Wren Heritage Walks - Shropshire Council

The aim of Wren Heritage Walks is to promote the pathways, features and history
of the parish of Weston Rhyn. The area is criss-crossed with a vast network of
footpaths and bridleways, which in turn link onto other footpath systems.
The project was funded by the Local Heritage Initiative which is a partnership
between the Heritage Lottery Fund, Nationwide Building Society and the
Countryside Agency, with additional funding from Shropshire County Council and
Weston Rhyn Parish Council. Illustrations by Alan Gorton ©. Thanks to our local
farmers, landowners Mr John Richardson and Mr Nigel Williams, James Lanyon for
his expertise and guidance, all the volunteers who helped with the footpath work,
and special thanks to the villagers for their leg-work and historical knowledge.
Please follow the Country Code:
- close any gates you open
- use gates and stiles to cross fences, hedges and walls
- use only public footpaths and bridleways
- keep all dogs on leads
- leave no litter
Please note that some of these footpaths can be wet and muddy and that most of the
lanes in this area are single track with no passing places so you are advised to park at
the car parks mentioned.
Wren
Heritage Walks
Nine walks in the beautiful countryside
around the village of
Weston Rhyn

Lime Kilns
Chapel
Mount
Wood
Upper Craignant
Fron
Heulog
Fron Rough
Offa's
Dyke Top
Fron
SELATTYN
HILL
Bronygarth
To Selattyn
Tynyrhos
Dinas
Tynycelyn
Wern Mill
CHIRK CASTLE ESTATE
TELEPHONE BOX
POST BOX
Quinta
Pontfaen
Temple
Woods
Butcher's
Arms
New Mills
RIVER CEIRIOG
Quinta
Sunday
School
Village Hall
Weston
Rhyn Mill
The Last Inn
Car Park
Wren Heritage Walks, Weston Rhyn
BRIDGE
Weston Rhyn
Weston Mill
Upper Hengoed
VIADUCT
The Cross Keys
The Lodge
To Chirk
AQUADUCT
The Plough
MORLAS BROOK
Chirk Bank
Poacher's Pocket
Preesgweene
CANAL
A5
A5
To Oswestry
To Wrexham
Gobowen
St Martin'
CANAL

Walk 1 – TREHOWELL WOODS
EASY WALK • Approximately 3 miles • TIME about 1 hour
Park at the Cross Keys.
Turn right out of car park, through
village, over level crossing to Canal
Bridge No 18, turn left onto tow path,
with the canal on your left, continue to
The Poacher’s Pocket, up the steps at
Bridge No 19, left onto the lane (*1),
continue to T-junction, turn left and
quick right by a safety barrier, walk
between conifer hedges to a road, turn
left and quick right by lamp post and
wooden fence, straight across the next
road, through a metal kissing gate,
follow conifer hedge, through the next
kissing gate turn right. Over the railway
bridge to T-junction, turn left, 250
metres turn left through a wooden
gate into Trehowell Woods, turn right
under the bridge (*2). At the end of the
woods turn left into lane, past a small
cemetery and bear left, passing the
Quinta Sunday School on the right, this
lane ends at the village shop, turn left
and return to The Cross Keys.
The Cross Keys Public House takes its name
from the device on the shield of Renier, the
Bishop of St Asaph. The village once
belonged to his diocese.
*1 By staying on the towpath you can walk along
the canal and over the Aqueduct into Chirk.
*2 This footpath is used by kind permission of the
landowner.
Walk 2 – ALONG THE CANAL
EASY WALK • Approximately 2 1 ⁄2 miles • TIME about 1 hour
Circular route with starting points at
The Plough or The Poachers Pocket
(both public houses serve food).
Turn right out of Plough Car Park, over
level crossing, down to Canal Bridge No
18, turn left onto tow path, with the
canal on your left, continue to The
Poacher’s Pocket, up the steps at Bridge
No 19 and right into lane and up to T
junction. ( ** This is also the starting
point from Poacher’s Pocket). Straight
across road, down lane to the left of
white cottages. Continue under by-pass
bridge onto green lane, turn right at T
junction, continue to main road. Turn
left, walk along pavement, TAKE CARE
THIS ROAD CAN BE VERY BUSY, turn
right at cross roads (mirror). Continue
down this lane to canal bridge, turn
right onto tow path, under by-pass
bridge, to next bridge (No 18) leave
tow path, turn right and return to the
Plough, or stay on tow path to return
to the Poacher’s Pocket.
Rhyn means “promontory” in Welsh, the
settlement of Wes (the farm of Wes) was
established at about the time that Offa built
his famous dyke and so the area became
known as Weston Rhyn.

