A moderate route in Clwydian's. Check the GPS track on Outdooractive for full details of the route, waypoints, and terrain.
Starting Point: Limited car parking, Pentre, Cilcain (SJ 171 647)
Terrain: Road, field paths, farm track, wooded path, open hillside, Offa's Dyke Path, Iron Age hillfort, steep ascent, ridge path past Moel Dywyll, Moel Famau summit, descending valley path, road
A magnificent circuit in the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, combining two fine summits, a remarkable Iron Age hillfort and the iconic Jubilee Tower in a walk of real quality and variety. The opening leg across the fields from Cilcain is pleasant and undemanding, the lanes and farm tracks easing you gently northwest into the hills before the route climbs past Moel Evan and Moel Plas-yw onto the main ridge. Moel Arthur is a highlight by any measure — the hillfort earthworks are dramatic up close, the banks and ditches steep and well-preserved, and the summit views across the Vale of Clwyd and towards Snowdonia reward the effort of the ascent handsomely. The Offa's Dyke Path southward from here is superb ridge walking — open, clear and commanding, with the land falling away on both sides and the Welsh hills stretching away to the west. The final pull to Moel Famau and the Jubilee Tower brings the walk to its natural climax, the ruined obelisk at the highest point in the Clwydian Range providing a memorable focal point and views that, on a clear day, stretch from Snowdonia to the Cheshire Plain. The descent northeast off the summit and back into the valley is quick and satisfying, rounding off an excellent day in some of the finest hill country in North Wales.