Home Outdoors Circular Walk Around Dolywern

Circular Walk Around Dolywern

by Adam Howarth, Editor
Circular Walk Around Dolywern

This month’s walk takes you on a circular walk around Dolywern, Nant Iorwerth, Caedicws Farm, and Coed y Pant. The walk is steep in parts, and you’ll climb about a quarter of a mile over 5 1/4 miles, most of it through shaded woodlands. You’ll cross open fields, walk along woodland paths and quiet country lanes, and see some truly amazing views – well worth the climbing!

Map - Circular Walk Around Dolywern
OS map of the route with the photographic references mentioned below

Overview

There are fields along the walk containing sheep or cattle. A few of the stiles are not dog friendly and would require you to lift your pet over them.

Please bear in mind you may have no internet or mobile phone signal for the first hour and at several times during the walk.

There were some points of the walk that were slippery, so please exercise caution when walking over damp stretches.

Please read the disclaimer at love-wrexham.com/walk-disclaimer/ before attempting any of our walks.

Starting Point

You can start the walk in the village of Dolywern, about five miles along the B4500 from Chirk on the way to Glyn Ceiriog. There is parking immediately after leaving the road on both sides of Valley View (Gwel Y Dyffryn), postcode LL20 7AD. Look for the green metal footpath sign on the right of Valley View as you walk down from the junction with the main road (1).

Circular Walk Around Dolywern
(1) View of Dolywern on leaving

Go through the green metal kissing gate. Walk up the grassy track and go through another green metal kissing gate onto a woodland path. Turn left just before the wooden bench after a minute or so and climb the steep path up through Coed Collfryn. Pass another wooden bench on your left. Keep following the path as it levels out. Walk past the wooden gate on your right and in front of the cream-coloured house.

Go through the green kissing gate. Walk down the field along the fence line on your right. Turn right towards the small metal feeding structure. Walk past it, go through the metal gate, and then the green metal kissing gate. Walk down the path between the wall and the hedge. Turn right when you get to the lane. Turn right again at the next junction. Go straight on towards Selattyn and Llangollen, ignoring the left fork past the cottage. You are heading due west.

Nant Iorwerth

Look for the green metal footpath sign on your left as the road bends around to the right (2). Turn left up the grassy track with the stream Nant Iorwerth below you and to your left. Cross the road and continue along the path up the hill. You are on an old drover’s trail with steep banks on both sides. Walk through the farm equipment junkyard and up to the next gate. Take care when approaching the gate, as the ground can get quite wet and slippery.

Circular Walk Around Dolywern
(2) Turn left here

Walk through the gate and turn left when on the farm drive. Walk along the lane, past the white cottage Ffynnon Deg (3) and then past the white terrace with the “Bryn Villa” sign. The road becomes a dirt vehicle track. Go through the gate with the cattle grid and turn right up the path marked “Footpath” to the right of the stream.

** The following path climbs for about 20-25 minutes and is quite steep in parts. It can get a little boggy, and you may think you’re on the wrong path at times but persevere! There are regular wooden posts along the path to let you know you’re still on the right track. **

Fynnon Deg Cottage
(3) Fynnon Deg Cottage

Cross the small stream to your left after a couple of minutes and walk between the sections of bracken. Carry on up further into the woods. Turn left when you come to the drop in front of you and walk past the wooden post with the remains of a white sign on it. Keep following the path as it continues upwards. You’ll see a dry-stone wall on your right with a fence and barbed wire above it. Take the two wooden steps and duck under the birch tree branches, taking care of the drop on your left.

