Tuesday, 14 October 2008

November Walk from Llangollen


Our next walk will be from the famous Welsh town of Llangollen nestling within the beautiful Dee Valley in the North East of Wales. It is a town of varied parts, with plenty to interest the most discerning of visitors. You will probably know it for the Eistedford, or the horse drawn canal boats, or the Steam Railway, but there is plenty more about it so take a peek here

There will be two walks;
  • B Walk, led by Bill Farr
Distance: 8.5 miles
Total Ascent: 1,000ft

  • C Walk, led by Norman Jones
Distance:6.5 miles
Height Gain: 875ft


The coach will leave the back of Iceland at 8.00am on Saturday 9th November 2008. Pre-booking is essential through the Church office, but there are often spaces available for visitors (or for those unable to walk but wishing to visit with us).

B Walk Llangollen November 2008

Walk Leader: Bill Farr
Distance: 8.5 miles approx
Total Ascent: 1000 ft
Click on map to enlarge.

Starting from Llangollen, for the first 4 miles the walk is mainly on the flat, initially alongside the canal then on quet roads and farm tracks in the Dee Valley.
After that, crossing the A5 to climb gently through woods to the village of Vivod (c500ft), then along undulating quiet roads and farm tracks back into Llangollen.

Good Paths or quiet roads throughout and hopefully, good views of the Llantysilio Mountains and the Dee Valley.

C Walk Llangollen November 2008

Walk Leader: Norman Jones
Distance: approx 6.5 miles
Height Gain: 875 ft ( including going up to Castell Dinas Bran)

We head north out of Llangollen over the River Dee bridge and up to the quayside of the Llangollen branch of the Shropshire Union Canal. This is where the horse drawn and other boat trips are operated. After 1.5 miles along the pleasantly wooded towpath, passing the Royal International Pavilion on the left, we cross the canal and main road to join a footpath. This goes past the ruins of the Valle Crucis Abbey and continues through fields and woodland, with a view beyond the Eglwyseg River Valley to the traffic of the Horseshoe Pass about 1.5 miles away.

A short section along a lane, then through fields to join the Offa's Dyke Path with the prominant cliffs of Eglwseg on our left. After about a mile we leave the path and reach the base of the hill topped by Castell Dinas Bran ruins. The top is a superb viewpoint in reasonable weather and we can decide whether to go to the top, or around the base, when we get there.

After the hill, it's gently downhill for about a mile into Llangollen.

Monday, 13 October 2008

A Sunny Day at Grassmere

After a very wet period we set off on the coach with a lot of scepticism about an overnight change in the weather forecast, not helped by rain on the windscreen, but by the time we got to Grassmere the sun was out and blue skies had appeared. It was a lovely autumnal day, warm, dry and little wind, showing off the colours superbly but some found the water on the ground a bit of a problem. The B party reached Easdale tarn to find the stepping stones had disappeared and so had to change their plans and return by the route they had taken up. Once back in Grasmere they completed the circuit of the water to make a total of 8 miles.

Click on individual pictures to enlarge


The B Party on the way up to Easdale Tarn.


Where are the Stepping Stones? They were there on the 'reckie'.



Lovely Autumnal Colours.


The C Party near the Rydal Caves.

More photographs from Bev's walk
If the slideshow is too quick, click on pause and then advance by clicking the arrow.


Monday, 6 October 2008