North Wales Pilgrim’s Way
Day 2; Llanasa to St. Asaph.
As I live in the local area, I thought it would be worthwhile sharing a little of my context to the walk.
Welsh Background
The spiritual element makes this hike exceptional. This is not a hike to race through, to get a check mark, a Blue Peter badge, a patch for a boy scout, or a girl guide’s arm. This is a walk to be savoured.
These dark age grounds mark the three biggest events in many of our lives. Birth/ baptism, marriage and death. The churches are dense with atmosphere. Many of the churches were built on or near even more ancient Celtic springs and groves. Indeed, these places of worship were here before the roman church sullied the pure Christianity of the Celts. The Christianity of abstinence, of hermits. Bridget and Patrick were their cheerleaders. These churches and their saints and paths and byways were here long before ‘Saint’ Augustine. Prominent in the Celtic tradition were the Celtic monasteries and you will visit many places where these once existed and still do. In the time of St. Asaph there were almost a thousand monks. The monasteries would have hosted the travellers on their pilgrimage. You can be sure you are walking in their shoes.
The Synod of Chester was in the earliest years of the 7th century. Chester is 15 miles from the start of the walk at Basingwerk. Augustine had been dispatched by the pope to proselytize to the Anglo Saxons, and demanded the Celtic Christians join him. A Synod was convened at Chester for Augustine and the Welsh clerics to talk. ‘A hermit advised them to test Augustine: they should arrive late to the meeting and see whether he displayed the humility to rise in greeting. If so, the hermit advised them to accept him as a man of God and trustworthy in his leadership’. Needless to say in the spirit of the catholic church, not least of which whether it be the Inquisition, Nazi collaboration, or paedophilia, Augustine sat. Rome took the least Christian path and demanded dominion.
According to the Venerable Bede, and the Battle of Chester that ensued as a result of the synod, and referred to in the Annals of Ulster, 1200 unarmed Celtic Christian monks were slaughtered before the battle began. Being raised a Catholic, it is sad to recognize the base evil from the church’s inception. The writing was on the wall. Augustine argued it was God’s will the slaughter took place. A few years later at the Synod of Whitby in 664 many Roman practices were adopted. The Welsh did hold out as best they could until 768 for full assimilation.
On the Pilgrim’s Way you will visit the places where our most ancient Christian churches and holiest pre-Christian Celtic sites existed. These are special.
Bardsey Island (Island of the Bards) – A strong contender for the real-world location of Avalon. Afal is the welsh word for apple. There is no v in the welsh alphabet. A single f has the v sound and the Welsh letter ‘ff’ has a hard f sound. Translates from its Welsh name as the island of Apples. (Ynys Affallach). As it happens in 1998 the ancient Bardsey Island apple was rediscovered and has been identified as a ‘previously unrecorded cultivar. ’The apple is a long-time metaphor in Christianity and ancient religions for the soul.
Bardsey is the legendary island of 20,000 saints. It is said you can’t dig a hole, or run a plough on Bardsey without bringing up bones of the departed. Even using the bones as fence posts. There is evidence of preChristian burial, and its proximity to Anglesey – Mona, the holy island of the Druids and ransacked by the Romans. It is more likely this was the last burial place of dark age royalty, than greedy monks at Glastonbury, fortuitously finding Arthur and Guinevere buried together when the roof needed fixing. Just to add to their methods of fleecing their sheep.
Glastonbury is often identified as the Isle of Avalon. Mainly because those pesky catholic monks conveniently found the grave of Arthur and Guinevere in the grounds. This to add to their 300 other miraculous relics. I am sure I cannot be the first to notice that Glastonbury is not an island.
Local Background
The bones of Saint Asaph were originally interred in his hometown of Llanasa. It is unlikely this is the exact path (a detour to enjoy the view from the Gop is unlikely) taken by the ossuary but it will have been similar to the path we walk. Cyndeyrn Sant (alias Saint Mungo in Scotland and Saint Kentigern in English) on exile from Scotland founded the Celtic monastery (c. 545). Asa’s (alias Asa and Asaff) miracle was not too useful, bringing hot coals in his apron to warm Cyndeyrn’s feet, after the revered holy man Cyndeyrn had been standing praying in the river Elwy.
