Moel Famau — Local services in Cilcain

I get the impression that there's an easy walk from the car park at Bwlch Pen Barras. It might be fairly long but it's not up steep slopes. I walked from Loggerheads using the map I bought in the gift shop. I went one way up and another way down. The way up was pleasant but got very steep towards the end. I was sure there would be nobody at the top but I was surprised to see families and little dogs. Then I noticed a broad path from the West, or it might have been the South, with quite a few people on it. On my way back to Loggerheads I took the other, more Northern, route and found it much more pleasant than my way up. So, if you've got a car then go to Bwlch Pen Barras car park. If like me you're using public transport there are busses from Chester through Mold to Loggerheads but they're few and far between. The bus driver at Mold was very helpful and said I could get his bus rather than waiting for a later one. He dropped me off about 20 minutes walk from Loggerheads which was fine. Also if you miss the last bus back to Mold (as I did) then the barmaids in the pub (We Three) are very helpful and will let you use their phone to get a taxi. If you're short on cash there's a Spar at the nearby petrol station where you can get cashback if...

Favourite spot for a short, but reasonably challenging walk, suitable for families.

Plenty of parking available (£1.50 all day at the 'top' car park, possibly around £2 at the 'bottom' one, but it's been about six months since I've used that one).

The pay and display machines only take change, which is a bit disappointing these days, and possibly accounts for the number of people parking on the approach road (causing chaos).

For a more challenging walk, start from the bottom car park and follow the purple route markers. For a more gentle climb, start from the top car park, following the yellow route. From any direction the last short stretch is quite steep and not suitable for those less steady on their feet. The yellow route is just over 1.5 miles each way. The purple route is shorter (and steeper). Both routes have pretty good, solid paths with minimal muddy stretches, making it a good choice for autumn/winter.

The views from the top are stunning on a clear day. Plan for around 30-40 mins each way, depending on pace.

We used this, earlier this year, as a bit of a gauge of fitness, prior to attempting Snowdon (it's just over half the height at 562 metres). A visit between Xmas and new year has become a bit of a...

One of my favourite places to go for a walk, me and my dog come here about once a month. There are a few different trails, the most popular being the purple 'Jubilee' route to the summit and tower, which is a ~6km circular trail. This route has diversions to make it steep or easier. (The former of which gets pretty steep!) There are also some low-level, flatter walks. We tried the longer 11km, blue 'Ffrith' route last weekend. It's much quieter than the Jubilee route and the start - winding through the forest - is lovely. This route brings you to the back of the summit, with a very steep climb to the top. The views from the top (~550m altitude) are spectacular on a clear day and definitely worth getting up there for, whichever route you take. (If you come in August, the purple heather is in bloom and looks lovely all over the hills.) The car parks have recently been upgraded from coin-operated machines and now have ANPR pay-as-you-exit systems, which take...