Our CLOG Visit to Llangollen : 13-17 July 2018

Llangollen is a great centre for high-level walks up to about 550 m and attractive forest walks along the Dee Valley. The landscape may be gentler than in Snowdonia but we enjoyed the good views and the sense of the Great Outdoors. Some of our walks also included the Llangollen Canal with Thomas Telford's daring aqueducts. The early mediaeval "Crow Castle" rising above Llangollen also featured on our walks. So, our walks had an interesting mixture of great landscapes punctuated by great history!

Here are some of us on our first full day on a circular walk from Llangollen along Offa's Dyke Path.

When it came to evening dining, we found that Llangollen simply oozed numerous restaurants and eateries, from the up-market to those meeting more basic culinary wishes. On Sunday evening, we also had a nice in-house "DIY" meal at the hostel.

We had a lot of choice in Llangollen for eating out in the evening. Here are some of us enjoying the evening at "The Hand Restaurant" on the banks of the Dee.

We also had the opportunity to do some sightseeing: Chirk Castle (dating from 1310 and still inhabited) and Erddig (both National Trust), Plas Newydd (the 18th century home of the "Ladies of Llangollen"), as well as a heritage steam railway (Llangollen Railway) were all interesting possibilities vying for our attention. Indeed, the heritage railway was a good way to reach the start of some of our walks.

Jan is welcomed to Chirk Castle by a "mediaeval archer".

So, you see, we had a lot to do and see. The weather was also on our side - only a short shower when we arrived and a shower or so to round off our last day. It was reasonably warm, so lower-level walks were generally the wiser preferred option - but this certainly did not "spoil our thunder". A good time was had by all "as they say"!

A Big Thank You !

A big thank you, Dan (aided by Adrian), for so diligently organizing this trip. Thank you, Adrian and helpers, for arranging the communal meal on Sunday. Thank you, Dan and Adrian for organising our final meal at the Bridge End Inn on Monday evening. Thank you, event leaders, for leading walks and arranging "cultural" visits. Thank you to all for your company and for your contributions. Thank you to the Weather Gods; we had quite good weather throughout our stay!