Pistyll Rhaeadr

The waterfall Pistyll Rhaeadr is one of the seven wonders of Wales and is well worth the visit. The waterfall itself has an 80 metre drop and is very impressive even in the summer. From the centre you can get to it by taking the road to Bala then turning left towards Llangynog. This road takes you around the other side of the Berwyn ridge. Once through Llangynog travel on to Penybontfawr and from here take the left hand turn to Llanrhaeadr-Ym-Mochnant. Once into this village the small side road on the left takes you up to the waterfall, this is signposted. Once at the falls itself there is some parking on the road or you can park in the main car park which is just £2.00. You can walk to the bottom of the waterfall where there is a bridge that crosses the river and you can walk from the car park up into open country and stand at the top of the waterfall. If you do this with young people you need to be very aware that it is a sheer drop and looking over the edge has the risk of falling. There is a café in the main car park and you can easily spend an hour or two at the waterfall and in the surrounding area. I have been to the café with a group of adults who all had a cream tea before trekking off to tackle the main peaks of the Berwyn ridge and then the walk back into Cynwyd.

For me the best way of getting to the waterfall is by walking in from Llangynog. This is a great walk that can be done with people who are fairly young although with younger ones it would be better to be met in the car park of the waterfall so you do not have to walk back to Llangynog. Details of this walk can be e-mailed to centre users. There is a free car park at Llangynog and you get into open country very quickly giving a complete sense of isolation but in reality you are never very far from a road.

The waterfall is well worth visiting and gives an enjoyable half day trip as part of your programme of activities whilst staying at the centre or cottage.

Llangollen Railway Thomas the Tank Engine weekend

On Saturday 26^th February we took the opportunity to go to Llangollen railways Thomas the Tank Engine day which was one of the two days being run over that weekend. We were up before dawn that day as our oldest daughter was awake early asking if toady was the day when we were going to see Thomas. We arrived at Llangollen station for 10.00 am and saw Thomas arrive for the day and then did our first ride on the Thomas train which spent the day going up and down the length of the platform at Llangollen. At this point it was raining but after visiting the imagination zone for some colouring and face painting we went outside again and by this point the sun had appeared and continued to shine for the rest of the day. Trains arrived and departed all day and we travelled up to Berwyn station and back into Llangollen for our longest journey of the day. More colouring, some time to watch an episode of Thomas on video and another ride on the Thomas train filled the rest of the day and we finally left at about 4.30 pm. We did not get time to take part in the main train ride or to visit the puppet show at Carrog station as we were too busy at Llangollen. The staff at the railway were all superb entering into the spirit of the day and the activities entertained two little girls superbly. At £14.00 per adult and £9.00 per child with under 3’s free we thought the whole day was brilliant value for money. We finally left with two very tired little girls who had both enjoyed themselves tremendously. More Thomas weekends come up later in the year and you can combine these with a trip to the Centre (for groups or multiple families) or the cottage (for one family). We will certainly be visiting the Thomas the Tank engine weekends again later in the year and recommend them to everyone. A really, really great day out.

Additional Activities

The following are our top ten suggestions for activities that can be carried out in periods of spare time or in the evenings. These are all activities that we regularly use at the centre when we run our activities. Please feel free to e-mail us at info@yrhenfelin-cynwyd.co.uk with any other suggestions that you may have. All the activities will require some planning and you will need to assess the risk of each activity based on the age and experience of your group. These are available as an A4 sheet when you make a booking at the centre

Watercolour Painting

Equipment:-          Watercolour paint

                                Brushes

                                Paper

Time:-                     1 – 2 hours

After you have been out doing activities get your participants to reflect on what they have done and draw or paint a picture of their days events.

Painting With Nature

Equipment:-          Various plants and leaves (not wild flowers)

Time:-                     1 – 2 hours

Instead of using water colours add a new dimension by making your own paints using natural materials such as grass. These need to be crushed with a small amount of water to produce natural paint.

Floating Candles

Equipment:-          Floating candles

Time:-                     1 - 2 hours

Take an evening walk just before dusk to an area with a lake or stream that has a small inlet. Float the candles in the water and light them. Allow everyone to watch as the candles reflection shimmers in the water. Make sure you extract all your candles before you leave. This activity can be done on the beach in rock pools.

Candle Lit Cairns

Equipment:-          Stones

                                Night lights

Time:-                     ½ - 1 hour

Just before dark build a hollow cairn (a pile of stones usually found on mountains) out of the stones. Place a night light in it and light the candle. Sit and watch the light reflecting on your day. This is very effective if you are out on the mountains in the dark especially if you are wild camping.

