Walkabout in Welsh winter wonderland
WALKING enthusiasts from Halton travelled to a former slate mining village in Wales to trek routes around the snowy countryside.
Glyn Ceiriog lies on the crystal clear River Ceiriog about six miles west of Chirk.
It is the largest village in the Ceiriog Valley and has remained relatively undiscovered only a few miles from the English border and the A5.
It has retained its cultural heritage and unspoilt countryside, described by Lloyd George as ‘a little bit of heaven on earth’.
There are plenty of walks in the area which cater for most abilities.
The area is also popular with other outdoor enthusiasts such as fishing, pony trekking and mountain biking.
The walk leaders had four planned walks, but due to the weather conditions some of these had to be adjusted.
The first group to leave the coaches were the B party a walk of 12 miles.
Starting from Chirk John Cormack led his group to join the Llwybr Ceiriog Trail.
It is a long distance path of 14 miles, developed primarily for horse riders and crosses rugged ter- rain. The group followed the trail for three miles before cutting off to visit the small village of Pontadog, which has the oldest oak tree in Britain.
The walkers headed north to pick up the trail again and followed it to Finger Farm before taking mountain paths to climb up Y Foel to a height of 1,600ft. Their descent took them through forest tracks and country lanes back into Glyn Ceiriog.
The longest walk of the day with a distance of 15 miles was led by Ian Hilditch.
The group started in Glyn Ceiriog and followed a riverside path before climbing through Ceiriog Forest and up Mount Vivod.
They descended before their next climb of Y Foel, also known as Bidduph Tower.
Their final descent took them on zig zagging paths, tracks and lanes into the heart of Glyn Ceiriog.
Ian Glover led his first walk for the group and had planned an 8 mile C walk.
From Glyn Ceiriog the group made their way south to join the riverside path along the ‘Old Tram Tracks’.
The Glyn Valley Tramway was built to transport slate to a wharf on the Shropshire Union Canal and later to sidings on the Great Western railway line from Chester to Shrewsbury.
Continuing on through country lanes and tracks the group climbed to the tree line of Ceiriog Forest.
Ian had changed his walk from field walking to tracks to avoid any deep snow drifts.
Their return took them along slippery paths and past wondrous snow drifts to their destination.
The shorter of the walks was led by Richard Cage who had revised his original walk to suit his group and the snowy conditions.
The group followed quiet country lanes and tracks before joining the Old Road which led them to the picturesque village of Dolywern.
They then climbed to the ancient woodlands of Coed Collfryn before taking the riverside route back to Glyn Ceiriog.
A Halton Ramblers spokeswoman said: “The day was very cold but the area lived up to its name of ‘Little Switzerland’ with picture post card views, all ramblers were amazed at the beauty of the snow sculptures but were glad to get back to the hostelry for some well earned refreshment and to get warm, but a great days walking with fabulous views.”
The group’s next trip is to Broadbottom in Lancashire on Sunday, April 1.
To join contact the booking secretary on 07842 160 944 or for more information visit www. nmc-ramblers.org.uk