Chirk and The Ceiriog Valley

The Ceiriog Valley - A little bit of heaven on earth

Just a short distance from the town of Wrexham lies the outstandingly beautiful Ceiriog Valley, rich in Welsh cultural heritage and undiscovered landscapes. The exquisite unspoilt scenery of the Ceiriog Valley has inspired many great literary works by famous Welsh poets John Ceiriog Hughes (1832-1887), Huw Morus (1662-1709) and Rev. Robert Ellis (1812- 1875), and has come to be known as the 'Valley of the Poets'.

A journey through the peaceful Ceiriog Valley reveals exciting and vastly differing landscapes, from green pasture and woodland to rocky mountains, sweeping moors eventually reaching the highest waterfall in Wales, Pistyll Rhaeadr, one of the 'Seven Wonders of Wales'. Not surprisingly, this outstanding countryside is a fantastic outdoor activity destination.

The Valley's many excellent walks feature a vast selection of public footpaths for walkers of all levels, including the Offa's Dyke footpath. It's also a perfect pony trekking venue with bridleways stretching across the hills and commanding spectacular views of the Valley's natural beauty. The Ceiriog Valley offers many excellent outdoor pastimes. The rapid River Ceiriog is rich with fish and is the perfect fishing venue and some of the Valley's hotels have private fishing rights. There are some great biking routes, from cycle tracks along the river Ceiriog to demanding mountain biking in the Berwyn Mountains. The Chirk and Ceiriog Valley Partnership have produced a suite of literature to enable visitors to enjoy the area to its fullest. These include specialist print introducing the wealth of outdoor activities available.

Chirk

Situated along the River Ceiriog are a number of charming, picturesque villages, and where the River Ceiriog meets the River Dee at the gateway to the Ceiriog Valley, stands the Welsh border town of Chirk. Historic Chirk has so much to offer its visitors. From Thomas Telford's famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which is a proposed World Heritage site and Henry Robertson's railway viaduct to Chirk Castle (link to external website) with its impressive grounds and imposing gates.

Chirk boasts an excellent championship golf centre situated near to Chirk Castle (link to external website), as well as easy access to some great walking along Offa's Dyke path. The town centre has many interesting shops and a well equipped leisure centre, as well as some excellent accommodation, including what used to be Chirk's coaching inn on the A5 mail route to Holyhead from London.