A heathery ridge of old hillforts topped by Moel Famau, with easy summits and a canal in the valley below
The Clwydian hills make a clean line of heather-topped summits along the edge of north-east Wales, with the wooded Dee valley curling below. The National Landscape covers 389 square kilometres, designated in 1985 and extended to take in the Dee Valley in 2011, and much of the walking is friendly, with good paths, clear tops and short climbs that pay off quickly.
Moel Famau is the high point, crowned by the stump of the old Jubilee Tower and reached by a well-made path that families manage happily. Iron Age forts ring several summits, among them Penycloddiau and Foel Fenlli, while Offa’s Dyke Path threads the ridge from top to top. Down in the valley the Llangollen Canal has flat, easy towpath miles.
The tops are open to wind and can be cloudy, so take a warm layer even on a bright day. In late summer the heather turns the ridge purple, which is among the best times of the year for a walk up.
