths are easily accessed from Ruthin, Mold and Prestatyn, with some of the
day walks criss-crossing the Offa's Dyke Path national trail.
As many as 500 wild goats live in these hills, putting on an impressive show when they
lock horns during the autumn rut. The range's highest point is Moel Famau (554m),
marked by the ruined Jubilee Tower which was built in 1810 for the 50th jubilee of King
George III. The original monument, a 35m obelisk, was to have been the first Egyptian-
style monument to be built in Britain but funds ran out and it was never completed. The
summit offers a spectacular view across the northwest from Liverpool to the Cheshire
Plains.
The trailhead for many of the most popular day walks is the
Clwydian Range Centre
(
01352-810614;
www.clwydianrangeaonb.org.uk
;
10am-4pm)
in Loggerheads Country Park, on the
A494 Mold to Ruthin road (car park £3 per day). A popular day walk is the 6-mile circu-
lar route from Loggerheads via Moel Famau and along the Clwydian Way (allow 4½
hours). This and other waymarked trails are outlined in a brochure available from the
centre.
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Denbigh (Dinbych)
POP 8990
Set on a hill surrounded by farmland, Denbigh is one of several historic market towns
scattered around the fertile Vale of Clywd. Although there was a Welsh settlement here
before the invasion (the Welsh name means 'Little Fortress'), Denbigh came into its own
as a 'planted borough', a small English colony founded to support the garrison stationed at
