PENMAENMAWR Broaden Your Horizons
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upland walk PENMAENMAWR Broaden your horizons... • Circular Walk • Druids’ Circle • Coastal Views This guide will help you to explore the hidden history of the WALK INFORMATION landscape above Penmaenmawr and identify the abundant birds and wildlife species you may see on your walk. Along Terrain: steep ascent and descent. the route are five locations of interest. This guide will direct Distance: main route 9km, you to each location and provide you with interesting facts 5 ½ miles. Optional route: about the surrounding area. add 1.5 miles. Time: 3 ½ hours. Optional route HOW TO GET HERE add 1 hour. Paths: lanes, tracks, grassy paths. From the train station: walk up Paradise Road to the crossroads in the Dogs: dogs should be kept under centre of the town. Cross the road to Fernbrook Road and the library close control at all times. car park on your right. Tel: 08457 48 49 50 Map: Explorer OL17. www.nationalrail.co.uk Start and finish grid reference: Library car park SH719 763. From the bus stop: walk to the crossroads in the town centre. Turn up Refreshments: available in Fernbrook Road and to the library car park on your right. local shops and pubs. Tel: Traveline Wales 0871 200 22 33 www.traveline-cymru.info All times and distances are approximate By Car: follow the A55 from the west to junction 15a / from the east junction 16 for Penmaenmawr. Follow the main road to the crossroads by the traffic lights in the town centre. Turn up Fernbrook Road and park in the library Check the weather at: car park on your right. www.mountainweatherwales.org Public Transport Enquiry line: 01492 575412 Be aware of changeable weather conditions. (Conwy County Borough Council) © Hawlfraint y Goron. Cedwir pob hawl. Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy 100023380 2010 FOR MORE INFORMATION © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. ABOUT: Conwy County Borough Council 100023380 2010 Stori Pen Cyf www.storipen.co.uk / 01492 623970 Penmaenmawr www.penmaenmawr.com Snowdonia National Park Authority eryri-npa.gov.uk / 01766 770274 Open access land www.ccw.gov.uk Please follow The Countryside Code Respect • Protect • Enjoy START OF WALK TO LOCATION 1 Did you know? STORY OF THE STONE JUBILEE PATH - SH 731 759 Puffin Island was originally ‘Maen Crwn’ is the welsh for From the library car park walk up known by its welsh name - round stone. This boulder has Fernbrook Road, continue around to the Ynys Seiriol meaning Seiriols been moved and shaped by a left to take the turning on your right up Island. Seiriol was a monk glacier and is therefor called an Groesffordd Lane. At the top of the lane who lived there in the 6th ‘erratic’. cross directly to Mountain Lane. Continue century. It is thought that people Looking over to Puffin up and over the cattle grid to Location 1 at Island and Anglesey from approximately 4000 years ago the two pillars. Location 1. stood the stone up and used it These pillars were built in 1888 to mark Did you know? to mark the ancient track which crossed this valley and went the opening of the Jubilee Path. This The granite above down towards the Conwy Valley. is a circular walk opened for visitors Penmaenmawr has been staying at the popular Victorian resort of quarried since 1830. The old Behind Maen Crwn you will see Penmaenmawr to enjoy the panoramic workings on the left have now the shallow Gyrach Valley. It views of the area. been landscaped. has been created by a glacier. You may see some of the many ‘erratic’ boulders which the LOCATION 1 TO LOCATION 2 Did you know? retreating glacier left behind. These boulders have been used MAEN CRWN - SH 731 749 The small circle of five Penmaenmawr quarries. and reused by people. From Location 1 walk up the track. At the boulders dates from 1300 – During the Neolithic and Bronze first junction take the track on the right 1000 B.C. The surface of the ages the boulders were used hand side. Continue past a farm to your circle was covered in quartz. to build ceremonial circles and left and go through a gate. Can you think of why this was done? burial mounds. In the Iron age In front, you will see the mountain Tal-y- they were used to build the fan. To your left is the Pensychnant Upland foundations of round huts. And Walk and behind you, Conwy Mountain. Did you know? in the 19th century the boulders Continue along the track past the turning were used to build drystone for the North Wales Path and to a second Meini Hirion is the welsh for walls. gate. In the field ahead and to your left long stones. Excavations in If you were stood at this point you will see ‘Maen Crwn’. 