We had managed a couple of short, local walks already during January, but this walk, on the last day of a frosty spell, was truly excellent.

Starting from the centre of Llangollen, we stocked up with a variety of provisions in the main street, before crossing the Dee bridge and joining the canal bank, which we followed upstream (yes, really!) to Pentrefelin. Here we left the canal and took to the fields paths past Valle Crucis Abbey to Tan-y-Fron. Crossing the minor road here, another path follows the bank of the Eglwyseg River until it meets a minor road - the road to World's End!

There is little option but to follow this road - however it is very narrow and very quiet, and we met few vehicles before arriving at World's End, which despite its exciting name is marked merely by a ford in a forest.

The walk so far has been a very pleasant stroll, little more, though the scenery was very attractive on this frosty, slightly misty day. From World's End however things change considerably. Turning to face back towards Llangollen, we joined the Offa's Dyke path, which here traverses the hillside beneath the crags which are a major scenic feature of the area. And this path is one of the best - a fascinating narrow way, facing the best of the views as we headed south.

At Rock Farm, about halfway back, the path joins another minor road, though once again it proved to be a very quiet one, taking us eventually to the back of Castell Dinas Bran, where the day's steepest ascent took us to the ruins on the hill overlooking Llangollen. 

Time for a few photographs....

....before following the steeply descending path back to Llangollen where, after a quick cup of tea, we returned to the car and headed for home.