Rhyd y Foel Walks
This small rural village lies in a lovely spot in the River Dulas Valley, near to the Conwy coast.
This short circular walk from the village takes you up to the Pen y Corddyn Mawr hillfort which lies just to the south of the settlement. You can follow footpaths up to the site and enjoy some wonderful views over the Dulas valley and the coast. The fort sits in a photogenic spot on the top of a huge limestone plateau surrounded by precipitous cliffs. It has an interesting Romano British, and early Medieval Period history.
Just to the west of the village you can pick up the North Wales Path. The long distance waymarked footpath could be followed north to Llanddulas where you can pick up the coast path to neighbouring Abergele.
Rhyd y Foel Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Rhyd y Foel Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Rhyd y Foel OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Rhyd y Foel Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Walks near Rhyd y Foel
- Gwrych Castle - This Grade I listed castle is located near Abergele in Conwy, Wales.
- Abergele - This town in North Wales has some nice walks along the coast and local woodland to try
- Rhuddlan To Rhyl - River and Coast Walk - This nice walk from runs from Rhuddlan To Rhyl along the River Clwyd and the North Wales Coast
- Llanfair Talhaiarn - This pretty village sit in a fine location, surrounded by the countryside of the lovely River Elwy Valley.
- Bodelwyddan Castle - Explore the 260 acres of parkland and gardens surrounding this 19th century castle in Denbighshire, North Wales
- Point of Ayr - This beautiful coastal Nature Reserve on the Dee Estuary is a great place for a walk with splendid views and an abundance of wildlife
- Prestatyn - This seaside resort is located in a great spot on the North Wales coast in Denbighshire
- Colwyn Bay - This lovely coastal walk in Colwyn Bay takes you to some of the highlights of this lovely area
- Rhyl - This seaside town is located between Prestatyn and Abergele on the North Wales coast.
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
The village lies on the western edge of Gwrych Castle, a striking Grade I listed 19th-century country house. You can visit the castle which is now open daily for visitors to explore and enjoy the 250 acres of historic gardens and parkland. The castle became famous in 2020 when it was used as the setting for the 20th series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Photos
The old post-office in Rhyd y Foel. A picturesque cluster of roadside buildings, including a proper telephone box and the old post office.
Dulas valley from Pen y Corddyn Mawr. The Afon Dulas runs through the coastal hills in a deep gorge with cliffs in the Carboniferous Limestone outcrop on both sides. In the middle distance is Craig-y-forwyn and in the far distance can be seen Mynydd Marian, all summits on the limestone outcrop. It is notable in this view that there is a matching limestone plateau on both sides of the valley at this point.
Walkers with their dog on the top of Pen y Corddyn Mawr.
Limestone cliff. The hilltop ends abruptly at these cliffs which form the eastern boundary of the fort. No need to build any ramparts here. Whether these are natural cliffs or the result of historical quarrying is very difficult to judge.
Disused quarries, Rhyd y Foel. The outcrop of Carboniferous Limestone has been exploited here for a very long time, as indicated by the dark grey colour of the rock faces in the middle distance, and the mature trees covering the heaps of spoil thrown down the hill towards the village.
Rampart, Pen-y-corddyn Mawr. Only the northern side of the hillfort is without a natural defence, so a neat pair of ramparts run east to west and define the hilltop stronghold. As there is very little soil up here, the ramparts are built of broken limestone heaped up and looking today very like the lower scree slopes.
Miniature forest. The scree, stones and limestone outcrop are covered in part with a low-growing mixture of Blackthorn and Cotoneaster. The large tree is a Yew.
Craig y Forwyn, Conwy lies just to the west of the village and is visible from the hill fort. The maiden's rock? There must be a story attached...... A seemingly natural outcrop, the extensive scree of debris and remains of benching with produced limestone boulders indicate that this too is extensively quarried. The local Carboniferous Limestone has always been a valuable asset, both for building stone and agricultural lime. The narrow gap of the Dulas valley as it cuts through the coastal hills is a natural point at which to exploit these mineral riches.