Introduction

I expect this will be my last Welsh walk of the year. It was a fine, quiet late October day, and I hoped to see some autumnal trees as I drove down the M56.

Rhosesmor is a small village to the north of Mold, not too far off the M55 North Wales Expressway. It’s an hour’s drive from Cheadle Hulme.

The walk is 5.5 miles with 775 feet of ascent.

It took 2 hours 45 minutes to complete..

The walk is very suitable for dog walking if they are small enough to be lifted over numerous stiles.

I walked in a clockwise direction.

The walk is on OS Explorer Map 265.

There is easy free roadside parking alongside St Paul’s Church, postcode CH7 6WJ, What 3 Words //ribs.treaty.caps

Rhosesmor & Moel y Gaer To Soughton Farm

Leaving the church I headed uphill past a pretty caravan in a back garden.

This is the highest point of the walk, and offered spectacular views.

Moel y Gaer is a lovely hill, with deep gorse and bracken, and was alive with small birds. Many birds will stop here as they migrate south through the Irish Sea and reach landfall here.

Coming off the hill and over the road, I walked down a lovely bridleway.

There were a lot of rooks and pheasants with the sheep in the adjacent trees and fields.

The iconography makes it clear that the pheasants are bred and released into the countryside, and a local advised me that Saturdays are shooting days.

Soughton Farm To Rhosesmor

The route moves through quiet lanes, bright grassy fields and pretty copses. The trees are magnificent at this time of year.

And rising past Quarry Farm there are more views to enjoy too.

The pheasants continued to abound and scurry or fly hastily from my approach. Here, they were joined by a squirrel.

As the woodland gave way to open farmland, the hills of the Clwydian range make a magnificent backdrop now that the corn plants have been harvested.

The final wooded area was full of bountiful red-berried holly.

Approaching the village, I came across some very clean and fluffy sheep!

And there was a final view to the Dee estuary with its extensive chemical industries.

Back in the village, the sights included a derelict car, and a hungry rook that sat there watching me eat my lunch!

This is an easy walk through pleasant and very quiet countryside. A most enjoyable autumn day.

And Finally….

We’re off to see Paul Heaton at Co-op Live in a couple of weeks. He has a new album out, “Jeanius”, accompanied by Rianne Downey.

Fifteen excellent tracks, hard to choose just one. This is Do Not Ask Me