AHNE Bryniau Clwyd / Clwydian Range AONB

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Local People & Businesses

In the past the dominant industry in the Clwydian Range was agriculture with important areas of lead extraction on Prestatyn Hillside and in the Alyn Valley. Since Victorian times Moel Famau has attracted visitors and tourists.

Agriculture, predominantly upland grazing by sheep, is still important but employs far fewer people than even 50 years ago.

In areas once exploited for lead, limestone extraction now takes place and there are several quarries in the Alyn Valley area, including Burley Hill and Aberduna, which supply mainly crushed road stone. Linked to this are haulage businesses, both within the Clwydian Range and outside of it, which provide the means to transport the raw material to where it is needed.

According to the census records from 2001 the highest percentage of type of employment for residents of the Range is managerial and professional, with percentage figures averaging at around 30%. A good number of these people will live within the Range but work in areas outside. Figures for those employed in Agriculture and Forestry vary from 2% to 13%, some of these people working in forestry will work within the Clwyd, Llangwyfan and Nercwys forest in the Range.

Census figures also indicate that in many of the communities within the Range between 50% and 65% of people were born in Wales the remainder have moved in from elsewhere.

The main villages have pubs, like The Druids in Llanferres, the Raven in Llanarmon yn Ial, the Blue Lion in Cwm and the Cross Foxes in Nannerch and Post Offices remain in villages like Llanarmon and Bodfari. Some of these pubs offer accommodation to visiting tourists and there are also bed and breakfast and self catering businesses operating within the Range.

In the last year development of food products from the Range has begun and you can buy Moel Famau honey, produced by bees foraging in the Clwydian Range, in local shops and farmers markets.