1958 dated the circle to the Bronze age between 1450 – before the 19th century you 1400 B.C. This is a thousand would have seen two stone years before the Druids came circles. These stones have to this area. The circle has since been reused to build LOCATION 2 TO LOCATION 3 drystone walls. DRUIDS’ CIRCLE - SH 723 746 nothing to do with druidism! It is a misnomer. Continue past Bryn Derwydd, on your right, along the tree-lined track. Just You may think of Meini Hirion before the last tree follow the North as an ancient roundabout. Wales Path waymarkers up to the right. Ancient tracks crossed Go through the field gate and continue to from the west coast and follow these waymarkers past a signpost Llanfairfechan to Bwlch y Ddeufaen and eastwards to Tal-y-fan. and up to the left. To your left you will see a small circle of five boulders and ahead the Conwy Valley. In the early the Druids’ Circle. bronze age traders brought copper and other metals from Ireland. Why not try a new walk? AT HOME ON A DRY For more information on the North Wales STONE WALL Path and other Upland Walks visit: Did You Know? www.conwy.gov.uk/countryside A variety of insects, spiders, Maen Crwn woodlice, millipedes, bees and wasps like to live in dry stone walls. They share their home with toads, slow-worms ,voles, field mice and the shrew. Dry stone walls make good sunbathing areas for reptiles such as the common lizard. They like to bask in the sun during the morning and afternoon. Circle of five boulders. The Druids’ Circle. If you look closely at a drystone wall you will see the lichens on the stones. Lichens are early signs of life. The thrive on the exposed stone surface in a pollution free countryside. LOCATION 3 TO LOCATION 4 Did you know? OPTIONAL JUBILEE WALK SH 722 747 STONE CIRCLES About half of the circle has AROUND FOEL LUS Follow the path around the right hand been excevated. In the Terrain: level path. Slight incline. side of the Druids’ Circle. Aim for the centre a cist (burial chamber) Distance: 2.3 km, 1.5 miles. ‘cairn’ stopping at a further stone circle was discovered. When the Time: 1 hour. followed by a circular bank of loose capstone was removed a Paths: Narrow track and grassy stones. large urn with the remains of paths. a child of about eleven was The Druids’ Circle with the The first circle looks like an untidy found. Go through the two pillars and Great Orme in the background. collection of boulders but the 1958-9 follow the track around Foel Lus. excavation revealed two three sided Nearby in a shallow pit, About 2/3 of the way around, by cists (burial chambers), that is, stone another urn was found which a bench take a path to the right slabs placed on end forming a cavity. contained the cremated to follow the pylons around Foel Each contained a cremation burial bones of a child of about Lus. which in one case was sealed by a twelve years along with a layer of quartz pebbles. small bronze knife. In another Continue along this path to shallow pit thirteen sandstone re-join the main track. You may Other finds were an oval hearth on hones (sharpening stones) turn right and walk back to which flat stones had been placed as if were found on which very Location 1 or turn to the left to to extinguish the fire; a circular fire-pit crumbled cremated human walk to Location 2. For more full of charcoal and a Graiglwyd stone bones were found. The information about this walk Location 4. axe. The site has been dated around surface of the circle was please see the next page. 1130 B.C. covered with white quartz. As you walk past the second circle you will see an 8ft. wide circular bank Did you know? of loose stones . The circle was also excavated between 1958-59. Against The chough is the only the northern inner edge of the circle a member of the crow family to have red legs and beak. It hole was found covered by a small slab. uses its long curved beak to It contained a small decorated urn full hunt ground insects in grass of burnt earth but no ashes. There was and heathland. also burnt earth below and around The male stonechat has a Graiglwyd. the urn and a fire had been lit on the bright orange-red breast covering slab. To the south-east again with a black head. You may against the inner edge, the cremated see one perching on gorse remains of a slightly built adult were bushes, bracken or stone walls.