Pumpkin Lanterns

Equipment:-          Pumpkins or other suitable veg

                               Night lights

       Knives

Time:-                     1 – 2 hours

If you do not have a supply of stones or if you are doing your activity in October you can make lanterns instead of cairns.

Scavenger Hunt

Equipment:-          Plastic bags

Time:-                     1 - 1½ hours

Send groups out to collect as many different items as they can in the bag provided. This can be on a theme e.g. leaves and can be done in a large or small area.

Ice Mobiles

Equipment:-          Jam jar or other container lids

                                String

Time:-                     ½ - 1 hour plus overnight

This is an activity for when you know it is going to be frosty overnight. Pour water into your lids and place a leaf or other natural item into the water. Run a length of string through the water in your lids connecting a group in lids together. Leave them outside overnight so that the water freezes displaying the leaves in ice. Hang them in the trees as mobiles. Once the temperature rises you will only be left with some string.

Twig Stars

Equipment:-          Long green twigs

                                String

Time:-                     ½ - 1 hour

Make two triangles out of the green sticks. Interweave one triangle into the other to make a five point star.

Wind/Prayer Flags

Equipment:-          Coloured material (the more the better)

                                Long sticks or string

                                Sticky tape

Time:-                     1½ - 2 hours

This activity can be done in the garden or when at the top of a mountain. Cut out some triangles of cloth and make up some flags. Either place them on sticks or string them together. Have a different coloured flag for each person. Each person can have a private prayer or thought that will be carried on the wind once the flag is flown. Take the flags out when you do an activity and fly them in the wind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_flag

Boat Making

Equipment:-          Anything natural you find when out and about

Time:-                     1½ - 2 hours

As you are out and about gather some natural materials (twigs, leaves, long grass) and make up some small boats. Float these on the river and see which ones work best. You could even have a race with them similar to playing Pooh sticks.

Llangollen Railway Comes to Corwen

In August 2010 Llangollen railway finally secured the go ahead to extend the steam railway to finish in Corwen rather than where it stops now in Carrog. The estimated completion of the extension into Corwen is in 2012 and this will bring many tourists into the town. The town of Corwen may start to receive the level of tourism that Llangollen itself currently has. For Groups staying at the centre in Cynwyd this will mean that they are within walking distance of the railway station and will allow the younger Groups who use the centre to have a great day out in Llangollen with a 1¾ mile walk in the morning and afternoon. By going from Cynwyd on the nature trail walk that follows the old railway line into Cynwyd this could be a very educational and inspirational walk.

For older groups who want to do some walking they will be able to time their walks so that they can combine the walk up Moel Fferna with a trip on the Llangollen railway back to Corwen then the 1¾ mile walk back to the centre at Cynwyd. Alternatives to this for a full days walk would be to walk up Moel Fferna in the morning travel by train back into Corwen then go up through Pen Y Pign and onto Liberty Hall before descending back down into Cynwyd, a very suitable experience for 10 to 14 year olds.

Longer walks from the centre along the North Berwyn Way but dropping into Glyndyfrdwy before taking the Llangollen Railway two stops (Carrog and Corwen) and then doing the walk back to the centre will make a superb days adventure. The use of the railway (which is very reasonably priced) will add a special, memorable experience that will be a great way to spend a day in the countryside around the centre.

We will update the blog on progress with the Corwen extension and look forward to reports from our users on their adventures combining the railway with walks from the centre. 

http://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk/

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

If you are visiting (or looking to visit) the Centre at Cynwyd why not look at the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) website. This has a lot of information with regard to the Welsh countryside and some great articles and information which can be downloaded as part of the planning for your trip.

The Countryside Council for Wales, in partnership with the local authorities of Denbighshire and Wrexham, wants to extend the existing Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that is currently the Clwydian range to cover southern parts of the Clwydian Range, the Vale of Llangollen and parts of the Dee Valley. This will mean that the AONB comes to the outskirts of Cynwyd and will give recognition for the fantastic countryside that the Centre is based in.

The consultation period available for making comments on the proposal to extend the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has been extended and will now close 31/1/11.

A series of evening meetings and drop-in events have been held across the proposed extension area. We are now giving people more time to make their comments by submitting the written response forms. The new closing date is Monday 31/1/11.

Anyone interested in the proposal is encouraged to attend to find out more and have their say. The consultation document explains the proposal.

If you have any comments please fill in the Response Form then Email it to crpep@ccw.gov.uk by 31 January 2011.