View of Dolywern

Walk under the canopy of birch trees. The path continues upwards now in a south-southwesterly direction. You should be able to get a signal for your phone around this point. You’ll finally come to a barbed wire-topped fence where you turn left. Take the stile over the fence to enter the field. Follow the fence line on your right. Look to your left for some stunning views back down into Dolywern (see the main photo). Follow the blue pipe in the ground and work your way around the fallen hawthorn tree. Walk past the wooden waymarker post and cross the stile in the fence in front of you to the left of some corrugated iron fencing (4).

corrugated iron panels
(4) Stile next to corrugated iron panels

Turn diagonally left and go through the metal gate. Follow the fence line on your right and hop over the stile, also on the right, just before the large stream (described as a “waterfall” on the OS map) running across the path. Walk straight on with the stream on your left and head for the coniferous wood in front of you. As you approach the fence in front of you, the stile to exit the field is about 150 yards to the left of the metal gate in the righthand corner of the field.

Wonky Stile Step

Turn right once on the lane, and right again at the T-junction after about 15 minutes. Five minutes later, you’ll see a green metal footpath sign on your left. Carry on along the lane and then go through the gate about 100 yards further on to your right, marked by another green metal footpath sign. Walk along the grassy vehicle track, keeping the fence and hedge line to your right. You’re heading in a north-easterly direction. Go through the metal gate and then a wooden gate after about 10 minutes. Don’t forget to say hello to the horses in the field on your right (see final photo).

Walk a little further on and turn left at the corrugated iron barn. Go over the ladder stile a few yards further on. Be careful with the step, as it’s like a seesaw! Head straight on up the field, keeping the fence line on your right. Go through the gap in the fence in front of you and turn left across the hillside in front of you, following the path. Follow the line of the gorse bushes, keeping it to your left. Another section of gorse appears on your right, so you have it on both sides of you for a few minutes.

Gorse and Dry-Stone Walls

The gorse on the left starts to disappear, and you’ll notice a fence line to your right. As you approach the fence line that runs in front of you, cross the ladder stile in the right-hand corner between two sections of gorse. Turn right in the next field, keeping the gorse bushes to your right. Head in a northerly direction. When the line of gorse finishes, look diagonally right and head for the tall waymarker post. Turn to your left when you reach the waymarker and head for the next one a hundred yards or so in the distance (direction: northwest). You’ll see a small clump of trees dead ahead when you reach the next waymarker. Head for the right of them (5).

right of the tree
(5) Walk to the right of these trees

As you pass the trees, you’ll see they’re in the corner of two dry stone walls. Walk downhill, keeping the dry-stone wall to your left. Turn left through the gap in the wall and gorse after a couple of minutes. Then turn right and continue down the hill with the wall and gorse now on your right. Turn right on the grassy vehicle track that runs across you at the bottom of the field (6).

vehicle track
(6) Follow this vehicle track

Turn left down the slope as you come out into the open field and follow the fence line on your left. (This slope is quite steep – for a gentler descent, continue straight on and turn left following the remains of a drystone wall after about four minutes (7).

stone wall
(7) Follow this stone wall for a gentler descent

The wall on the left is immediately after a limestone outcrop on your right and runs down to the lane. Follow the fence line on your right.) Climb over the stile and go carefully down the slippery slate steps. Cross the lane, go down the steps to the left of Hillside Cottage, and turn left (8).

left of the white house
(8) Take the steps to the left of the white house

Shiny Aluminium Chimney

Go through the green metal kissing gate, down the path, and through two wooden gates. Turn right after going through the second one and walk past the shiny aluminium chimney. Walk along the path and go through a metal gate. You’ll see two metal gates – take the first one (the left-hand one). Follow the fence line on your right and go through the metal gate after about five minutes. Turn right and go through the gap in the fence. Turn left and go through the green kissing gate. Follow the path in the grass that runs along the right-hand fence and tree line. You’ll see Dolywern in the distance.

Presently, you’ll see a rectangular wooden platform covered with metal mesh. Walk over it and continue in the same direction. Go through the green metal kissing gate in the dip. Cross the short wooden bridge and follow the fence line on your left, working your way around the fallen trees. Go through the green metal kissing gate back into Coed Collfryn. Walk past the wooden bench you turned left at a couple of hours before. You’re now on the same path you started the walk on. Follow it round to the left to reach the village of Dolywern.

Congratulations – you’ve finished the walk

If you’d like to see some more of our walks, click here.

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