A ramble in the Ceiriog Valley
Walk directions
From The Hand, take the eastbound lane past the church and uphill, with the pastures of the Ceiriog below to your left.
Leave the lane for a farm track on the left. This track ends at a barn. Keep to the right of the barn and aim for a gate beyond it. Through the gate maintain your direction, over the shoulder of a grassy knoll, then aim for a stile in a fence ahead. Beyond this, cross another field down to a stile to the left of a gate, after which go over a stile on the right.
Bear left, crossing two small streams to join a track past Ty’n-y-fedw farm. Don’t go through the gate, but follow a grass path right beside the fence, shortly entering a wood.
Keep ahead to the far end of the woods. Emerging into a field, go straight ahead to go through a gate at the corner of a farm lane. Turn right uphill and shortly after bear right on a rising farm track. Ignore the left fork track to reach a lane. Cross to the ongoing track, which climbs the high pastures.
At a crossroads, turn right along a green track – part of the Upper Ceiriog Way. This heads southwest towards the green hill known as Cefn-Hîr-fynydd.
After about 300yds (274m) leave this track through a gate on the right. Head west by the right edge of the main rushy area and towards Pen y Glôg’s sparse crags, to find the small stile in the next fence, then the waymarked metal/wooden fence beyond it. Through the gate head downhill below a low clump of rocks, and aim for the distant farm of Cyrchynan-isaf.
Lower down, a developing grassy track runs on through the valley of Nant y Glôg, contouring the lower slopes of Pen y Glôg.
After swinging right with the lively stream the track terminates by a lane to the south of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog. Turn right along the lane past several attractive cottages and the village school to arrive by The Hand pub and hotel in the village square.
Additional information
Terrain
- Sketchy paths and farm tracks, several stiles
Landscape
- Pastoral hillscapes and river scenery
Dog friendliness
- Whole walk through sheep country – keep dogs on a lead
Parking
- Roadside parking in village
Toilets en route
- None on route
About the walk
David Lloyd George, the last Liberal Party Prime Minister of Britain, described the Ceiriog Valley as ‘a piece of heaven that has fallen to earth’. For 18 miles (29km), from its source on the slopes of Mount Fferna in the Berwyns to its meeting with the Dee, the beautiful Afon Ceiriog meanders... through oak woods, rocky hillsides and fertile cattle pastures. Yet in 1923 city planners wanted to turn this little piece of heaven into a huge reservoir. If these planners had won the day, the locals living within an area of 13,600 acres (5,504ha) would have been evicted from their homes. Fortunately parliament denied their whims. While Glyn Ceiriog is the largest village, Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog is the most beautiful. Lying by the confluence of the Ceiriog and a tributary, the Gwrachen, it was a natural fording place for drovers bound for the markets of England. You’ll be using some of their old roads on this walk. The village and its church take their name from the 5th-century missionary, St Garmon. The present church is early Victorian and, unusually, has two pulpits. A mound in the churchyard, known as Tomen Garmon, is believed to be a Bronze Age burial mound and the place where the missionary preached. While Glyn Ceiriog is the largest village, Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog is the most beautiful. Lying by the confluence of the Ceiriog and a tributary, the Gwrachen, it was a natural fording place for drovers bound for the markets of England. You’ll be using some of their old roads on this walk. The village and its church take their name from the 5th-century missionary, St Garmon. The present church is early Victorian and, unusually, has two pulpits. A mound in the churchyard, known as Tomen Garmon, is believed to be a Bronze Age burial mound and the place where the missionary preached.
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Been on this walk?
Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.
Walking in Safety
Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.
Get an AA guide
Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.
About the area
Although the collieries and steelworks on which the town of Wrexham prospered are largely things of the past, this bustling town is still the largest in north Wales. The town desperately wants to be a city and has applied for the status three times since the turn of the millennium.
Nearby places to stay
View all (8)
Inn
The Hand at Llanarmon
★★★★
"A delightful, Welsh village inn offering a cosy stay and good food...."
- Rooms 13
- Satellite TV
- Free TV
- Direct Dial
Hotel
Pen-y-Dyffryn Country Hotel
★★★
"Come for the food but stay for the cosy fires and excellent service...."
- Family rooms: 1
- Free TV
- WiFi available
Guest Accommodation
Sebastians
★★★★
"High quality throughout, and a memorable dining experience...."
- Rooms 6
- Wifi
- Open parking
Nearby places to stay
The Hand at Llanarmon
Appointed to a high standard, this inn provides a range of thoughtfully furnished bedrooms, with smart modern bathrooms. Public areas retain many original features including exposed bea...
★★★★ Rating
Pen-y-Dyffryn Country Hotel
Peacefully situated in five acres of grounds, Pen-y-Dyffryn is a charming old house that dates back to around 1840, when it was built as a rectory. The tastefully appointed public rooms...
★★★ Rating
Sebastians
Sebastians Is a long established destination for visitors to this unspoilt town and it is particularly popular with walking groups for the nearby Offas Dyke pathway. The furnishing styl...
★★★★ Rating
The Wynnstay
The Wynnstay is an elegant Georgian former coaching inn that plays a big part in village community life. The spacious en suite bedrooms are equipped with a wealth of practical and thoug...
★★★★★ Rating
Palé Hall Hotel & Restaurant
Set on the edge of Snowdonia National Park overlooking the River Dee, Palé Hall was originally built in 1871 by industrialist Henry Robertson with the instruction that ‘no expense shoul...
★★★★★ Rating
Lake Vyrnwy Hotel & Spa
Lake Vyrnwy Hotel is an elegant Victorian country-house hotel lies in 26,000 acres of woodland above its namesake, and provides a wide range of bedrooms, most with superb views and many...
★★★★ Rating
Plassey Holiday Park
A lovely park set in several hundred acres of quiet farm and meadowland in the Dee Valley. The superb toilet facilities include individual cubicles for total privacy and security, while...
★★★★★ Rating
The Trotting Mare Caravan Park
Located between Overton-on-Dee and Ellesmere, this adults-only touring park is quietly located behind the Trotting Mare pub. The majority of pitches are fully serviced, and creative lan...
★★★★★ Rating
Places to eat nearby View all




