A rather disappointingly dull second day walking on the Llangollen Round , meeting up with the Offa’s Dyke Path.

Date walked: 21st November 2018

Distance: about 8 miles on the path plus a couple more to get back into Llangollen

Maps Used: OS Explorer 255- Llangollen and Berwyn

Guide Used: The Llangollen Round , obtainable via the website for the walk at this link (£5)

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Unfortunately the weather had not improved overnight and the morning was murky and dank, which was a bit depressing. To get back to where I had left off yesterday I had the prospect of a two mile climb on the road on the steep hill called Allt y Gwernant. My luck was partially in, though – as I was beginning the mile-long steepest bit a chap stopped for me and deposited me at at the top. Nice chap.

Today’s walk started with an unedifying mile and a half on a very misty road.

This wasn’t much fun and I have little to show for it.

I’m a bit desperate when I start including images of gates

I left this road to cross a field and then join another road heading downhill.

So far so boring but as I dropped down hill the mist cleared somewhat, so that at least I could see something.

Leaving this road I followed the edge of an old quarry…

Nice Autumn colour – just a pity it was so gloomy

… before taking the path that skirts round the end of it…

… and then joined a road that descended to the Vale of Llangollen at Froncysyllte.

These backstreets were pretty dull, though it’s always interesting to pass old chapels.

Though this one wasn’t going to win any contests for charm

At the bottom of the hill the path joined the Llangollen canal towpath (and, as it happens, the Offa’s Dyke Path, so I will be returning here at some point).

It’s impossible not to find towpaths interesting, even on the dullest of days.

And even if they are not that interesting they are very easy to walk on

This one very quickly led me to one of the areas most famous features – the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

Of course, when you are walking on a viaduct, you don’t get to see how impressive it is or otherwise.  It was, though,  quite impressively high above the River  Dee, which passes underneath it.

At the far end  a dedication plate was set into the wall which tells the moderately interested what they need to know about its construction.

The path leaves the viaduct and passes underneath it, giving the walker at least a glimpse of the side-on view…

… before briefly returning to the canal side heading West.

According to the way that the Guide book has divided up the Llangollen Round walk into sections, I had just completed Section A  – 4.6 miles (yesterday having done section F). So, children, what section do you think I’ll be doing now? Why, section B of course.

Here’s a copy of the diagram of the walk in case you have no idea what I am on about.

The path crosses over the canal on a rather fine metal bridge….

… and then climbed up through a field, joined the A539 for a few hundred metres and then climbed further uphill on a minor road to enter Trevor Hall Wood.

After about a mile in this not very exciting wood the path turned off to the right and climbed up the hill to join a little road known locally as the “Panorama”. And on a clear day I’m sure the views would be splendid. But this wasn’t a very clear day.

About half a mile along this road the Llangollen Round leaves the road to climb higher up the hill. At this point I had completed section B  (2.2 miles) .  The next section would be 5 miles and  if I had done it all would have given me a  4 mile walk back to Llangollen, so I decided to stick with the road (as the Offa’s Dyke Path does ) for a couple more miles before dropping back down to Llangollen.

Ahead was a somewhat murky view of Castell Dinas Bran.

The bump on the left

This castle-on-a-hill was built around 1260 – probably for a Marcher Lord called Gruffydd II ap Madog and was ruined by Edward I ‘s armies less than 20 years later.  I wonder if that’s some kind of a record? The view of it improved as the road approached it, but there isn’t much to see.

Even less by my carefully obstructing the view of it with a tree.

I debated about making a further deviation from the path to climb up to the ruins but then I thought “nah”.  And then I thought about tea and cake back at Llangollen.

I stayed with the road walk and the Offa’s Dyke path for another mile or so and then decided to call it a day, even though it was only about half past one. I still had a couple of miles to walk to get back into town. Maybe tomorrow would be a nicer day.  I hoped so. You probably do too.