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Published: February 19th 2012
Sometimes it is easy to overlook the area around which you live. Take it for granted even. We travel all round the world and yet what is just round the corner from us is strange and sometimes unknown. The Clwydian Hills which surround the vale of Clwyd being a case in point. Less high than Snowdon, less rugged but yet just as majestic in their own way. We walk locally sometimes just round the block- a flat 3/4 hour walk with views to die for of the hills brooding in the weak winter sun. Lanes full of brambles, holly, ivy and beneath them the green and black spotted leaves of the Cuckoo Pint just springing to life. Lambs frisking in the fields, snuggling up to their mothers. The waggling of their tails echoed in the shaking of the wind through the catkins which are now bursting into life. Other walks take us into the hills amongst the hillforts and the heather.
The Clwydians are a range of hills stretching 35 miles from the coast near to Prestatyn in the north of the county to the foothills of the Dee Estuary. They are clad with bracken, heather and topped in parts
with pre-historic hill forts. Limestone peaks shining and glistening white in the distance. Our walks have so far been confined to two of the peaks. Moel Famau (the mother mountain ) at 1818 feet high and topped with the Jubilee Tower built in 1810 to celebrate the Jubilee of George III and never completed falling down in 1862. And then there is Y Fenlli. Y Fenlli being smaller than Moel Famau and topped with truly magnificent hill top fort.
Both peaks look dramatic in each and every season. In Winter topped with frost and snow glistening white and shrouded in mist which rolls in suddenly. Spring brings the new seasons green growth, pin prick white spots of sheep and lambs grazing on the hillsides, the flaming yellow gorse making the hillside look as if on fire. Mid summer brings on the golden colours of the bracken and by Autumn the hillsides are brooding again mantled in their purple and lilac livery of heather. As late Autumn and Winter approach the lilac and purple are replaced by almost black earthy colours as the bracken and heather die back and then the snow comes again making this an ever changing vista.
Most walks are relatively easy. Parking available at Penbarras. The best time to walk is early when the morning is peaceful and the only noise the birds and the sheep. As the day wears on Moel Famau in particular looks and feels like the M6 as families arrive to walk to the top. Grandparents with grandchildren, lone walkers with or without dogs, families with their children. It takes on a different character earlier in the day before the day trippers arrive. The last part of the walk to the tower is slightly more demanding being shingle but still not strenous and the views from the top make it worth the effort. A panoramic view of the valley and the town of Ruthin below with its little church and gaol. Denbigh and its castle in the distance and ever onward to the coast. On a fine day you can see the Dee Estuary, Merseyside, Cheshire and the Pennines. It's even said you can see Snowdon in one direction and Blackpool Tower in the other. I cannot vouch for this as on our walk the mist and haze came down obscuring everything in the distance as if looking through a veil.
Moel Famau
and yes it was windy The Jubilee Tower remains make an excellent viewing platform.
On the other side of the valley is the much quieter Y Fenlli, smaller than its neighbour Moel Famau> It stands at 1677 feet and is the second highest peak in the range. The walk is relatively easy although steeper than the paths of Moel Famau . More winding and less wind exposed, steps lead ever upwards to the top and the hillfort. Not as popular it makes a quieter more peaceful walk. On the morning we climbed we saw no-one and heard nothing but the wildlife. The fort on the top dates back to the Iron Age and its features are easily recognisable even by an amateur. There is a cairn at the top and the views although not over the estuary are just as magnificent as those from Moel Famau. One can imagine at the top how hard life must have been for warring welsh tribes.
There are other paths up to Moel Famau from Moel Arthur and others up Moel Arthur itself. Yes we will do those they are on the list of to do's .
Motorhome news: Had another buying session and we are now the proud owners of a washing up bowl, a camping frying pan, some duck tape, a tin opener, a baseball bat, various sharp knives and a dustpan and brush. Suzy has a numberplate and insurance purchased. Why is there such a difference between one insurance company and another? How can one charge £375 and the other over £750 I will never know. We have gone with the cheaper Comfort who deal specifically with motorhomes so only time will tell if it was the right decision. She is booked in for her solar panel, her Gaslow modifications and a Satellite dish. Time is booked off work so hopefully it will all come together and we will get a few days touring the Poole area of Dorset and then to Warwick on our way home. And our holiday is coming together, an overnight stop in Belgium, a visit to the beautiful Rothenburg in Germany before arriving at another overnight stop in Austria. After this we will move on for a week to Lake Garda and use the train and the boats to investigate the interesting Veneto area. From there to the east coast of Italy around Ravenna and Trieste before moving on to Croatia. Ambitious for a first trip - probably but we are not shrinking violets so are looking forward to the challenge of living in cramped conditions and seeing the world from a Motorhome perspective.
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
I love the itinerary you have selected for your first motor home trip...
We lived in Belgium for eleven years so are hoping to recognize your stop over there. We visited Rothendurg many times during the seven years we lived in Germany, and of course while living in Europe visited Austria and Italy. On Lake Garda, make sure you visit Sirmione on the southern shore. We never made it to Slovenia or Croatia, but that is high on our list to visit. So take good pictures and write detailed stories about your trip so that we can be inspired!