Llachi two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

Definitely the challenging way compared to the other versions, but remarkably easy too. It's not far from the pretty high street in Chirk to the well managed grounds of Chirk Castle. From there, a reasonably quiet lane takes you to the top of the hill where you join a track. The views are stunning, as far as Ellesmere Port and Runcorn to the north east and across the Cheshire Plain to the Cloud and the Staffordshire Moorlands to the east. As you make your way west you look across the Vale of Llangollen to the mountains beyond. The descent is long and steep in parts and the track consists of loose stones, which can wear on the knees a bit. There's another brief climb at Pen-y-coed, but this delivers you to a panoramic view of Llangollen before you reach the touristy town. We didn't stay, because we were heading on, but I was inspired to come back. There's so much to see and do. So in summary, this is more direct, but more challenging. The payoff is the views! Very easy to follow and safe. There are cafes, shops and a couple of pubs in Chirk as well as buses and the railway. Llangollen is on a regular bus route between Wrexham and Barmouth and has a plethora of places to eat and drink. There is however, little in between, but at around 10km, this will not present a problem for many walkers. A very very enjoyable walk. Full marks!.

I walked this with two friends from Chirk, and we returned via the canal route. It was a sunny day, and despite having had a lot of rain over the last few months, the route was pleasingly dry.
It started with a very nice walk through woods, full of wild flowers, before entering the well-tended landscape of Chirk Castle. There was a National Trust sign saying that the paths were “closed due to treacherous conditions” but it was absolutely fine! At the visitor centre they allowed me in to use the toilets without paying the entrance fee, which was pleasing. There were cows in some fields, but they were all fenced off from the route at the time. I guess they will be very used to humans wandering around anyway.
The road section was fairly quiet, and had fantastic views over the Cheshire Plain and the ridge that crosses it.
So far, we had climbed quite a height, but now we started descending, gradually to start with, as we left the road and followed an excellent track with beautiful views across the Vale of Llangollen. After a while the descent became quite steep and stony, which I found a bit hard going but also quite doable.
As we passed Tyn Dwr Hall there was the incongruous sound of bagpipes! Someone’s fancy wedding, I think. We could now see Castell Dinas Bran across the valley before another woodland walk led us down into the lovely but very busy town of Llangollen.
This was a really gorgeous route, although a little more strenuous than our walk back along the canal.

This route goes over the hill, using permissive paths near Chirk Castle, tracks, lanes and a woodland path near Llangollen. Much of it is uphill/downhill with good views.

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