We’re less than a quarter of a mile over the Shropshire border for our walk this month. We return to the Gledrig area just south of Chirk, but this time, we’re heading east towards St Martin’s and the nature reserve of Ifton Meadows.
“Pre-Amble”
The walk is about 5½ miles and is generally level going. However, there are two sections that need to be mentioned. You will have to duck underneath a possibly live strand of electric cattle fence cable at one point. Carrying something plastic to wrap around the cable will allow you to lower the cable and step over it, but that is at your own risk. I managed to duck under the cable without it touching me and I’m not a gymnast by any stretch of the imagination!
The second section is a steep and awkward descent to below the A5. The slope does have roots you can wedge your foot into and trees you can hold onto, but it would be treacherous after wet weather.
The total ascent of the walk is gentle at 503 feet (153 metres), with the highest point being 396 feet (121 metres). It should take you about between 2½ and 3 hours.
Starting Point
I started off in the car park at the Chirk Bank Canalside car park. This is a small car park situated next to the Poachers on Chirk Road, Gledrid, Weston Rhyn LL14 5DG (what3words.com/condense.fitter.mondays).
If there are no spaces left, you can park in the left-hand spaces of the car next door at the Poachers. Try and pop in for a drink or a bite to eat if you do use their parking facilities, please.
Disclaimer
Important: Your safety is our top priority. Before attempting any of our walks, you must read and understand the disclaimer at love-wrexham.com/walk-disclaimer.
Always remember to read ahead of your current position in the walk directions in case we mention an upcoming potential hazard.
Walk Directions
Brynkinalt Estate
Turn left out of the car park and cross the road. Walk up the gravel path in front of you and then across the drive that leads to the Foxtail Holiday Park offices on the left (1). Continue along the grassy path and go through the tunnel underneath the A5.
After a couple of minutes, you’ll reach a path running across you with a gate and a stile in front of you. Hop over the stile and follow the path in the grass to the right of the copse of trees, more or less in front of you. Cross the track that leads to the Brynkinalt Estate to your left.
Walk past the trees and through the kissing gate in the hedgerow beyond. Turn left on Rhyn Lane (2) and walk along the lane for about half a mile.
Turn right onto Glyn Morlas Lane. There’s a partially obscured blue ‘Unsuitable For Heavy Goods Vehicles’ sign on your right as you get onto the lane.
Morlas Brook
Follow the road down and round to the right. Pass the house called Sunnyside and cross a bridge over Morlas Brook about 100 yards later. There are two choices here. If you turn left, you’ll see a public footpath to your right after a few yards. It’s very overgrown, however, and once you reach the fields at the top, you’ll have to duck under an electric fence cable to continue.
If you want to avoid this route, go through the metal gate (it will drop a few inches as you open it, so be careful to lift it back up to allow you to slide the bolt back into position) in front of you as you cross the bridge (3).
It seems as though the owner of the area on the other side of the gate has constructed a pathway through the network of electric fencing leading to the top. You’ll only be off the public footpath for
about 100 yards after going through the gate, as you pick it back up when you pass the first insulated handle on your left.
Peculiar Ladder Stile
Walk up the short, steep slope and follow the pathway upwards between the electric fencing. Detach the light-blue insulated handle to open the cable running across you as you near the top after about seven minutes. Do the same a few seconds later at the end of the pathway with the darker blue and pink ones.
Turn left through the rusty metal gate and then immediately right. Follow the path with another electric fence on your left and the high hedgerow on your right. Climb over the peculiar low ladder stile on your right (4) as the track bends sharply to the left after about 200 yards.
Walk straight over the field and take another stile to exit the field. Be careful, as only the bottom step remains. Use the hawthorn trees either to support yourself as you climb over.
Head diagonally right towards the far hedgeline. You’ll see a gap ahead of you. The stile that filled this gap has collapsed completely, and you’ll have to duck under a piece of wood someone has nailed across where the stile was (5). To make matters worse, there is a strand of electric fence directly after the gap.
Use your piece of plastic to lower the cable and step over. I just about managed to duck under it. Cross the field and negotiate the next strand of electric fence just in front of the stile. This one, however, has a piece of plastic tubing covering it to allow you to lower it and step over. The wooden stile beyond is truly
magnificent in comparison to the two previous ones.