Walk 3 – SELATTYN VIEWS
MEDIUM WALK • Approximately 3 miles • TIME about 1 hour
Park at the Butchers Arms,
The Wern, Weston Rhyn.
This is a walk with outstanding views
across the Shropshire Plain, Weston
Rhyn, St Martins, Gobowen, The
Wrekin, Nesscliffe, Cheshire,
Wrexham.
Down lane directly opposite the car
park, past cottages, through the field
gate/stile, continue straight ahead to
gate/stile by stream. Across next field
bearing left to opposite hedge, over 3rd
stile and straight ahead to 4th stile,
turn right into Tyn-Y-Celyn Farm drive,
at T-junction (20 metres) post box on
right, turn left onto lane. Next left into
Dinas Lane, up the bank, bear left at
Dinas Cottage, continue up the hill 1 ⁄4
mile, ignore farm track to Fron Farm on
right. Fron Farmhouse dates from 1692.
The lane takes a sharp turn to the left,
then right and up another hill. (*) At
cross roads, turn left down the hill, left
again at next cross roads and return to
the Butcher's Arms. This road is busy at
times.
Buzzards now breed in the area, once more,
and can be seen soaring and heard "mewing"
when quartering the land in search of prey.
Walk 4 – MORLAS BROOK
MEDIUM WALK • Approximately 4 miles • TIME about 1 1 ⁄2 hours
As Walk 3 until (*). As Walk 3 until (*)
At crossroads, straight ahead into lane
opposite, continue about 1 ⁄2 mile,
road dips down steeply, there is a
water pumping box on the left and a
track leading down towards the
Morlas Brook, go down the track and
across wooden bridge, turn right into
lane, past Nant Isaf Hall on left, keep
on this lane past cottage and lane on
the right until you reach Dingle
Cottage (there is a track to the left
Nant Ffynodd Lane) take the steep,
right-hand path going up behind the
cottage until you reach Top Fron
Farm, turn left onto farm drive and
quick right. Walk straight down this
lane ( 3 ⁄4 mile) to cross roads, turn left
to return to the Butchers Arms, this
road is busy at times.
The cellar at the Butcher’s Arms was once
used as a slaughterhouse – hence the name.
The area has a history of coal mining and
lime kilns, the kilns were used to burn lime
for fertilisers, there were corn mills, fulling
mills and paper mills along the Morlas Brook.
The paper mills used wood pulp and rags to
produce various products including the blue
paper once used to line sugar bags.

Walk 5 – CHAPEL IN THE VALLEY
LONGER WALK • Approximately 5 miles • TIME about 2 3 ⁄4 hours
As Walk 3 until (*). At Cross Roads
turn right up the hill, straight on at
cross roads, along lane marked
unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles.
Fron Rough woodland on right, bit of a
drop and stream on the left, carry on
until you come to a cottage on the left
and Craignant Chapel on the right,
road bends round to the left, at the top
of bank join the Offas Dyke Path down
to the right, past lime kilns and then up
track to junction with lane, turn right,
past Upper Craignant Farm, continue to
the cross roads turn left, keep straight
on down the hill ( 3 ⁄4 mile) until cross
roads, turn left to return to the
Butchers Arms, this road is busy at
times.
On a clear day you can see the village of
Weston Rhyn nestling in the foothills, the
expanse known as the Shropshire Plain and
the defined outlines of Nesscliffe and The
Wrekin. You can also see across to Chirk,
Wrexham, Cheshire, Deeside and the Peak
District.
Henry II and his army marched across the
land between Oswestry and Weston Rhyn to
reach the River Ceiriog where the Battle of
Crogen took place.
Walk 6 – THE RIVER WALK
SHORT WALK • Approximately 2 1 ⁄2 miles • TIME about 1 hour
This is a walk along the banks of the
River Ceiriog.
Park by Telephone Kiosk at Pontfaen
Bridge (2 cars).
Cross stile into field adjacent to
Telephone Kiosk, continue with River
Ceiriog on the right until you reach
Woodland Trust stile into woods,
straight ahead through the woods and
up some steps. Leave the woods via a
stile – good views of Chirk Castle,
follow path past a magnificent oak tree
to next stile into green lane, continue
through gates through a small holding,
straight up driveway to meet main
Bronygarth Road, turn left, up bank to
S-bend. *At S bend take stile on left
back into woods, continue down steps,
through the woods, rejoin path at
Woodlands Trust stile and return across
field to Telephone Kiosk. (*or continue
along Bronygarth Road to next road on
the left, down steep hill to Telephone
Kiosk.
Chirk Castle was built by Edward I as a
border stronghold to control the Welsh. It is
reputed that after the Battle of Crogen in
1165, between the Welsh and Henry II’s
army, the River Ceiriog ran red with blood,
and that Owain Gwynedd, Prince of Wales
slept at Tyn-y-Rhos Hall.

