HOME Information Walking the Dee Valley Way Walking the North Berwyn Way Llangollen Corwen Sponsors

Corwen to Carrog Carrog to Glyndyfrdwy Glyndyfrdwy to Rhewl Rhewl to Horseshoe Falls Horseshoe Falls to Llangollen

Rhewl to Horseshoe Falls
 
Beyond Rhewl, the path curves around a large loop in the river, passing Llantysilio church, and leading to Telford’s unusual weir, the Horseshoe Fall

Distance: 3 km/2 miles
Difficulty: Medium (some hills)

The Llangollen Steam Railway is a rejuvenated section of the original Ruabon to Barmouth line. Like many Welsh branch lines, it opened in the 1860s, flourished until around 1900, declined in the 1920s and ‘30s, and was finally closed under the Beeching cuts in 1968. Enthusiastic volunteers have been painstakingly restoring it since 1975.

Llantysilio church sits on high ground close to the Horseshoe Falls. The church is dedicated to Saint Tysilio, the son of a local prince. Though much restored, parts of the original church built around 1254 can still be seen in the north wall. Interestingly, the poet Robert Browning worshipped here for ten weeks in the autumn of 1886

Look Out For … In early summer, the strong onion smell of wild garlic fills the damp woods and hedgerows along the path. By May, great swathes of white flowers carpet the woodland floor. An older name for wild garlic is ramsons - from the Norse and Old English for an ‘unpleasant smelling ram’.