Ifton Meadows
Turn left onto the lane and then straight over the crossroads after about 7 to 8 minutes. You’ll see the entrance to Ifton Meadows on your left two to three minutes further on. Go through two metal kissing gates and along the pleasant gravel path for a few minutes until you reach the bench with the mosaic circle in front of it (6).
Go left and walk about 200 yards to another bench. Turn right down the grassy slope. At the bottom, follow the barbed-wire-topped metal fence to your left. Take the left fork between the brambles. Take another left fork a few yards further on and walk until you reach a path running across you with a yellow arrow waymarker wooden post on it to your right.
Turn left and go through the wooden kissing gate after a minute or so. Turn right down the drive which bends to the left and then sharp right. Walk past the yellow grit bin and back onto Glyn Morlas Lane (7).
Turn right and walk along the lane for about 5 minutes. You’ll pass a red letter box and Sawmill Farm on your left, and another yellow grit bin and a road with a dead-end sign on your right.
Pheasants Everywhere!
Cross the bridge immediately after the road on the right. About 150 yards further on, leave the lane and turn left over the stile. Go through the gap in the large hedgerow ahead of you and walk straight up the steep grassy slope to the path running across you. Turn left and follow this path. It runs across the top of the fields, and you’ll presently start following a barbed wire fence on your right.
Follow the fence line along the bracken-lined path for about 10 minutes over the remains of a fence and a blue hosepipe until you reach a stile to exit the area. There are pheasants everywhere here, and I also saw a buzzard away to my left. Cross the lane and hop over the stile on the other side. Avoid using the bottom step of this stile.
Walk along another pheasant-filled field, past the store of blue plastic containers on your right (8) and the large area of sawn logs on your left (The back of Sawmill Farm).
Move to the right of the field and start following the vehicle track that runs along the barbed wire fence.
Crossing Under the A5
Continue along the fence line for the next 20 minutes or so until you reach the metal gate with the wooden gateposts. You’ll see the A5 ahead of you through the trees. In the corner of the field ahead of you, turn right through the metal kissing gate and make your way very carefully down the steep earth slope.
Use the roots in the ground and the young trees to help steady you as you descend to the wooden post with the yellow arrow waymarker. Turn left at the bottom along the track that runs across you and walk under the arches of the A5 road bridge. Step over a brook and turn left after you go through the metal
kissing gate and walk about 100 yards up a grassy slope.
Start to make your way to the right, heading for the wooden steps with the lights (9).
As you get closer, you’ll notice a gap in the brambles and nettles to your left. If you’ve passed the grey wooden outbuilding with the chimney, you’ve gone too far.
Monk’s Bridge
Make your way through the gap I’ve just mentioned and head for the passageway under those steps. You’ll have to squeeze between a stone wall and the end of the fence with the yellow arrow waymarker
to get to the passageway. Walk under the wooden steps, past the two swings and up the path to Chirk Road. Turn left here if you want a quick way to get back to the car park.
If you fancy another mile and a half, cross over the road and turn right. Walk down the road towards the houses on the left. Turn left up the narrow path just before the first house. Turn right onto the canal towpath and walk for about 10 minutes until you reach Monk’s Bridge on Canal View (see feature image). Cross the bridge and take your first left after about 4 minutes onto Oaklands Road. Turn right immediately through the wooden gate with “Rotarian Roger Hudson” carved into it and onto the public footpath. Walk along the path across the meadow and past the wooden post with the yellow waymarker arrow.
Oliver’s Wood
Go through the metal kissing gate. Continue in the same direction in the next field. You’ll start walking along a fence bordering a wood on your left. Turn left through the metal kissing gate into Oliver’s Wood, walk along the path and turn left down the steps just before the stile. Take the right fork (10).
Pass the public information board (very interesting and worth a read) and exit the wood through the metal kissing gate. Walk along the track past the houses on the left and then turn right onto Oaklands Road. The car park you started at is on your left after about 3 minutes.
Congratulations! You’ve completed the walk!
We hope you enjoyed reading “East of Chirk Bank Across to Ifton Meadows”. Click here for more of our local walk articles.
