Halkyn Mountain and Holywell Common Circular

This route gives walkers springy, sheep-cropped turf to walk on with all-round views: north to the huge windfarm in Liverpool Bay; east across the Dee Estuary to Wirral, Liverpool and Winter Hill; south-east over Chester and Cheshire; south to the Berwyns and west to the Clwydian Hills and Snowdonia. It is worth choosing a day with good visibility because the views are so good. Clear, crisp winter days can be very rewarding.

Unlike walks in agricultural areas, on this walk you are more likely to be confused by the number of possible paths rather than by searching for the legal route. For this reason, many of the route instructions give distant aiming points as well as waymarks that you will actually pass.

The green rurality of this route is a recent veneer; this area has been an industrial site since before the Romans arrived. As you look around, there are various small humps and fenced-off enclosures. These mark the shafts of former lead mines. There are scores if not hundreds of such shafts here. Lead mining ceased in the 1980s but limestone quarrying is still very important both for the local and the national economy, as some of the limestone is used for special purposes. The walk photo shows a superb limekiln that has relatively recently been restored and which provides a handy place to eat your sandwiches.

The industrial heritage has resulted in Halkyn Mountain being designated an 'Urban Common'. It is also largely 'Access Land'. The mine-shafts and quarry faces mean that dogs and children need to be well-supervised. It is believed that all the shafts have been fenced or capped, but one or more may have been missed. For this reason, watch your step if leaving a clear path.

Wales - North Wales - Flintshire - Countryside

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Walk id: 7831

Walk grade

Gentle Stroll

Length

3.7 Miles

Height gain

180 Metres

Duration

1 Hours 48 Mins

Average rating

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