PRESTATYN, NORTH WALES
SUNDAY, 25TH NOVEMBER 2007
Coach Leader: Jackie Gudgeon
Coach Leaves at 4.30 pm
Please read these coach notes carefully - they will help you to decide which walk will be the most suitable for you. If you have any doubts, do not hesitate to ask the leader for advice. For the safety and enjoyment of yourself and others, please try not to join a walk which is beyond your capabilities.TODAY'S WALKS
Strenuous Leader: Jackie Gudgeon Distance: 11 miles
After escaping from the streets of Prestatyn we follow Offa's Dyke Path up onto the Prestatyn Hillside Nature Reserve with fantastic views over the sea, before descending to Bryniau. Then across fields to Marian Mill and on to Marian Ffrith, the highest point of the walk at 240 metres. Although a modest hill in North Wales terms, this eminence affords us (weather permitting) wide ranging views over the surrounding countryside and out to sea. We will then circle round, mainly on quiet lanes, to Dyserth to view the famous waterfall, before joining the North Wales Path back to Prestatyn. Not a great height gain, but ups and downs.Moderate Leader:
No Leader for a Moderate Walk today unfortunately.Leisurely Leader: Sue Daniels Distance: 7 miles
From the bus station we join the North Wales Path which has good views part way along looking over Liverpool Bay and surrounding area. We amble along this path for approx. 2 miles then leave the path and visit the waterfall at Dyserth (probably have lunch here). After leaving Dyserth we join the Clwydian Way for a short while before taking the Offa's Dyke Path homeward bound. We will walk about 3 miles of its actual 177 miles (it runs from Prestatyn to Sedbury Cliffs near Chepstow).Easy Leader: Sue Beeley Distance : 4.5 miles
During our walk today we will walk along the Prestatyn-Dyserth Way, stopping at the waterfall for lunch. It is a surfaced path along the old railway line. This disused railway was used to transport mining and quarry products from 1869 until the mid 20th century. The walk will mainly be flat, however there is one hill (sorry about this).NOTES ON THE AREA
If you came to this area a couple of hundred years ago there would have been quite a different scene altogether. Prestatyn's life as a seaside resort had only just begun with the building of the Chester to Holyhead railway in 1848. Animal grazing kept the hill slopes as open pastureland, and the underlying limestone rocks had been ravaged by copper and lead mining, and later quarrying. The quarrying ceased in the 1950's with the closure of Manor Hill Works. Slowly scrub woodland encroached upon the hill, partly concealing the quarry faces, and providing new habitats for a diverse range of birds and insects. Stonechats and warblers are a common sight here, choosing to nest in the gorse scrub.
Sesile oak is the predominant tree, with hawthorn and sycamore also common. It is very noticeable that the woodland floor and many of the trees are cloaked thickly with ivy. Fortunately for the trees, it is quite harmless to their existence. Bluebells and dog violets add a little colour to the scene, while the less shaded, grassy areas have been colonised by the early purple orchid.
Dyserth Falls were once a centre for pilgrimages, as the waters were reputed to have healing qualities. Later, the falls provided power for the flour mills that stood behind the present Waterfalls Shop. The shop itself was originally the stables of Y Llew Coch (The Red Lion pub). Until the advent of the railway in the 19th century, Dyserth was accessible only by coach or on horseback. A steep craggy hill on the right of the falls was originally the site of an Iron Age hill fort, but the remains of this were largely destroyed in the mid-19th century. Stone and lime were excavated at Ochr-y-foel and this was a major reason for the opening of the railway line from Prestatyn in 1869. As the quarries became more important, the railway was extended to meet the workings.
The great entrenchment and earthwork of Offa's Dyke was constructed about 784 by Offa, King of the Mercians, as a line of demarcation between the Anglo-Saxons and the Welsh. It runs from Chepstow near the mouth of the Wye, almost due north across the neck of Wales to the sea near Prestatyn, and is still discernible in many places. The place names to the east of the dyke are wholly English, those to the west very largely Welsh.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
NEXT RAMBLE.Sunday 16th December 2007. Christmas Social to Cartmel. There will be moderate and easy walks today, led by Jim & Ramlah Eaton and Philomena Walker & Ann Scholes respectively.
Bookings Philomena Walker. Cheques to Skelmersdale Rambling Club.
Sunday, 6th January 2007. Barley, Lancashire.
Leaders: Strenuous: Selwyn Williams, Moderate: Jim & Ramlah Eaton , Leisurely: Joan McGlinchey, Easy:
Bookings Derek Lee. Cheques to Skelmersdale Rambling Club.
Coach pick-up times: Ormskirk bus station 8.40 am, Railway Road, Skelmersdale 8.50 am, Skelmersdale Baths car park 9.00 am.
Will walk leaders please let Jackie have details of their walks as far before the walk as possible. At least a week would be nice. Thanks. Those who have the technology can e-mail your notes - please use the address on the Contacts page.
SKELMERSDALE CHURCHES RAMBLING CLUB
Saturday, 8th December 2007. Ramsbottom, Lancashire.
Coach leaves Ormskirk Bus Station 8.30 am, Railway Road Bus Stop 8.45 am, Skelmersdale Baths Car Park 8.50 am, Upholland Labour Club 9.00 am.
Bookings: Yvonne Turton.
RAMBLERS ASSOCIATION WEST LANCS GROUP
Saturday, 1st December 2007. 10.30 am. Longridge Fell from Hurst Green village centre. 8 miles.
Wednesday, 12th December 2007. 1.00 pm. Meet at Wheatsheaf Inn, Rainford on A570 between Ormskirk & St Helens. 5 miles.
Wednesday, 26th December 2007. 1.00 pm. Parbold shops car park. 5 miles.
Sunday, 30th December 2007. 10.30 am. Rivingtom from Great House Barn Information Centre. 8 miles.
CLUB NOTES
RUCKSACKSPlease store rucksacks, poles etc in the coach luggage compartment. It is the coach company's rules that rucksacks etc are not brought into the coach, and this should only be waived (with the prior permission of the driver on the day) for those two or three people who are getting off the coach at places other than the main dropping off points.
Please remember that the rucksack rule is for our comfort and safety on the coach. Most members find it easy enough to bring a smaller bag on to the coach containing those things which are needed 'on the coach', and this requires only a little bit of thought when packing in the morning. Thanks.
Also, the custom of putting rucksacks into separate compartments for the journey home seems to be working quite well - remember, side boot for Skelmersdale, back boot for Ormskirk, although we appreciate this may not always be possible when the side locker is a very small one.
Please make every effort to ensure that, when you leave the bus, you take all your possessions with you. Please check the luggage rack, under the seat, etc, not to mention the boot. Please try not to take anyone else's stuff. Thanks.
LOST PROPERTY
Left on the Betws y Coed bus: two pairs of waterproof trousers - please contact Derek to arrange collection.
Left on Hollingworth Lake bus: One pair of fleece gloves. One set of car and house keys. See Jackie on bus today.
© Skelmersdale Rambling Club 2006