Moel Famau

Bwlch Penbarras (also known as Bwlch Pen Barras, or the Old Bwlch) is a mountain pass in the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in north-east Wales. The gap, which is at an altitude of 360 m (1,180 ft), lies between the hills of Moel Famau and Foel Fenlli. An unclassified road between Tafarn-y-Gelyn and Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd runs from east to west through the pass. Offa's Dyke Path, running broadly south–north, crosses the road at its highest point. The alternative name of Old Bwlch references its position on the historic route between Mold and Ruthin via Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd. It was superseded by the 18th-century Mold to Denbigh turnpike (now the A494 road), which crosses the Clwydian range several miles to the south, at Bwlch-y-Parc. The eastern side of Bwlch Penbarras is an almost straight ascent with no severe gradients; however, the western side of the pass is characterised by long drops, a narrower road and steep gradients: the road drops 260 m (850 ft) in 1.5 mi (2.4 km) with gradients approaching 25% and a sharp hairpin bend.

Moel y Gaer (Welsh for "bald hill of the fortress"), also known as Moel-y-Gaer Camp or Moel y Gaer Hillfort, is an Iron Age hillfort located on a western spur of the Clwydian Range, near the village of Llanbedr, Denbighshire, Wales. The site is a scheduled monument, classified as a prehistoric defensive hillfort.The hillfort is one of a chain of six hillforts in the Clwydian Range, which are, from north to south, Moel Hiraddug, Moel y Gaer Bodfari, Penycloddiau, Moel Arthur, Moel y Gaer Llanbedr, and Moel Fenlli.

Foel Fenlli or Moel Fenlli is a hill in Denbighshire, North Wales. With a summit at an elevation of 511 metres (1,677 ft), it is the second highest peak of the Clwydian Range.A popular ascent leads south from the car park at Bwlch Penbarras, which is also a popular starting point for ascending Moel Famau to the north. The Offa's Dyke Path runs around the western slopes. The remains of a hillfort roughly ten hectares in area are found on the peak; the site is believed to date back to the Iron Age but was later reoccupied during the Dark Ages. The "iniquitous and tyrannical" king Benlli (after whom the mountain was named) probably lived there c. 450. He was admonished for opposing Saint Germanus, and he and his castle were "consumed by fire from heaven", so the legend goes. There are the remains of strong ramparts on all sides, with an entrance at the west end. In the south-west quarter of the fort enclosure are about two dozen hut platforms; there is a spring close to the centre.

Cilcain is a village and community, near Mold in Flintshire, north-east Wales. The village has an industrial history and includes the Millennium Woods, a post office, a public house, a parish church, a primary school (Ysgol y Foel) and a village hall. Cilcain borders the parishes of Rhosesmor, Rhes-y-cae and Rhydymwyn. The community includes the village of Rhydymwyn. Cilcain every year has a Cilcain show. The Cilcain show happens at the village hall. There are usually fairs and a dog show. Also a junior and adults race either up Moel Famau or just up a little bit up the mountain.

The Clwydian Range (Welsh: Bryniau Clwyd; also known as the Clwydian Hills; or simply the Clwyds) is a series of hills in the north-east of Wales that runs from Llandegla in the south to Prestatyn in the north; the highest point is 554 m (1,818 ft) Moel Famau. The range forms the north-western part of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Llanrhydd or Llanrhudd is a parish one and a half miles south-west of Ruthin in Denbighshire, Wales; 'rhudd' being the Welsh name for 'red' – the colour of the local sandstone. In a tiny rural hamlet a mile or so from the town centre, St Meugan's was the original mother-church of the Welsh settlement which became Ruthin. The pretty little 15th century building (dedicated to a hermit-saint from Caerleon in Gwent) contains many notable furnishings – above all the ‘rood screen’ which once supported a ‘rood’ or crucifix (also at Derwen). The church probably dates back to the early 1500s and is a fine example of local carpentry: richly carved with intricate tracery, with an ‘ivy-berry’ trail (which is a Vale of Clwyd speciality) along its upper rail. The Georgian west gallery opposite (for choir and ‘church band’) is an even rarer survival, and is dated 1721, as such galleries were generally removed by the Victorians. Also rare is the ornate 17th century altar table. On the walls nearby are the intriguing monuments of the Thelwall family, who came to Ruthin with their de Grey overlords. The oldest depicts Elizabeth John and Jane Thelwall with their ten sons and four daughters, all named and some holding skulls to show that they died before their parents. The ninth son Ambrose is again commemorated by a fine portrait bust: a courtier to three Stuart kings, he retired here in the ‘troublesome times’ of Republican rule and died in 1653. In the churchyard (not far from the south porch) stands the decorated nine-foot shaft of a medieval preaching cross: and in the north-east corner is the gravestone of ‘Alfred Corbett, Tramp’ a popular figure who died in 1947. A good guidebook is available in the church. St Meugan's church is open by appointment.