Llanasa has seen its share of vicious goblins and Witch trials, as well as the burial site for the poor sailors and shipwrecks as ships visiting Chester and later Liverpool washed up on the Talacre shoreline. The church is dedicated to Saints Asaph and Cyndeyrn (previously mentioned) and is the final resting place of Gruffudd Fychan ll in 1369. Gruffudd married Elen, the daughter of the Hammer of the Scots – Edward 1st.
Gruffudd was the father of the legendary Welsh leader Owain Glyndwr, Prince of Wales. There is no known resting place for Owain. After the rebellion floundered a huge reward was offered for his capture. Nobody gave him up. I remember being told at school he was last seen at Ruthin market. Welshmen pay their respects to his father at Llanasa Church.
Many contemporaries were executed for the attempt at freedom. It was left to Owain Glyndwr’s first cousin Henry Tudor (Henry’s great grandfather was executed for his part in Owain’s fight for freedom) to finish the job. In 1485, with the Tudor family flag flying high above the field, the Welsh beat the English and Henry Tudor was placed on the throne of England.
Llanasa and St, Asaph are truly ancient places hidden in the mists of the dark ages where some part of the British psyche always resides. The time of Arthur. Therefore, so is the Pilgrim’s Way. I remember hearing one well-known television historian dismissing the notion of Arthur. I am guessing he researched at the English universities of Oxford and Cambridge rather than the Universities of Scotland and Wales. The University of Bangor hosts the largest Arthurian collection in the world. This is where Arthur’s lore lies. The tales of Arthur are retold in the ancient Welsh collection of stories the Mabinogion and referred to The Welsh Poem – Y Gododdin, written about A.D. 600. Sometimes Arthur is the bad guy, where those he fought against tell their story. Firmly embedded are many tales and geographical features. When on the walk you will see Moel Arthur from the Gop.
The hatred of the English after their repeated violence against the Welsh (and the Scottish) cannot be underestimated. The best students in Wales and Scotland do not aspire to Oxbridge but to their native places of higher learning. My old Math’s teacher Palmer Parry used to tell us he had only ever been to England once in his life, and never wished to return, – a carpark in Chester. I guess he went there twice, as I saw Mr. Parry on TV, brought on as the final guest on Carol Vorderman’s turn on ‘This is Your Life’.
The Walk
Llanasa to Trelawnyd 3.5 miles
My sisters Sharon and Fay, Buzz the dog and I set out on a bright and crisp sunny March Day. The daffodils were in their full glory, and a cacophony of bleating lambs.
We were lucky as there had been a week of dry weather and therefore we hoped not to be as muddy as when we had engaged with the first phase of the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way a few weeks before.
Llanasa is an outstandingly beautiful village, in literally an ‘Area of Outstanding beauty’. There is a small car park opposite the church, where a small miracle takes place. No charge for parking! The pub, the Red Lion Inn, is undergoing refurbishment and may well be open when you read this. This will offer accommodation when it is open. Setting off west along the road, you soon see the NWPW sticker directing you left/south as if you are walking into a private garden. You are soon clear of the houses and climbing through open fields. Glorious views of the Wirral, Liverpool docks, the Lancashire coast including Blackpool Tower, and on towards the Lake District. As you climb further you can see the 16C Grade 1 listed building, Golden Grove behind. Originally built by Elizabeth I courtier Sir Edward Morgan.
It is not long before you approach Gop Hill. The largest man-made ancient monument in the UK after Silbury Hill. Outstanding views are offered in all directions. Llandudno, Snowdonia, Rhyl where the River Clwyd meets the sea. As well as the back side of the Clwydian range whence we will journey, and the village of Trelawnyd is nestled beneath us.
Soon we will be in Trelawnyd. A detour left in Trelawnyd will take you to the Crown Pub, and further on to a petrol station selling a wide variety of goods. I mention this as, outside of the Pubs we pass, there will be nowhere else to purchase supplies today until we reach St. Asaph.
