Rhuddlan to Rhyl Using Paths on Both Sides of the River 15th January 2025

The way to Rhyl along the west bank of the Afon Clwyd.

Mute swans on the flooded field west of the Afon Clwyd.

Snow still evident on the mountain tops.

Great cormorants, Oystercatchers and gulls on the bank of theAfon Clwyd.

Greylag geese on the west bank.

Lapwings in flight.

Waders take to the air.

The Foryd Road Bridge.

An Oystercatcher resting while tide goes out.

Pont-y-Ddraig and Rhyl Harbour.

Pont-y-Ddraig.

Looking towards Rhyl from Pont-y-Ddraig.

Six out of 30 Mute swans on Rhyl Marine Lake.

Fran giving a Welsh lesson.

Distant view of Rhuddlan Castle.

"Let's make it a better place."

Nigel doing just that!

Tufted duck on Brickfields Pond.

A Moorhen on Brickfields Pond.

Brickfields Pond from the south.

St. Mary's Church, Rhuddlan.

The view from the steps at the Britannia Inn, Halkyn

Distance: 8.1 miles. Climb: 125’
Time: 4 hours 27 minutes.
On the move walking average: 2.7 m.p.h.
Overall walk average: 1.7 m.p.h.
Temperature: 9.2 Celsius at the start. 11.1 Celsius at lunch and 12.8 Celsius at the end.
Beaufort Wind Force: 0 – 1. Mainly Calm, but occasionally we just about felt something (Light air.
Group: Martyn, Mike, Nigel and Fran.
This was a superb day weatherwise, wall to wall blue sky, little or no wind a feeling pleasantly warm.
On this occasion, we decided to complete the walk in a clockwise direction. This meant we headed to Rhyl following the path along the west side of the river and returning to Rhuddlan along the tarmac path on the east side of the river.
Distant views were crystal clear, including the snow-covered tops of Eryri.
Lunch was taking next to Rhyl Marine Lake, where used one of the many picnic tables. It was a very pleasant 20 minutes or so, basking in the warm sunshine as we ate out lunch.
Our only disappointment was lack of birds on the Brickfields Pond, but over 30 mute swans on the Marine Lake made up for it.
Birds seen or heard today: House sparrow, Dunnock, Jackdaw, Common blackbird, Pied wagtail, Oystercatcher, Herring gull, Black headed gull, Great cormorant, Common starling, Collared dove, Great black backed gull, Jackdaw, House sparrow, Mallard, Teal, Lapwing, Carrion crow, Mute swan, Greylag goose, Goldfinch, Canada goose, Common redshank, Wigeon, Common coot, Moorhen, Tufted duck, Common starling, Woodpigeon, Great tit, Collared dove, Black tailed godwit and Goosander.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable walk, especially for those wanting to do a bit of birdwatching at the same time.
Doing the walk this way round had the disadvantage that the bright sunshine made getting clear views of the birds on the river difficult in the afternoon.
After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Britannia Inn where two of us were able to sample the excellent Lees bitter.

Around the Little Orme and on to Rhos-on-Sea 8th January 2025

The parting of the ways.

A Badger sheep in a field next to my route to the Little Orme Quarry.

"Can I get under that?"

"Yes, but only on my hands and knees!"

A different view of the disused quarry rock faces.

"I'm glad I climbed up to the higher path!"

A nice you notice, but not everyone takes believes it!

Looking towards Trwyn y Fuwch on the way to Porth Dyniewaid.

The tramway that I was glad to miss out by going round the Little Orme.

The Grey seals on beached at Porth Dyniewaid.

The Grey seals on beached at Porth Dyniewaid.

A different view of the Grey seal.

The Grey seals of Porth Dyniewaid.

At the trig point on Little Orme Head.

Here they down the last section of the tramway.

The view towards Penrhyn Bay and Rhos-on-Sea.

Just one Grey seal swimming in Porth Dyniewaid.

Crossing the sands in Penrhyn Bay.

Crossing Penrhyn Bay beach.

A Great black backed gull in Penrhyn Bay.

Visiting St. Trillo's Chapel.

Inside St. Trillo's Chapel.

Inside St. Trillo's Chapel.

The breakwater between Rhos Point and the slipway at Rhos-on-Sea.

An Oystercatcher and Grey heron at Rhos-on-Sea.

The donkeys at Penrhyn-side have come out to graze.

Distance: 7.5 miles. Climb: 505 (776).’
Time: 4 hours 54 minutes.
On the move walking average: 2.6 m.p.h.
Overall walk average: 1.7 m.p.h.
Temperature: 3.9 Celsius to 6.6 Celsius.
Beaufort Wind Force: 0 - Mainly Calm, but occasionally we just about felt something (Light air.
Group: Martyn, Fran, Nigel and Mike.
It was below freezing when we left Chester, so it was a pleasant surprise to find it was 3.9 Celsius when we arrived at Craig-y-Don at the start of the walk. No noticeable wind, this made for a very pleasant walk.
Still suffering from a lingering cough / cold., I decided to miss out the climb to the trig point on the Little Orme and take the easier route around the east side of the hill, meeting up again at Porth Dyniewaid (Angle Bay).
It worked out well, and arrived at the rendezvous point about 20 minutes earlier, plenty of time for me to take a few photos of the Grey seals (the main objective of thewalk today.
It was just after low tide, so we were able to walk along the sandy beach section for most of the way to Penrhyn Bay.
Lunch was taken next to the smallest church in the British Isles (St., Trillo’s Chapel, Rhos-on-Sea).
After lunch we headed for Rhos-on-Sea, just past Rhos Point, hoping that the PCs would be open. They were, and must have been recently refurbished and well maintained. Thank you, Rhos-on-Sea Council, for keeping your public toilets open for the benefit of the people, especially visitors like us.
We took the easy option back to the car, along the Rhos-on-Sea to Llandudno road.
Birds seen or heard today: House sparrow, Dunnock, Jackdaw, Common blackbird, Common buzzard, Grey heron, Pied wagtail, Oystercatcher, Eurasian curlew, Herring gull, Black headed gull, Great cormorant, Black headed gull, Common starling, Collared dove, Great black backed gull, Reed bunting and Carion crow.
I noticed that I had a flat tyre, and had to call out the Road Rescue Service to change a tyre for me. Thankfully they arrived quickly, and I was still home by 17-00.
Two new front tyres fitted today (9th January).
I believe the Upton Group called in at Rake Hall, Stanney for liquid refreshments.