Cambria Sports Culture CIC Cymraeg

All walksDee Valley and Llangollen

Dee Valley and Llangollen

Castell Dinas Brân and the Panorama

Up to a ruined castle on a cone of a hill above Llangollen, then along a terrace road under the limestone cliffs of Eglwyseg with the Dee valley below.

Distance
5.0 mi / 8 km
Time
2 hr 50
Ascent
300 m
Difficulty
Demanding
Shape
Circular

Where it is

The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.

The route

Climb steeply from the town to Dinas Brân, drop to the Panorama road and follow it north-east under the escarpment, returning by lanes or the canal towpath.

Worth knowing

  • The climb to the castle is short and relentless. Everything after it is easy.
  • The Eglwyseg escarpment is a limestone edge running for miles; the terrace path under it is the best of the walk.
  • The canal towpath makes a flat alternative return, and the Pontcysyllte aqueduct is four miles downstream.

What you’ll see

The castle ruins, the Eglwyseg cliffs, the Dee valley, and steam trains on the heritage railway below.

Background

Dinas Brân was a Welsh castle of the princes of Powys Fadog, built in the 1260s and abandoned within twenty years.