Including the first stage of the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way (NWPW), the Church of Saint Michael and All Angels is the first church we have encountered that is permanently closed. Indeed, the others have all been very welcoming and well looked after, with the exception of Whitford where some repair work is taking place. We quickly found the stamp and were on our way.
Trelawnyd to Tremeirchion 6 miles
Traversing streams and walking through fields of sheep.
A rather large bull watches from a neighbouring field. The way is well signposted and muddy in places. A large field is entirely a bog. The Gop can be seen for some time behind us. The path takes us across the North Wales Express Way – the A55. After the peace and splendour of the Way, it is a reminder the real world is out there in all its bustling mundanity.
Not long after we are greeted with the warning that there are aircraft movements in the very field of the original path. We are directed to the perimeter of the field where a path has been created with a hedge on one side and a barbed wire fence on the other. It will be a poor walk when it is enclosed on both sides. Miserable compared to the open field. Not too impressed. Don’t buy a house with a public footpath running through the neighbouring field if you don’t wish to see the odd walker. Certainly, no evidence of the activities indicated in the warning sign having recently taken place. No marks on the field etc. What looks like a Spitfire (I am not an expert) is positioned outside the house but looks as if it is there for decoration only.
Not long until we passed a house with a lot of cameras and security – Bryntirion. There is either a lot of money inside or the inhabitants are wary of anybody coming to look for them. The giraffes and spiderman are keeping an eye on the pilgrims. You pass around the property and head up a side road, up and over Moel Maenefa. There are also pods available for rent here just close to the trail (Check Sykes Cottages – Rhuallt -Idris).
As you come over the top of Maenefa, tremendous views of the Vale of Clwyd and beyond greet you. Moel Maenefa translates as Rock of Eve and a great inspiration to the leading Victorian English poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. Hopkins studied at St. Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre or St. Beuno’s College as it is known locally. St. Beuno’s College, which is beneath you, hidden by the trees.
He produced some of his finest poetry while at St Beuno’s. He also learned Welsh, read poetry in the language and even composed a poem in Welsh. He was fascinated by the alliterative system of cynghanedd, where consonants are repeated in certain patterns, and adapted the principles for his English-language poetry.
It is a pity that the college is not a stopping place, and stamp, on the NWPW, to witness an active and successful present day religious retreat going through its paces. According to the guidebook, a visit to St. Beuno’s can be arranged, but you must do so in advance. Tel; 1745 583444.
The Stations of the Cross can be seen in a woodland garden.
For those who do not arrange a visit, you will be able to see the grandeur of the college more easily as you travel across the vale, between Tremeirchion and St. Asaph, looking back towards Moel Maenefa.
Hopkins himself used the pseudonym Bran Maenefa (Crow of Maenefa) for the poem ‘The Wreck of the Deutschland).
Moonrise – June 19th, 1876
I awoke in the Midsummer not to call night, in the white and the walk of the morning:
The moon, dwindled and thinned to the fringe of a finger-nail held to the candle,
Or paring of paradisiacal fruit, lovely in waning but lustreless,
Stepped from the stool, drew back from the barrow, of dark Maenefa the mountain;
A cusp still clasped him, a fluke yet fanged him, entangled him, not quit utterly.
This was the prized, the desirable sight, unsought, presented so easily,
Parted me leaf and leaf, divided me, eyelid and eyelid of slumber.
A number of paths come together for a brief time as we head towards Tremeirchion. Offa’s Dyke (starting/ ending in nearby Prestatyn), the Clwydian Way and ours. Watch your markers!
Prominent in the landscape, high on a nearby hill, is Rock Chapel. This is in the grounds of St. Buenos.