St Mary's Church, Cilcain, is in the village of Cilcain, Flintshire, Wales. It is an active Anglican church in the Bro Famau group of parishes, in the Mold Mission Area, in the archdeaconry of Wrexham and the diocese of St Asaph. The church is designated by Cadw as a Grade I listed building.

Old St Peter's Church a Grade II-listed ruin is situated above the B5429 in the village of Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd. It was first mentioned in the Lincoln Taxatio of 1291. Valued at £418 in the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535.

Alyn Valley Woods and Alyn Gorge Caves is a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the border of Flintshire and Denbighshire in north Wales. Most of the site is also designated as the Alyn Valley Woods Special Area of Conservation and the southern part includes Loggerheads Country Park. The SSSI has an area of 190.3 hectares while the SAC covers 168.3 hectares.A large part of the site is covered by broadleaved woodland with sessile oak, ash and sycamore among the dominant tree species. Notable plants in the woods include stinking hellebore, green-flowered helleborine and wayfaring tree. There are also areas of calcareous grassland with plants such as bloody cranesbill and lesser meadow-rue. Much of the site lies on an escarpment of Carboniferous limestone and there are three cave systems: Ogof Hesp Alyn, Ogof Hen Ffynhonnau and Ogof Nadolig. Lead ore, zinc ore, limestone and calcite were formerly mined in the area.

Moel Arthur ("Arthur's Hill") is an Iron Age hillfort in Flintshire, Wales, at the boundary with Denbighshire, about 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Denbigh. It is on a prominent hill, height 455.8 metres (1,495 ft), in the Clwydian Range; it overlooks the Vale of Clwyd to the west. Offa's Dyke Path skirts the hill. It is about 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of the hillfort of Penycloddiau.

Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd is a small village and community in Denbighshire in Wales, approximately 2 miles north-east of the town of Ruthin on the main A494 road towards Chester. There are several places called Llanbedr in Wales, as the word literally translates to 'church of St. Peter' in English. There are two churches called St Peter's in Llanbedr D.C. (as it is sometimes abbreviated to), the original medieval church of St. Peter and still stands as a Grade 2 listed ruin near Llanbedr Hall, and the present parish church of St. Peter, also Grade 2 listed, is alongside the A494 dedicated in 1864, part of the Deanery of Dyffryn Clwyd in the Diocese of St. Asaph.In 1831 the parish had a population of 527, a number which fell to 285 by the time of the 1901 census. In the 2011 census the population of Llanbedr was 787.

The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley (Welsh: Bryniau Clwyd a Dyffryn Dyfrdwy) is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) located in north-east Wales, covering the Clwydian Range (Welsh: Bryniau Clwyd), and the valley of the River Dee (Welsh: Afon Dyfrdwy). Designated in 1985 as the Clwydian Range AONB, and expanded to its current form in 2011, the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty includes: medieval field systems, open heather moorland, prehistoric hillforts, limestone crags, broad leaved woodland, wooded valleys, and farmland. The AONB falls within the jurisdiction of the local authorities of Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Wrexham County Borough, with the majority, 80% of the AONB in Denbighshire, and the remaining 20% split evenly between the other two authorities. The AONB is the largest of only five AONBs in Wales, and one of the 46 in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of only 8 protected areas of Wales. Long-distance footpaths; Offa's Dyke Path, and the Clwydian Way pass through the AONB. The area of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB is 390 km2 (150 sq mi), and has been proposed by the Welsh Government to be replaced by a North East Wales National Park, which would be Wales' fourth national park. The AONB is underlain by sedimentary rocks dating from the Ordovician, Silurian, and early Carboniferous period with Triassic age rocks on lower slopes. The highest peak in the AONB is at Moel Fferna, peaking at 630 m (2,070 ft). The mainly Silurian Clwydian Range supports rounded, heather-clad hill tops which provide habitats for scarce flora and fauna and are home to Iron Age hillforts. Several areas have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Special Areas of Conservation, with the AONB also home to multiple listed buildings, scheduled monuments, and part of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2018, an estimated 1.1 million people visited six key sites across the AONB, generating approximately £24.1 million to the Welsh economy, according to Natural Resources Wales. The earliest evidence of human occupation in the AONB is from stone tools dated between 30 and 40,000 years ago in caves near Tremeirchion, with the oldest human-made feature in the AONB being the mound, Gop Cairn. The area is now used for a range of recreational, tourism, and agricultural purposes.