Colwyn Bay to Rhyl (20km/14miles)

I resumed the walk on a good sunny day, starting off from Colwyn Bay station, going back under the railway underpass to the east of the station to rejoin the North Wales Path at Colwyn Bay pier. Some major building work on the sea wall meant I had to walk on the inland side of the promenade road for  a while, before crossing over to walk more along the coast itself.

Soon, the road swings right under viaducts beneath first the railway then the A55, while a path and cycle route carries on along the coastline. Now, I had thought up to now that the new Wales Coast Path followed the line of the North Wales Path exactly along its length, but here the Wales Coast Path sign points straight on along the cycle route, but a glance under the viaducts shows the North Wales Path sign diverting inland.  The inland route is the right way, but I could have been misled here by following the Wales Coast Path sign. It did occour to me later that the coastal cycle route, joined up with the inland stretch of this path, could make a good circular walk.

The Path now follows the Colwyn river upstream, initially through a small public park, where this 1894 folly stands. Approaching the Abergele Road, the old main road before the A55 expressway was built, path and river pass under it in two parallel tunnels.


I carried on, past an attractive row of houses along the riverside, up a few steps to a road where the Path very briefly leaves the river's edge, before rejoining it through the 'Fairy Glen'.  The path continues along the east side of the river, climbing a little above it in the wooded shallow gorge of the Fairy Glen, following the line of what must be a former mill leat.  The Path emerges on a road to turn rightwards, then shortly afterwards turns left into a golf course.

Despite signs to remind us of the dangers of golf, and common-sense courtesy to other users, it really isn't obvious at first which way the walker should take through the course.  After consulting my map, I went upwards along a boundary to my left, then turned right along a line of trees, which succesfully got me to a Path sign at an exit into a minor road. The Path here crosses the minor road and enters another part of the golf course. This time it's more or less uphill at right angles to the road just left, towards another sign on a trackway, where I turned leftwards and upwards. 

A signpost gives us a choice of public paths, where our path turns right, follows the right-hand field edge downwards then turns left (a reassuring arrow here) to follow the far field edge towards a little footbridge over a stream, and stile. The Path crosses the next field to a woodland, although it really isn't obvious where the woodland should be entered until you're right there. There are the semblance of many paths through this wood, but what turned out to be the correct one is more heavily used, and has occasional square posts which have lost their sign plates. 

There follows another field, another wood, another field, another  wood, and again the signing isn't perfect but the square posts confirmed I was on the right lines. The last woodland path is downhill into  a small valley which then joins a track up round the opposite side of the valley where suddenly we are into limestone quarry territory. Nipping round some farm buildings, the path now follows Bwlch-y-Gwynt Road towards the village of Llysfaen and this Baptist chapel building.

I followed the North Wales Path sign on a track to the right, which then goes over a stile into a field. After climbing gradually most of the time since leaving the coast, the Path is now on a limestone plateau (not quite limestone pavement) with a sweeping view inland, overlooking a swath of agricultural land of the Dulas valley.  The path goes more or less straight on along the side of this plateau, but again all the posts (see picture) had lost their little sign plates, so although I could affirm I was on the Path, I couldn't always be sure which way to go next. But to give credit where it is due, I did later on come across contractors engaged in replacing and renovating signs and stiles.

As the river Dulas below me swang north to the shore, the Path too swings leftwards to follow the valley side.   The view here is of Plas Newydd earthworks on the west side of the valley in the foreground,  Pen-y-Corddyn hillfort on the east side opposite, the Clwydian range on the horizon.

Losing the square posts, I took an accidental diversion here as I followed paths to the summit of Craig y Forwyn. At the top here is a view down into a gigantic quarry hole, now being filled up again as a landfill site, and northwards to the coast again.

I followed a roughly parallel line before joining an old quarry road down to rejoin the North Wales Path. This then crosses a couple of fields and down a narrow pathway past a loudly barking dog, opening out onto the old main road through Llanddulas, a handsome village of local limestone.

I took time here to visit St. Cynbryd's church and a very tidy graveyard. There is also a large and striking village hall (pictured).

The Path crosses the main road and over the bridge, then follows a roadway down towards the beach.

A short way along from Llanddulas, an information board refers to the Honeycomb Worm Reef here. The tide being high at the time, I wasn't able to see this interesting natural feature.

From Llanddulas to Rhyl, following the North Wales Path for seven miles or so is very straightforward indeed as it simply follows the shoreline, which as it is all shingle beach to the left and a sea wall protecting low lying land doesn't give a great deal of variety.  The first stretch has the railway and A55 immediately to the right, then as the expressway swings inland, it got a little quieter, as out-of-season caravan parks, amusement arcades and holiday centres took its place. At Towyn you can see where the sea wall was hurriedly rebuilt when the sea encroached in 1990. Along the shore later on there was much sea holly, and hundreds of oystercatchers and dunlin, also this interesting little bird (pictured). After some conferring, this is identified as probably a Snow Bunting.

Finally the Path reaches Rhyl across the blue Foryd Bridge. I found my way to the railway station through back streets signposted as a cycle route there.

Verdict: The inland stretch was by far the most interesting part of this walk, and it's shame it wasn't as well marked as, say, the Anglesey Coastal Path, which is why I've written up the route in more detail. The long walk along the sea wall didn't add much; I can see that this makes a good way for cyclists, pushchairs or wheelchairs but for a walk, well, one mile was much like another.