You will be able to see Tremeirchion now. We arrived around 3pm and we enjoyed our lunch sitting outside the community village pub – the Salusbury Arms. I had noted on a previous visit to the pub they had a dedicated Rambler’s Room. I had hoped this might be open even if the rest of the pub was not. It was closed. The Pub opens from noon on the weekend. We had waited until now to eat, as most of today’s trek had been completed. The small school was breaking up for home-time, and the kids were playing in the trees. A shared insight into life in Tremeirchion. The teachers, parents and children easily switched between English and Welsh as they greeted, cajoled and admonished each other.
The Church of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ was pretty and well kept. An organ dominated the rear of the Church. The stamp was easily located. Followers of St Beuno may have established this site’s Christian use in the 7th century. The churchyard’s original perimeter has the rounded form of early Christian sites, and the oldest of the 12 yews encircling the churchyard is more than 800 years old.
Meirchion was an uncle to King Arthur. Tremeirchion translates as town of Meirchion and formerly known in the Doomsday book as Dinmeirchion – fort of Meirchion. Sleepy village, violent past.
The oldest surviving parts of the current church probably date from the late 12th century. These are the south wall and part of the north wall – both shaped to resemble a ship’s sides.
Inside are medieval stone effigies of a man in religious dress and a knight in armour. Later memorials relate to John Roberts, the clergyman who started the Harvest Festival tradition in Britain, and Hester Lynch Thrale, a writer and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson. While living in Tremeirchion, she wrote her Anecdotes of the late Samuel Johnson, an important source of information about the man who compiled the seminal English dictionary.
Dr Johnson visited in 1774 and found Christ Church in “a dismal condition”. There were Welsh-language religious texts on the walls. In one of them, the word ‘caru’ appeared as ‘carwch’, which turned “Husbands, love your wives” into “Husbands, beat your wives”!
The church remains cool during the summer as its walls are so thick, a fact well known to Dafydd Ddu Hiraddug, vicar of Tremeirchion and canon of St Asaph in the mid-14th century. He made a bargain with Gwen Goch, a local witch, that she would stop stealing children if he would give his body to the devil, whether he was buried in a church or in a churchyard. He gave orders that his coffin should be placed in a hole in the wall, thus outwitting the devil by ensuring that he was neither in the church nor the churchyard. His tomb can still be seen.
The Rood of Grace, The Tremeirchion Cross of Miracles, is in the grounds of the church. Pilgrims would pray at its foot.
Tremeirchion – Saint Asaph 3 ½ miles
You walk down through the village. At the time of writing, you can see signs saying the road bridge is out of commission, having been washed away in 2021. As a listed monument of historical importance, it is taking some time to repair and still seems some way off. Rest easy. The NWPW will take you across a footbridge that is in good working order. From Tremeirchion St. Asaph and the Cathedral Tower can be seen.
Across open fields and sleepy hollows, we arrive at ‘Y Waen’ (rhymes with wine). ‘Tafarn y Waen’ (formerly and still called the Farmer’s Arms by the locals) on the Waen too. This offers accommodation and is on the trail. As we walk, we can look back towards Maenefa and make out St. Beuno’s college and Tremeirchion.
The Way takes us across a small footbridge, over the River Clwyd, and to the outskirts of St. Asaph. A short walk passed the Ysgol Glan Clwyd High School, and we are at St. Asaph Cathedral. The time is 4.45 pm.
Cyndeyrn (alias Kentigern and Mungo) established the community in around 560, leaving it for Asa (alias Asaph) to run.
It took William Morgan and his team ten years to translate the bible into Welsh from Greek and Hebrew. The original is on display. A thousand copies were published in 1588.
The cathedral holds the North Wales International Music Festival every September and runs for nine days. Plan your trip around this time and take in classical orchestras, brass bands, folk, poetry along with competitions.
The National Churches Trust
Written by Jimmy Platt, Landlord
Red Lion Inn, Llanasa
Sources –
History Points.org
Wikipedia
Supernatural Clwyd – Richard Holland
Keys to Avalon, The Lost Legend of King Arthur- Steve Blake and Scott Lloyd
The National Churches Trust
Curious Clwyd – The beauty, the history, the folklore of Northeast Wales
Sepulchral Slab – Llanasa Conservation Society website
Photographs by Jimmy Platt
