A popular car park and beauty spot offering breathtaking views across the Vale of Clwyd has been transformed into a stunning gateway to the past.
The car park at the eastern edge of Coed Llangwyfan provides the perfect starting point for visitors to the Assembly Government forest and the neighbouring Iron Age hillforts of Penycloddiau and Moel Arthur.
The transformation has been designed to reflect the historic landscape the car park sits within and provides a stimulating environment for learning about the area’s rich heritage.
Using traditional dry stone walling techniques, craftsmen have built a series of earth and stone banks that define the car park and create a special feature that connects visitors with the past.
The dry stone walls echo the typical remains of the roundhouses and ramparts (the hillfort’s banks) found within the spectacular chain of hillforts built around 2,500 years ago that stretches along the Clwydian Range and Llantysilio Mountains.
The scheme was made possible through the Heather and Hillforts Project in partnership with Forestry Commission Wales, which manages the forest on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government, the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd.
Rachel Jones, Forest Partnership Warden for FCW and the AONB said, “The original car park was often full, especially at weekends, and parking was limited. Now with this project we have been able to provide additional parking and new access to the stunning view for people of all abilities.
“The car park’s elevated position above the Vale of Clwyd enables visitors to see right across the Vale to the open moors of Hiraethog and the Snowdonia Mountains beyond. The revamped car park will also include new panels to interpret the forest and this amazing landscape.”
Cadwyn Clwyd provided £35,000 through its Flintshire Sense of Place Project, which is supported by the Rural Development Plan (RDP) for Wales 2007-2013. The RDP is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Assembly Government.
Cadwyn Clwyd Project Officer Keira Derbyshire said, “The construction of this wonderful new car park has created a real sense of place that welcomes visitors and connects people instantly with the landscape and its exciting history.”
Erin Robinson, Heather and Hillforts Interpretation Officer, said, “Coed Llangwyfan is a fantastic site to begin your visit to the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and we wanted to ensure that people had a connection with the landscape’s heritage as soon as they arrived- at the car park!
“There are waymarked trails to explore the forest and Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail leads visitors south towards the Iron Age hillfort of Moel Arthur and to Moel Famau Country Park. To the north, visitors can experience an interactive heritage trail that brings the history of Penycloddiau hillfort to life.
“Visitors can access audio points along the way through their mobile phone or download a free mp3 version from the Heather and Hillforts website in advance.”
Carolyn Thomas, Chair of the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, said, “The stone work and landscaping visually enhances the area. The design of the car park now directly reflects the area’s heritage, especially the ancient hillforts that dominate the skyline all along the Clwydian Range.
“This is the second car park to have been designed in this way. As the finest craftsmen built the chain of hillforts around 2,500 years ago, we too have used local craftsmen to link these two car parks along the range, with traditional dry stone walling techniques.”
Further information on Coed Llangwyfan, along with directions, can be found on the FC Wales website at www.forestry.gov.uk/wales. To download the audio trail visit www.heatherandhillforts.co.uk.