Walk 7 – FRON (Outstanding Views)
MEDIUM WALK • Approximately 4 miles • TIME about 1 1 ⁄2 hours
Park at The Lodge or Village Hall
Car Parks.
Proceed along Bronygarth Road to
crossroads, turn left into Quinta Road,
keep the Quinta Wall on your right
until you reach left hand turn into
Dinas Lane, up the bank, bear left at
Dinas Cottage, continue up the hill 1 ⁄4
mile, ignore farm track to Fron Farm on
right. The lane takes a sharp turn to the
left, then right and up another hill,
turn right at crossroads. Continue to
grass triangle, turn right and then fork
right onto bridleway. Continue on
bridleway through gateways and stiles
passing a small farm on the left and
onto a track turn right into lane (**),
down the hill, past Tyn-Y-Rhos Hall,
second turning right, keep Quinta Wall
on your left, at Cross Roads turn right
and return to village.
(**) If you turn left here you will come to Mount
Wood. You are welcome by kind permission of the
landowner. There are numerous well marked paths.
The area at the top of the village was known
as "The Lodge" prior to all the village being
named Weston Rhyn. Weston Rhyn and
Bronygarth were part of the township of St
Martins until 1870 when they jointly became
known as the ecclesiastical district of “The
Lodge”, and in 1898 became a civil parish.
All the villages west of Weston Rhyn have
welsh names.

Walk 8 – THE TUNNEL WALK
LONGER WALK • Approximately 4 miles • TIME about 2 hours
Park at the Lodge or The Village Hall
Car Parks.
Walk along Bronygarth Road, past The
Quinta Christian Centre. Opposite a
lane on the left is a stile in the hedge
(step up) across field towards woods,
over stile through woods, you may walk
through tunnel or take the path
alongside, over further stile, across field
to lane, over stile turn left, about 50
metres on right is the entrance to
another tunnel, through tunnel and
over stile, across field, over another
stile, across field passing farm yard on
right to stile by oak tree in the hedge,
onto lane turn left, down the bank to T
junction, bear right down to the river,
before bridge turn left, up steep hill,
left at T junction at the top, next right,
2nd left, follow the Quinta Wall on
your left until you return to Quinta
Crossroads, turn right and return to
village.
The path under the tunnel was an existing
miners track, the tunnel was built to take a
carriageway from The Quinta Hall in the
1800s. The Quinta was a vast estate,
originally owned by the Myddleton family
(Chirk Castle) and from the mid 1800s by
Thomas Barnes, MP for Bolton
Walk 9 – THE LAST WALK
MEDIUM WALK Suitable for wheelchairs/pushchairs along quiet
country lanes • Approximately 2 miles • TIME about 1 hour
The road above crosses one of the streams that feed
into the Morlas Brook.
Both lanes are quiet by-roads, there are many in the
area, connecting the farms and the houses to the
main roads into Oswestry where traditional and
livestock markets have been held for hundreds of
years.
This one is particularly old and leads to the Old
Roman Hill Fort known as "Old Oswestry".
Park at The Last Inn, Upper
Hengoed.
This is a walk along the lanes
with lovely views of the
surrounding hills.
From the Car Park with The Last Inn
on your right cross the road into
lane opposite, straight ahead at
cross roads, continue through a
shallow ford (over footbridge) to
triangle at road junction, turn right
past pig farm and Daywell Manor,
the lane meanders along to a 4-way
junction – take sharp right follow
straight road, past another pig farm
back to cross roads, turn left and
return to The Last Inn, TAKE CARE
WHEN CROSSING THIS ROAD IT
CAN BE BUSY.