Follow the link below to read more:-

http://www.ccw.gov.uk/landscape--wildlife/protecting-our-landscape/special-landscapes--sites/protected-landscapes/aonbs/clwydian-range-consultation.aspx

The District Winter Expedition 1995-2007

In 1995 Northampton East District Scouts undertook a project for the National Scout Headquarters called the Scout Action Research Project (SARP). This project looked at how we could effectively work with Scouting for 13 to 18 year olds.

We decided that what was needed was an adventurous activity to kick off the project and so the District Winter Expedition was developed. The idea was to take a large group of older Scouts for an adventurous weekend doing mountain activities. What started in 1995 was such a success this expedition continued for thirteen years as a weekend activity. In 2003 this activity became an annual Explorer Scout event.

Over the thirteen years that the District Winter Expedition took place we had well over 400 people take part in this event and stayed in many different areas.

We stayed at Cynwyd Youth Hostel twice for this expedition and this developed our love for the Berwyn Mountains and Dee Valley area and led in 2005 to us having the knowledge of the Youth Hostel to allow us to recommend its purchase to Northampton District Executive.

The format for the expedition was a weekend away leaving on the Friday evening and travelling to our venue. Saturday was a full day walk in Groups of seven usually two adults to five young people. Saturday evening was a main meal and leisure time and then Sunday was another activity like an incident hike, climbing, caving or other activity. The Sundays became quite exciting trips with things like hiking to the Llangollen railway then travelling into Langollen on the train all with a story around why we were doing it. Sunday afternoon was a meal in a local cafe and with the numbers we had we usually took the venue over and then we travelled home.

2007 saw the last Winter Expedition being organised for the District as the birth or our daughter meant that we were unable to commit to it further and nobody else took up the challenge. We still maintain that the formula we developed for this event stood the test of time and in all the hundreds of activities I have run for the Scout Association this event still stands out as the best.

Listed below are the details of the expeditions giving the year and area visited, the main peak ascended and the venue we stayed at.

1995 Peak District

Kinder Scout

Castleton Youth Hostel

1996 Brecon Beacons

Pen Y Fan

Llwyn-y-Celyn Youth Hostel

1997 Berwyns

Cadair Berwyn

Cynwyd Youth Hostel

1998 Peak District

Kinder Scout

Glenbrook Activity Centre

1999 Arans

Aran Fawddwy

Cynwyd Youth Hostel

2000 Berwyns

Cadair Berwyn

Penybontfawr Scout Centre

2001 Carneddau

Creigiau Gleison

Crafnant Scout Centre

2002 Eifionydd

Moel Hebog

Bryn Gwynant Youth Hostel

2003 Snowdonia

Glyder Fawr

The Old School Lodge Deniolen

2004 Lake District (Five Days)

Lamgdale Pikes and Coniston Ranges

Langdale and Coniston Youth Hostels

2005 Snowdonia

Nantle Ridge

Snowdon Ranger Youth Hostel

2006 Lake District

Fairfield Horseshoe

Grasmere Youth Hostel

2007 Peak District

The Roaches

Hartington Hall Youth Hostel

In 2004 we had a very special ten year anniversary of the Winter Expedition with a five day trip to the heart of the Lake District. This was open open to sixty Explorer Scouts aged 14 -18 and we did five days of exciting and adventurous activities. We stayed at Langdale Youth Hostel which is near Ambleside and participants all  took part in the following activities:-

• High mountain walk - The Langdale Pikes
• Two day mountain expedition with overnight stop at Coniston Copper Mines Youth Hostel
• Rock scrambling
• Mountain biking at Grisedale forest
• High ropes challenge course courtesy of Go Ape at Grisedale forest
• Water activities on Windermere
• Climbing

Throughout all the expeditions the main catering was done by a dedicated team of adults usually led by Phil Joyce this allowed the participants to concentrate on the activities.

For each expedition all specialist activity equipment was supplied i.e. maps, climbing and water activity equipment but we asked that all participants had a proper pair of walking boots for each expedition. For each expedition a training evening was held which allowed participants to learn navigation skills, have equipment advice offered and generally find out about everything that was happening during the expedition as well as meeting the staff. This also allowed parents to ask any questions that they had. The training evening was always held a few weeks before the expedition took place.

We are very pleased that over a number of years the District Winter Expedition was at the heart of Scouting in Northampton East and Northampton Scout District activities for 13 to 18 year olds.

Art At Cynwyd

We are very lucky at Cynwyd to have had several pictures painted for us and then displayed within the Centre. Most of these have been done by John Johnston who is a gifted artist from Northampton and he has worked with us to produce paintings of the surrounding area.

Many of the paintings are for sale and you can check these out and Johns other work at his website http://www.jwjarts.com/