Clwydian Range AONB - Moel Famau

Loggerheads & Moel Famau

Moel Famau

At 554m (1818ft) Moel Famau is the highest summit in the Clwydian Range. Topped by the Jubilee Tower, it is a recognisable local landmark and visible for many miles. Moel Famau and much of the surrounding land makes up the Moel Famau Country Park one of the main visitor locations in the Clwydian Range attracting about 200,000 visitors each year.

Jubilee Tower

Moel Famau sits in the middle of the heather clad hills of the central part of the Clwydian Range – translated from Welsh it means “Mother Mountain” – and it is easy to see how it dominates the skyline of the area. The Offa’s Dyke National Trail is one of the best ways to walk up Moel Fama with its stunning views across the Vale of Clwyd to Snowdonia and the North Wales Coast.

The mountains here are covered in heather moorland, an internationally important habitat. But what remains is only a fragment of what was here 100 years ago, forestation and agricultural improvement has lead to roughly a 40% loss since the 2nd World War.

Much of the Country Park is Common Land, owned by Denbighshire County Council, where numerous farmers have the rights to graze sheep. Heather moorland in this area is historically an important area for grazing sheep, but to get the best out of it, the heather requires regular management.

You may be wondering what all the strange shapes cut into the heather on Moel Famau are. They are part of the on going management that has taken place in the uplands for generations – a combination of burning and cutting encourages new heather to grow providing fresh grazing for sheep. This also creates excellent nesting and feeding areas for upland birds. Of particular importance is the black grouse, one of the rarest birds in Wales but found here in small numbers – between 10 and 15 males have been counted here in recent years. Very early on spring mornings the male black grouse gather together to display and compete for the females. This leking is an extraordinary spectacle in the hills of North Wales and one that is increasingly rare. Much of the work on Moel Famau is aimed at improving habitat for black grouse.

The Jubilee Tower at the summit of Moel Famau was built in 1810 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of King George III. It was originally a much bigger structure with a huge column in the centre – extending to around 115ft. This part blew down in a storm in the 1860s and the tower fell increasingly into disrepair until it was reconsolidated in 1970. The Tower today helps to make Moel Famau a special place dominating the skyline and providing a distinctive backdrop to the lives of the people of Denbighshire, Flintshire and even as far affield as Merseyside.