Sunday 18th January 2015 - Loggerheads, North Wales

The first walk of the new year is based at Loggerheads,North Wales. The coach will leave school as usual at 8.00 am prompt and go direct to the start of the walks. All walks start and finish at the Loggerheads Visitor Centre where there are toilets and refreshments and a pub across the road. The final part of the walks will be through woods where winter light drops quickly so check your torch batteries are good. We plan to leave at 5.00 pm to be back in Formby about 7.00 pm

The cost of travel will be £10.00 for members, £13.00 for non-members and £5.00 for Leaders, children and students in full time education. Please make your cheque payable to Range Walking Club and ensure it is signed as it is inconvenient for the Treasurer to chase up such omissions.

Please send in your return to the Treasurer before 8th January; places will be booked on the coach by the treasurer on a first come first served basis.

Cancellations: if you need to cancel or make a late booking, please contact the Treasurer on 01704 809287 who will endeavour to substitute your booking from the waiting list.  If you cancel after      8th January and it is not possible to fill your place on the coach, regrettably, we will not be able to give you a refund as coaches will have been booked on initial returns.

Christmas Walk: The Christmas walk on Monday 29th December 2014 was enjoyed by 27 people.  It was a beautiful sunny day with blue sky and lovely views over the snow covered countryside. After the walk we enjoyed a meal at the Boot Inn in the village of Willington.

Leaders Meeting: Monday 27th April The meeting is moved forward to April to assist with putting together the information for the AGM which is in July this year. 

Club Weekend 2015: 5th-7th June
The Club Weekend on the 5th-7th June 2015 will based in St David’s on the Pembrokeshire Coast.   A booking has been made for a group meal on Saturday 6th June in the Grove Hotel High Street St David’s SA62 6SB 01437 720341. The hotels and guest houses in St Davids all seem to be fairly small so there will probably be a need for us to stay in separate places.  However, since The Grove Hotel is on the High Street it will be an easy place for us all to meet throughout the weekend.  Since St David’s is a small city it is advisable to book as soon as possible to be close to the centre.  If you are booking The Grove Hotel please mention that you are part of the group booked by myself.

‘A’ Walk Distance: 12 miles Ascent: 2,500 ft Leaders: Gordon Spence John Hughes	From Loggerheads we walk back beside the A494 to Gwernymynydd where we turn south over the pastural Bryngwyn and Moel Findeg hillocks. As we cross Big Covert we will try and locate the cave at about SJ198606, which is reputed to be worth a visit (bring a torch). Continuing we soon turn west to Foel Fenlli with excellent views of the Clwydian Range and their high point Moel Famau’ which we climb next on the Offa’s Dyke Path. To complete the circle we drop down to Bryn y Castell and a pleasant woodland walk beside the river Alyn.
‘B+’ Walk Distance: 11 miles Ascent: 2000 ft Leaders: Lynn Smith Clare Lyons	We start and finish this walk at Loggerheads country park visitor centre. We leave the car park in a southerly direction, along the Clywydian way, through woods to the small village of Maeshafn. We continue on to Llanferres where we start our climb towards the top of Moel Famau.  The walk is on largely well-made paths and the way up to our highest point (555m) is mostly gradual, with a few short steep parts. The views on the way up are well worth the effort!   We begin our descent away from Moel Famau in a northerly direction, following the Offa’s Dyke path for a while - eventually getting back into Loggerheads along the Leete path, following the River Alyn.
‘B’ Walk Distance: 7.5 miles Ascent: 1300 ft Leaders: Trevor Ludlow David Willis	Loggerheads country park is located next to one of north Wales’ iconic ‘hills’, Moel Famau, which we tackle slowly and steadily before lunch, hopefully for good views from the Jubilee Tower at its summit.  After that it’s pretty much ‘climbing done’, as we descend across moor, fields and country lanes for a final stroll back through the country park and alongside the river, where the more adventurous can explore some of the area’s lead mining history.  This walk is definitely within the capacity of all ‘B’ walkers, so don’t be put off by the climb.  Boots essential as muddy in many places.
‘C’ Walk Distance: 6 miles Ascent: 500 ft Leaders: Denise Nunn Tony Nunn	Starting in Loggerheads Country Park (toilets, café, and visitor centre) we follow the wooded valley of the River Alyn in a north-westerly direction to the pretty village of Cilcain (pub, toilets). We then gradually ascend across the flanks of Frith Mountain before descending to meet the River Alyn again and a downhill stroll back to the facilities of the country park. This walk has a variety of scenery – wooded valleys, open hillside, the Devil’s Gorge, and the industrial heritage of this former lead mining area.