Route Guide

Difficulty: 

Moderate (For Experienced Riders)

Distance: 

16 - 20 Miles

Maps: 

OS Explorer 265

Region: 

Wales

Navigation Resources: 

GPS Log - MMO Format

GPS Log - GPX Format

This is a 16 mile mountain bike route around Moel Famau in the Clwydian Range, a chain of hills just inside the North Wales border near Chester. The riding on this route, although not very technical, is enjoyable as it has a good mixture of trails and a great descent off Moel Famau into the Vale of Clwyd. The trails are pretty much ridable all year but when it's wet it's muddy.

1. Start from the Moel Famau lower car park (GR172611). Follow the trail, signed as a cycle route, out the back of the car park almost opposite the entrance barrier. Follow it around to the right, past a junction with a footpath on the left, and straight up to where it meets a fire track on a bend. Climb straight up the firetrack. Go straight on at the first junction to the second junction, at the crest (GR178616).

2. Turn left up a short climb then bear left to a junction. Go straight on at the next junction and follow the trail as it contours around the eastern slope of Moel Famau. Keep to the main trail as it climbs and descends through a number of bends. The fire track finishes on a descent where it turns into a thin rocky track with bushes on either side. This turns left after a short distance and climbs to a gate (GR169633).

3. After the gate turn left and climb towards the trees on the grassy trail by the drystone wall. At the top bear right to a gate. After the gate follow the boggy section of trail keeping the trees on the left. The trail starts becoming firmer before coming to a crossroad junction (GR163633), with a steep trail on the left leading to the summit of Moel Famau. Go straight on along the singletrack through the heather. This track soon goes up a short, steep climb to the left then descends before jinking right through a drystone wall. Continue straight on after the wall to some rocky sections a little further on. The track then comes to a junction with the choice of climbing straight on or turning off to the right (GR156630).

4. Climb straight ahead, following the line of the drystone wall on the left, up a section that can be a bit wet and muddy and is usually a push. Fortunately this is only a short section. Halfway up go left to cross over to the other side of the wall then continue following the wall up to the crest of the hill. At the top go straight across Offa's Dyke path, that follows the crest of the hill, and descend on the long grassy trail that drops into the Vale of Clwyd. Follow the trail as it bears right and flattens out then turns left and steepens dramatically for the main part of the descent. This long, fast descent finishes when it crosses a drystone wall and drops through a right hander to a stream crossing (GR143627).

5. Go left through the stream then climb off to the right following the grassy trail. The trail eventually comes to a gate in some bushes, directly ahead. Don’t go through the gate but turn left and follow the edge of the field down to the small gate in the bottom corner (GR137633). Go through the gate and descend between the fences for a nice section through a gully in the trees. If it has been wet this can be quite muddy. At the end go through a gate to a junction with a lane. Cross the lane and continue descending along the bridleway ahead, just slightly off to the right. This is a nice fast trail but be careful of the stream in the deep gulley. The trail ends at a lane in the village of Gellifor (GR126626).

6. Go straight on a short way to a junction at the end of the lane. Turn left and follow the road to the end then turn left again. Follow this lane for a couple of miles and after the second crossroad take the dirt track off to the right, just before a house on the right (GR133603). Follow this muddy double track between the hedges. The doubletrack eventually gives way to tarmac, continue straight on to the junction on the bend in the main road (GR141588).

7. Carefully cross the main road and follow the lane on the other side. A short distance later bear right at the first small junction and follow the lane for about 1mile. Just past a junction on the right, signed to Ruthin, turn left up the track signed as a bridleway (GR142573). Follow this track through a farm. Climb towards the trees and at the first small junction follow the lane to the left. At the next junction, by a house on the right, go straight on and climb the dirt track into the woods (GR155576).

8. Follow the main track straight ahead through the trees ignoring the tracks on either side. At a junction at the top edge of the woods, where the right hand track leads to a house, take the left hand track that leads to a forked junction shortly after. Go through a gate on the right to exit the woods. Climb the track, keeping the trees on the left then go through a left hand hairpin at the stone buildings and climb back into the trees. After the trees bear right through a field then follow the track past some houses to a junction with the A494 by the Clwyd Gate Hotel (GR163581).

9. Turn right and descend the main road a short way then take the track climbing away on the left, just after bollards. At the houses follow the track right, then bear left and climb across the side of the hill. At the end of the gorse hedge on the left bear left off the track and climb a short steep grassy double track to a gate (GR170589). After the gate follow the singletrack into the trees. On the other side of the trees continue straight ahead through a few gates and fields, following the line of trees on the right. The grassy trail then descends through another gate to a junction at the bottom. Turn left and climb the steep grassy track along the edge of the field to a gate at a farm (GR172597).

10. Once through the gate turn right and go through two more gates set close together. Continue climbing, on a gentler incline, along the double track as it follows the drystone wall. The track bears right and flattens off before bearing left to a gate. Go through the gate then a short distance later bear right to descend a wide track. Bear left down the track and go through the gate about 1/3 of the way down. Continue descending ahead, bearing left around the hill, on the increasingly rocky trail to a gate and a junction at the bottom (GR179611). Turn left on the lane then follow it around a right hand bend to a junction at the end. Turn left and follow the lane to the lower Moel Famau car park on the right to complete the ride.