Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Walks
Bryn Pydew & Marl Hall Woods
Date: 6th Apr 2012
Distance: 4.0 miles
Ascent: 460 feet
Time: 1 hours 50 minutes
With: On my own
Start Grid Ref: SH800786
Walk Summary:
The main reason for this walk was to visit the big obelisk above Esgyryn and the top of Bryn Pydew, the highlight though was the walk through Marl Hall Woods.
Route Summary: Marl Hall Woods Car Park - Marl Hall Woods - Eastern Covert - Obelisk - Bryn Pydew - Eastern Covert - Marl Hall Woods - Marl Hall Woods Car Park
Pictures:
1. The path along the bottom of Marl Hall Woods
2. Wild garlic was in abundance on the woodland floor
3. Bodysgallen Hall
4. The obelisk above Esgyryn
5. Looking down the quarry feet away from the obelisk
6. The view across to the Conwy Estuary from the top of Bryn Pydew
7. The mast and covered reservoir on the top of Bryn Pydew
8. Conwy Castle from above Marl Hall Woods
9. Looking west towards The Vadre
10. Above Llandudno Junction
Walk Detail: Over the course of the week I had regularly spotted the large obelisk above the village of Esgyryn near the top of Bryn Pydew. The main aim of this, my last walk of the week, was to find a route up to the obelisk and then to the top of Bryn Pydew.
Starting from the car park to the Marl Hall Woods Nature Reserve the initial walk along the woodland floor was notable for the dense carpet of wild garlic beneath the trees. Having climbed the steps known locally as 'Jacob's Ladder' I next walked through the woods of Eastern Covert to arrive at a minor road below the obelisk.
I hadn't been 100% sure if there was public access to the obelisk though a large sign post to the obelisk in the woods assured me this would be the case. The obelisk is certainly an impressive landmark though I was disappointed on arriving there that there was no explanation of why it was erected and how long ago. I've subsequently found out that it was only erected as built as 1993, seemingly as a folly by the owners of nearby Bodysgallen Hall.
From the obelisk it was then a simple walk along a road and then a track to the top of Bryn Pydew the top of which, like Mynydd Pant, was taken up by a covered reservoir. As expected gorse was also in abundance. I next walked through the small village of Bryn Pydew before retracing my steps through the woods of Eastern Covert and back into the Marl Hall Woods Nature Reserve.
At this point I took the looping permissive path through the upper part of the woods which emerges dramatically on a limestone shelf above Llandudno Junction which features a great view south west to Conwy Castle. This viewpoint was undoutedly the highlight of the walk and was a fine place to sit down for a while and appreciate the panorama before the easy walk back through the woods to the start.
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