As we reach saturation point with walks within Wrexham (although I still have to explore the area around Llanarmon DC properly), I find myself having to edge outside the county lines ever so slightly, hence us heading to Hope for this month’s hike.
“Pre-Amble”
The walk takes you around Park in the Past to the northwest of Hope and covers about 4¾ miles. It’s all pretty straightforward and, as you would expect, you’ll be oohing and aahing at regular intervals throughout as you have marvellous vistas of Hope Mountain, Waun y Llyn Country Park and the Park in the Past lake.
The gentle nature of the walk is reflected in that the total ascent is only 265 feet (80 metres), and the highest point being 300 feet (91 metres). It should take you just over two hours.
The route seemed reasonably dog-friendly as I only walked through one field containing livestock, and most of the access was via kissing gates. There is a stretch along a country lane where you need to keep your dog on a lead, and you cross a railway twice.
Please note Park in the Past is only open Saturdays and Sundays. Find out more at parkinthepast.org.uk.
Starting Point
I started at the public car park in Hope/Yr Hob (Hawarden Road, LL12 9NL; what3words.com/passport.passenger.slowness. Take the A541 out of Wrexham towards Gwersyllt. Continue through Cefn-y-Bedd and turn right at the traffic lights. Drive on for a few minutes and turn right under the railway bridge at Honeys Bakery and Café, and then follow the road left. You’ll see Hope Health Centre on your right after a minute or so. Turn left a few yards afterwards. It’s a tight turn left through the metal arch, just so you know.
Disclaimer
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Always remember to read ahead of your current position in the walk directions in case we mention an upcoming potential hazard.
Walk Directions
Packhorse Bridge
Look at the children’s playground and walk through the yellow gate (1). Head left across the field, following the path trodden in the grass. Walk between the two large trees and carry on, so you’re walking to the left of the green metal fence ahead of you. As you get closer, you’ll see that there’s a path to the left as you reach the fence.
Walk along this path for a few minutes. It’s quite narrow, and you’ll have the metal fence on your right and the high wooden garden fences to your left. Turn right when you reach Fellow Lane and cross the railway bridge. Walk down the hill and take a moment to read the green metal plate on the house on the left before you cross the magnificent Packhorse Bridge over the River Alyn (2). I have to admit it was smaller than I’d imagined, but it was in much better condition. Well worth a few photos!
Walk up the path after you cross the bridge and turn right when you reach Derby Road. Make a mental note of the crossroads with Sarn Lane (on the right) and Hope Street (on the left). You’ll be coming back to that later.
Stunning Views
Walk straight on for a minute or so. You’ll see you’re approaching a cul-de-sac (Maes Alyn). Look out for a narrow path on the left that runs parallel to it, and follow that for a minute or so. There’s a high hedge to the left and a low, wooden fence to the right. Go through the wooden kissing gate at the end of this narrow path, and follow the track ‘walked’ into the field.
Exit through a kissing gate in the far hedgeline. You can’t close it because it catches on the ‘kissing’ part of the wooden frame. Walk straight on, following the same path trodden into the field, up to another wooden kissing gate in the fence ahead of you. In the next field, keep to the same path, which will angle a little bit right, and eventually rejoin the river Alyn. The path drops out of view in front of you momentarily.
As you continue, you’ll see another kissing gate, this time with a yellow marker arrow on a green disc, in the dip. Go through the gate and step down using the stone step to your right. Keep following the riverside path for a short distance. The field opens out to your left, and you’ve got marvellous views of Hope Mountain and Waun-y-Llyn Country Park up to your left – lots of trees, fields and pylons.
A541
Walk past the fallen tree on your right. Head for the house almost dead ahead and turn right over the quaint bridge to your right before you reach it. Climb over the well-preserved stone stile ahead of you and to your left (3). Turn left once over the stile onto Fagl Lane. Walk along the left-hand pavement until you reach the entrance to Park in the Past on your right. Go through the metal kissing gate to the left of the entrance and follow the path around to the right. You’ll come out into a car park.
