Overview

This walk up Moel Tan y Coed, also known as Velvet Hill – with neither name appearing on the OS mapping – starts from the Llangollen Railway station at Berwyn and also includes the popular Horseshoe Falls. There are also three pubs and a brewery on the route, so you’ll be fine if you get thirsty.

The Horseshoe Falls, like the nearby A5 were built by Thomas Telford and aren’t natural despite their popularity.  There’s also the recently renovated Chainbridge near the start of the walk that provides an interesting way to cross the Dee.

Moel Tan y Coed, or Velvet Hill, provides unrivalled views across Llangollen and the valley and can be walked as a quick up and down walk for those who are looking for a shorter walk. The route returns to the start via the flanks of Llantysilio Mountains.

Quick Info

  • Level Easy
  • Duration 2 - 3 hours
  • Distance 5.22 km
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Facilities

  • The Chainbridge Hotel is at the start of the walk and the Britannia Inn is half way around as well as the Abbey Grange Hotel that also hosues the Llangollen Brewery.

More activities

River Tubing

Our friends at Bearded Man Adventures will take you and your friends on this unique adventure down the River Dee, where we tackle the exciting rapids and whitewater waves along the way. This is an adrenaline-fuelled activity that is perfect for an amazing day out for family and friends. These tubes are powered by the river’s flow and steered by pure arm strength.
  • All equipment & Instruction included

Archery & Axe Throwing

Be Robin Hood for a day or unleash your inner Viking with our open field archery and axe throwing sessions. Our good friends at Bearded Man Adventurers have all you need to have a great day learning to shoot a bow and arrow or throw an axe!
  • All equipment & Instruction included

Erddig Hall

In 1682, Joshua Edisbury was appointed High Sheriff of Denbighshire and began bulding Erddig; Edisbury was unable to finish before going bankrupt. Erddig Hall is a Grade-I listed National Trust property in Wrexham. Located 2 miles south of Wrexham town centre, it comprises a country house built during the 17th and 18th centuries amidst a 1,900 acre estate, which includes a 1,200-acre landscaped pleasure park and the earthworks of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle. Erddig's gardens have an astorment of rare fruit trees including 180 different type of apple trees! Eddrig's owners have had a bumpy financial history. The National Trust took ownership  in 1973 and began a four year period of restoration.
  • National Trust Castle

Chirk Castle

Chirk was never planned as a family home, the castle was built by King Edward to keep control of the Welsh people. The King gave Roger Mortimer the Chirklands, and was built by master-builder James of St. George (the builder of Harlech, Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Conwy castles). The castle was a symbol of English power and might, controlling the border and it dominating the surrounding land. Originally lime washed white, Chirk Castle stood out prominently in the treeless landscape. The castle was purchased in 1595 for about £5,000 by Sir Thomas Myddelton, a son of the governor of Denbigh Castle and successful London merchant. As a founder of the East India Company, an investor in the expeditions of Drake, Raleigh and Hawkins, he had the means to convert Chirk into a comfortable Tudor residence. His new stone north range contained a hall, buttery and kitchen, with upstairs drawing and dining rooms. This range, with alterations, became the main living quarters of the castle, while the old south range was gradually given over to servants. Inside the Castle rooms of different periods rub up against each other unlike the usual suite of rooms that flow seamlessly. As you walk through the State Rooms, you will pass historic interiors that are examples of the latest fashions of their time, and a collection that has grown through the centuries.
  • National Trust Castle