This five-mile walk should take you around two hours. It is steep in a couple of places and some paths are overgrown with nettles, so gaiters or long trousers or socks are advisable. You would have to lift a dog over some of the stiles.
You must read our disclaimer at love-wrexham.com/walk-disclaimer before attempting any of our walks.
Parking
We found a space in Ffrith, but it was on a main road. The community hall has a small car park. However, we would advise calling first to make sure it is open and available (01978 758 818).
Ffrith Village
We started the walk by the village notice board just next to the Poacher’s Cottage micropub and coffee shop (High Street, LL11 5LG) – what3words.com/tentacles.vowing.span. Stand with your back to the board and turn right up the path it is on. Follow the stone track with the grassy central strip as it bends to the right. You’ll walk past a house with “The Glen” on the letter box. Follow the path to the right and walk past the builder’s yard with the green metal fence on your left.
Go through the metal kissing gate and walk along the track for a couple of minutes until you see the white-painted wooden post directing you right. Follow the sign and leave the path to the right, heading towards the River Cegidog. Walk parallel to the stream, smelling the wild garlic and looking out for jays. Go through another metal kissing gate after a short while. Turn left up the slope and underneath the arch of the old railway. Follow the path as it bends to the right. As it rises, it resembles one of the old drovers’ trails you can find in this area.
Glandŵr
Pass the rope swing and the house on the left called Glandŵr. Ignore the path ahead of you and the stile to your right, but take the stile that is diagonally to your right by the green wheeled container (1).
Follow the log fence on the right. Hop over the next stile after a minute or so. Turn right in front of the stone cottage and then left in front of the stables. Walk along the path following the yellow arrow on the wooden post. You’ll pass four piles of cut timber from the trees above on the left. The trail descends to a road. Cross over the road and go over the stile (2).
Once in the field, follow the hedge-fence-tree line on your right. Note the fantastic views ahead of you and to your right. Carry on downhill. Note the waymarker post with the yellow arrow and “Circular Walk Countryside Service Flintshire”. Follow the path across the sloping field. You’ll pass a short line of brambles on your left. Keep straight on and walk past a line of four hawthorn trees on your right.
Double Stile and Bridge
The vegetation disappears and the field opens out a little. Exit the field over the ladder stile with the yellow arrow in the left-hand corner (ignore the stile dead ahead). Be careful as you climb over the stile because the righthand post is slightly rotten. Walk across the next field towards a metal barred gate and gradually work your left slightly to the left. Cross the double stile with the metal bars and bridge in between (3).
Turn sharp left so you have the fence and stream on your left. Follow the well-trodden path that slopes gently uphill. Walk through the trees until you reach the gate and wooden bridge down to your left. Ignore those and carry on along the path lined with the wooden boards and logs. Hop over the wooden stile and walk on into the wood. Follow the path as it rises gently through the trees, avoiding the low branches. Turn left at the junction and head towards the corrugated metal shelter. Walk past it and follow the track as it winds left and right, keeping the stream on your left.
“Temporary Gateway”
Carry on along the path under the tree canopy. Go through the metal gate on the right just before the track crosses the stream and leads up to a farmhouse. The gate is hanging off its hinges, so be careful as you go through. You then walk along a narrow path with the stream to your left and a wire fence above you to your right. The path is a little overgrown with nettles. Hop over the double metal stile and bridge. Follow the path up the slope with wooden steps built into the ground.
Go through the “Temporary Gateway” with the rubber tie so the makeshift fencing is on your left. As it angles away from you at 45°, turn right, step over a small ditch and exit the field over the stile in the corner. Once in the next field, turn left through a gateway after a few yards. Turn immediately right and go through another gateway. Follow the right-hand hedge and fence line until you reach the wooden stile in the corner of the fence.
Rhintach
Mind your head on the branches as you climb over the stile. You’ll find yourself in the garden of a cottage called “Rhintach”. Turn left up the brick-laid drive onto the lane. Then turn right and walk along the lane for about 200 yards. Turn left onto the drive leading up to Cae Rheinallt Farm (they also advertise lawnmower repairs). Walk along the drive for a few minutes until you see a short wooden bridge on your left with a wooden stile beyond. Cross the bridge and hop over the stile (4).
You’ll find yourself in a field. Follow the left-hand fence and hedge line. Take the stile onto a narrow, rather overgrown nettly path with a stream to your left and a wire fence to your right. Avoid the low branches to begin with. Cross the wooden-planked bridge and go through the metal kissing gate.
Cae Rheinallt Farm
The path widens and has a row of assorted trees along the middle. Walk along it. You’ll see Cae Rheinallt Farm to the right. Walk in between some gorse bushes and then over the stile in front of you (don’t take the one on the left). You’ll find yourself in a wood. Don’t take the first path on the right as a fallen tree blocks it. Instead, walk straight on for a few yards and take the next path on your right but be careful of the short branches sticking out of the trees.
After about 25 yards, you’ll see the stump of the fallen tree. Go right down the slope towards the fence and hedge line. Turn left and make your way around the fallen trees and cut logs, more or less following the fence to your right. Thanks to Amanda from “Rhintach” for confirming this part of the route for me.
Four Groups of Conifers
You’ll reach a wooden stile after a few minutes. Turn left and walk up the slope, following the fence line to your left bordering the coniferous wood. As the fence breaks left at 45°, follow it and go over the metal stile. Turn diagonally right up the hill and head for a second group of conifers. Hop over the metal stile you’ll see in the fence to the right of the wood. Walk along the fence line of the wood to your left and head diagonally left as it breaks to the left at 45°.
Hop over another metal stile to the right of another group of conifers. Follow the fence to your left and follow the fence as it breaks left at 45°. You’ll see a metal stile about 100 yards in front of you. Cross the stile and walk diagonally right across three fields and two stiles, aiming for the right end of the large dense wood in front of you. On crossing the third stile, turn left and head for the electricity pylon.
Watch Out for Goats!
You’ll see a stile in the righthand fence just before the metal gate. Cross the stile and turn left towards the farmhouse, pass the old stone gatepost and walk past the goat enclosure on your right (5).
Pass the house and go through the metal gate into the next field. Exit the field by crossing the wooden stile in the far right corner onto a lane. Turn left and walk until it bends to the right. Turn left here onto the stone pathway, walking past the barrier and following the path round to the right (6).
Take the path immediately to the right of the tyre on the chain, ignoring the left and right forks (7). Continue past the wooden waymarker post with “Wales Link Path” on it. Walk along the woodland path until you reach the overhead cables and the waymarker post lying on the right side of the trail. Leave the main path here and take the one to your right. Follow the arrow to the right at the bottom of the path after a few minutes and turn left at the next waymarker arrow when you reach the wider track after a few yards. Walk downhill and turn left almost straight away at the T-junction.
Black Wood and Nant Wood
Follow this trail with the largeish stone chippings for about a mile (or 20 minutes). You’ll walk through Black Wood and Nant Wood with the Nant Y Ffrith stream down to your right. Go through the metal gate at the end of the trail and follow the narrow, overgrown path around the house. Go through another metal gate and turn right. You’ll pass an abandoned boat on your right.
Walk past another abandoned boat in the garden of the white house on your left. Carry on along the path, which takes you through the arch underneath the old railway line you walked under at the beginning of the walk (8). Carry on along the short road past the houses and you’ll come to the noticeboard where you started off. If you want to link to another of our walks, you can turn right just before the arches and walk up the old drovers’ trail. Go to lovewrexham.com and search for “Bwlchgywn and Ffrith Walk”.
Congratulations! You have finished the walk!
