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Foel Fenlli Walk – A Great Short Walk in the Clwydian Range for Families and Dogs

Foel Fenlli Hill Fort from above showing the fort
The fabulous view of the Vale of Clwyd from Foel Fenlli

Foel Fenlli is the second highest peak in the Clwydian Range (Bryniau Clwyd) at 511m / 1677ft , it is second to the much more famous Moel Famau and shares the same car park when walked up from the north side. You will also see it written Moel Fenlli, this is to do with the soft mutation from m to f in the Welsh language.

A sign post that looks ready to topple on Foel Fenlli

Foel Fenlli is situated between the North Wales towns of Ruthin and Mold. It is an ancient hill fort (similar to Moel Arthur). I’ll share a little of the history of the Foel Fenlli Hill Fort at the end of this post.

Foel Fenlli Car Park

The car park is called the Bwlch Penbarras car park. It’s run by Denbighshire County Council, it closes at 6pm in winter and 9pm in Summer and is not open for overnight stays or camping. There is a charge but if you’re prepared to walk you can find some free parking on not so busy days. Parking is only a few pounds though and it will go towards maintaining the paths and access.

The Route up Foel Fenlli from Bwlch Penbarras Car Park

There are a few different routes available and in time I hope to illustrate them all in this guide to walking up Foel Fenlli, however my first was around an hours walk for me after work on a beautiful summer evening in July 2023. The route shown is just over 1 mile and you climb just over 500ft. It’s a great walk if you have smaller children as it’s so quick to get to the top but once up you get a great feeling of height and being on top of the world with such huge panoramic views.

Looking over the Vale of Clwyd from Foel Fenlli
Foel Fenlli Elevation

Starting the Walk up Foel Fenlli

It’s a very straightforward walk up this pretty hill. Start from the road edge of the car park or if you have parked further in look for a large gate which leads you onto some grassland. There are lots of sheep, so dogs must be on the lead.

From this gate in the carpark it’s quite clear to see how the path heads diagonally up the hill.
Very soon you will reach a point where you can choose which way around you walk up, you can go left for a steep ascent or right to zig zag up to the summit of Foel Fenlli – I would always choose to go right as the views are more interesting and quite breathtaking.
Pretty Heather and Bilberries flank the little path that climbs up. It has been well maintained and although it’s not a wide track like you will get on Moel Famau, it is fairly easy underfoot. I prefer a smaller path that’s less well trodden!
You can clearly see Moel Famau’s famous Jubilee Tower from the Foel Fenlli path and summit, plus the clear well trodden track to the top.
The summit of Foel Fenlli – a big cairn / pile of stones marks the top
It’s quite flat at the top and again you get the views of Moel Famau as well as a stunning 360 degree panorama of North Wales, if you’re lucky you’ll be able to see the distant Eryri peaks.
A YouTube Short showing the stunning views from the top off Foel Fenlli
You can now decide weather to take the wooden steps which have been built over the historic ditches or simply head back the same way back to the car park, you can clearly see the car park from here showing you what a lovely short walk this one is and also how high up you are to start with, around a 1000 ft up from sea level which definitely makes hill bagging much easier!

Foel Fenlli Hill Fort

Foel Fenlli Hill Fort from above showing the fort
WOW! I only saw this view after I had walked up. The image shows Foel Fenlli Hill Fort from above, perfectly capturing the form of the fort, that’s so much work by our ancient ancestors. You can also clearly see the pile of stones at the top and the various little paths you could take if you wanted to try a different route. I’ll be adding maps of more routes – credit to Pint & Postcard for this fabulous drone shot.

For the best information about this possible Bronze Age Hill Fort head to www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk

You can download a really interesting guide to the conservation of the hill forts of the Clwydian range below.

clwydian-range-hillfortsDownload

Hike Safely – Find out the best Mountain Weather Apps for planning your hike in North Wales in this handy guide: The 3 Best Mountain Weather Apps & Resources for North Wales Hikers

Hilary

6 responses to “Foel Fenlli Walk – A Great Short Walk in the Clwydian Range for Families and Dogs”

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    […] Foel Fenlli – 511 m […]

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