Carry straight on past the old stile. Follow the cut logs and the vegetation on your right, and walk up over the low grassy bank ahead of you. You’ll find yourself in a large field. Head diagonally left so you’re heading towards the grey outbuilding to the left of the cream house in the distance (4). Follow the path along the middle of the gully-like dip with the grassy bank rising on the right.
As you reach the outbuilding, look left and go through the metal gate onto the lane. Look left, and you’ll see the A541 Wrexham-Mold road. However, we’re turning right. Walk for a few minutes, passing the cream house you could see earlier, which is actually part of two terraced cottages (Sunnydale and Alyndale).
Piles of Apples
Turn right at the rusty footpath sign and walk past the piles of apples on the left. Go down the grassy bank and follow the narrow path between a hawthorn hedgerow on your left and some wooden garden fencing on your right.
Hop over the stile into the field. Be careful of the spikes running along the top of the fence on your right. Turn left into the open field and then right, following the right-hand hedge and tree line. Hop over the stile about 50 yards ahead to exit the field. I gave that stile a 7½ out of 10 on the Great Love Wrexham Stileometer (GLWS).
Once over the stile, turn left and walk under the electricity lines between the two wooden poles supporting them. Once you’ve walked under the cables, you’ll see a post ahead of you with a white piece of plastic on it. Cross the wooden bridge immediately afterwards.
Walk through the narrow gap between the two gnarled trees (5). One of them has a yellow arrow waymarker on it, which you’ll see if you look back.
Gated Metal Bridge
The way across this next field is pretty much mapped out for you. Look left and follow the line of electricity poles almost to the far end. You’ll see the third pole has the remains of a white plastic disc with a yellow arrow waymarker on it. At the next one, which also has a yellow arrow waymarker on it, turn diagonally right and head for the wooden bridge with the metal gate at either end.
Turn right as you step down from the bridge. Cross the river again over the bridge ahead of you. You’ll have to lean slightly to the left to avoid the trees. Follow the yellow waymarker arrows on the wooden posts so you’re heading left along the grassy path as you leave the bridge and follow the green fencing on your right. The Alyn is on your left.
Go through the wooden kissing gate on your right, and the path you’re on merges into another one coming from your left. You’ll be on this path for the next third of a mile as you walk around the northern tip of the Park in the Past Lake.
Railway Crossings
The path leaves the lake as you go through a wooden kissing gate and a metal kissing gate (6).
Climb the wooden steps cut into the bank and cross the railway track. Walk down the steps on the other side, go through the metal kissing gate and into a small field, which had some exotic-looking sheep in it (7). Exit through another metal kissing gate onto Stryt Isa, which is also Wat’s Dyke Way.
Turn right and walk along the lane for nearly half a mile. Turn right and hop over another lovely stone stile when you reach a house called Primrose Cottage on your left (8). Follow the left-hand hedgerow and keep going through the longer grass and weeds. You’ll soon come to another railway crossing ahead. Hop over the stile and the tracks.
Scale the stile on the other side and turn left. It looks as though they’re building an alternative route up the bank and through the green metal fence above you. Follow the green fence to your right towards the metal kissing gate, past the entrance on your right to Llwyn Owen farm and onto Pigeon House Lane.
Riverside Return
Turn right and follow the rather pleasant lane for about a quarter of a mile or seven minutes. As you reach the busy Fagl Lane again, cross straight over and go over the stone stile (9). Instead of retracing your steps right over the bridge, go straight down and through the narrow kissing gate.
Follow the riverside path for about half a mile. Go through the metal kissing gate onto the tarmacked path and turn right (10). Cross the narrow bridge and walk along for about 100 yards. Go left through the metal kissing gate onto another short tarmacked path that goes straight across a field. Turn left after you go through another metal kissing gate. Walk up Sarn Lane towards the houses. After about five minutes, you’ll come to the crossroads of Derby Road (running across you) and Hope Street (ahead of you now).
Take a left and walk along Derby Road for about a minute. Turn left at the yellow grit bin and red dog-poo bin. Go down the slope and across the Packhorse Bridge again. Walk up the lane and turn left just after the railway bridge. Go along the narrow path and onto the Willows recreation area. The car park you started from is on your right.
Congratulations! You’ve completed the walk!
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