Moel Famau is the highest hill of the Clwydian Hills and, standig on the border of Flintshire and Denbighshire, is Flintshire’s county top. At 1,817 feet, it is the lowest of Wales’s mainland county tops, but majestic on the horizon, and distinctive with its huge Victorian monument.
I climbed Moel Famau on my way back from Snowdon. I drove out to Ruthin, and to a lane running out of Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd, to the car park of the Moel Famau County Park. The car park was buzzing with Liverpudlian voices – this is a place to breath and enjoy the open air.
The Offa’s Dyke Path runs through here – it is a broad, made path, and it leads straight to the hill and its summit. The climb then is simple – follow the big path. It is only a couple of miles.
In this weather, the grass has been frazzled. Either side, the heather grows as vigorously as ever, and below is the green valley. Reaching Moel Famau itself though, the path runs up through browned land.
The summit is crowned with the Jubilee Tower – Victorian, concrete and decayed, but with a view out all around. (The trig point below has been painted ina naïve-art style for some reason.)
Back the way I came, and another county top done, with little drama.
Maps
- Explorer 265: Clwydian Range (1:25 000)
- Landranger 116: Denbigh and Colwyn Bay (1:50 000)