Hiraethog Rural District

The River Clwyd (Welsh: Afon Clwyd) is a river in Wales that rises in the Clocaenog Forest (grid reference SJ045535) 5 mi (8 km) northwest of Corwen. Its total length is 35 mi (56 km).It flows due south until, at Melin-y-wig, it veers north-eastwards, tracking the A494 and passing through Derwen, Llanelidan, Pwllglas and Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd to Ruthin. Here it leaves the relatively narrow valley and enters a broad agricultural vale, the Vale of Clwyd (Welsh: Dyffryn Clwyd). Just south of Denbigh, it is joined by the River Clywedog. This substantial tributary also has its source in the Clocaenog Forest but drains out to the east and north of the forest and passes through Cyffylliog, Bontuchel and Rhewl before its confluence with the main river. Then the Clwyd meanders northwards through the fertile Clwyd valley to St Asaph. Around 1.5 mi (2 km) north of St Asaph, the river is joined by a tributary as large as the main river, the River Elwy. In normal flows at low tide, the waters of these two rivers can be seen flowing side by side down the river with little mixing. The River Elwy has its source a long way to the west on the flanks of Moel Seisiog south-east of Llanrwst. It also has a tributary the River Aled with its source in the upland lake Llyn Aled. The Elwy flows principally eastwards to join the Clwyd passing through few villages. At the confluence of the Elwy and the Clwyd, the river becomes tidal and enters a narrow estuary with much wildlife before meeting the Irish Sea at Rhyl. In 1277, King Edward I sited a castle next to the Clwyd at Rhuddlan. In order for his supply barges to reach the castle, he employed 968 men to work on what was called 'The Great Ditch'. He straightened the 3 mi (4.8 km) stretch of river that ran from the castle to the sea. This was an enormous feat of engineering, compared even to today's modern standards, and it is still possible to make out the original loops and turns of the Clwyd using satellite imagery. The former county of Clwyd, consisting of the modern-day principal areas of Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham and most of Conwy, was named after the river, when it was created as a two-tier county in 1974. The River Clwyd is known for an excellent run of sea trout (sewin), as well as Atlantic Salmon. In recent years including the recent 2017 season there have been good reported catches of wild brown trout most of which are returned unharmed on a voluntary catch and release system. Rhyl and St Asaph Angling Association controls 20 mi (32 km) of fishing on the River Clwyd and its tributaries the River Elwy and River Aled.

The Clocaenog Forest is in west Denbighshire and east Conwy, Wales on Mynydd Hiraethog. It takes its name from the village of Clocaenog, near Ruthin.

Melin-y-Wig is a village in Denbighshire, Wales. It is situated on the River Clwyd (Welsh: Afon Clwyd). Rising in the nearby Clocaenog Forest (grid reference SJ045535), the river flows due south up to Melin-y-Wig, when it suddenly changes direction north-eastwards: After flowing in a generally southerly direction from Waen Ganol to Melin-y-Wig, the river turns abruptly eastwards to flow through a deep, narrow gorge north of Moel Clegyr, swings north and northeast round Dinas and then continues on a course somewhat north of east below Derwen ... The village once had its own school, but in the mid 1960s, it was decided to close it in favour of the primary school in Betws Gwerful Goch. The last headteacher was Mr Oswyn Williams. Melin-y-Wig is noted for a Welsh nursery rhyme about it: This translates as:

Cyffylliog (also Y Gyffylliog in Welsh) is a village and community in Denbighshire, Wales. It is situated to the west of Ruthin on the banks of the River Clywedog. The community covers an area of 31.59 km2 and includes the hamlet of Bontuchel and a section of Clocaenog Forest. It had a population of 495 at the time of the 2011 census, a slight increase from 484 during the 2001 census. The name of the village means "place of pollard trees/stumps" and comes from the Welsh word cyffyll meaning stumps.The village has a small, bilingual primary school, Ysgol Cyffylliog, which had 25 pupils in 2011.

Brynbach was a National Campsite of the Scout Association, situated near Saron in Denbighshire in North Wales. The 200-acre site had its heyday between the 1930s and the late 1950s. It had naturalistic wooden entrance gates designed by Lord Baden Powell, the founder of Scouting.The camp had a summer-house (later moved to Gilwell Park), a 1 m (3 ft 3 in) deep boating lake, and a spring-filled swimming pool. An outline of the Fleur de Lys, the Scouting emblem, was created by planting Golden Larch trees in the surrounding woods.

St Mary's Church, Derwen, is a redundant church in the centre of the village of Derwen, Denbighshire, Wales. It is designated by Cadw as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches.

Derwen (historically, Derwen-dêg-fawr) is a rural village in the south of Denbighshire, Wales. It lies approximately halfway between Corwen and Ruthin, in the upper part of Dyffryn Clwyd on the north side of the River Clwyd, opposite the village of Bryn Saith Marchog. The population of the community as taken at the 2011 census was 426.The community includes the village of Clawddnewydd. An old Celtic Cross stands in the village, near the church, dating from the early middle ages. There is also the Grade II Ffynnon Sara.

Derwen railway station was a station in Derwen, Denbighshire, Wales. The station was opened on 6 October 1864 and closed for passengers in 1953 and completely on 30 April 1962. The station building is now a private residence. The platform also still exists.

Clocaenog is a village and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales. It lies on the outskirts of Ruthin and the Clocaenog Forest. The forest near the village has many walks of varying length and is one of the venues for the Wales Rally GB.

Clawddnewydd is a village in the community of Derwen, Denbighshire. The village has a community centre (Canolfan Cae Cymro), a shop (Siop y Fro) and a pub (Glan Llyn) all owned and run by the villagers. Cae Cymro is the name of the field adjoining the community centre, where Clawddnewydd FC play their Llandyrnog and District Summer League home fixtures.The Clawddnewydd telephone exchange in the village used to have its own area code (08245) until numbers were changed and it became part of the new Ruthin area code (01824). The exchange now services Ruthin area numbers beginning 750 (i.e. 01824 750 XXX), which includes the community of Llanelidan the other side of the A494 road.

Clwyd West (Welsh: Gorllewin Clwyd) is a constituency of the Senedd. It elects one Member of the Senedd by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the North Wales electoral region, which elects four additional members, in addition to nine constituency members, to produce a degree of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Clwyd West (Welsh: Gorllewin Clwyd) is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (at Westminster). It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post method of election. The current MP is David Jones of the Conservative Party, first elected at the 2005 general election and who also served as Secretary of State for Wales from 4 September 2012 until 14 July 2014. The constituency is set to be abolished, as part of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and under the June 2023 final recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Wales for the next United Kingdom general election. Its wards is to be split between Bangor Aberconwy, Clwyd East and Clwyd North.