15th October 2026: Halkyn

 Given the weather forecast for a wet day’s cycling, there was an impressive turnout at the Gallery Café in Hawarden with CER members pretty much taking over the café.  Many discussions over coffee but obviously not so much about the routes for the day as Steve H, who wasn’t cycling, commented on a totally chaotic situation as riders assembled outside and hastily decided what groups they would join and routes they might do.

I had initially intended to join the mod group but it looked like it could be quite large and I didn’t want to add further to the group size.  Alan and Kevin had been discussing a shorter route out towards Northop and Halkyn with options to adapt the route based on the actual weather conditions.  This smaller group suited me and it would be on roads that I hadn’t cycled before, and so the three of us set off towards Northop Hall.

Alan had no set route but a good idea for the start of the route.  With his knowledge of the roads in the area, he guided us out to Northop, and on towards Halkyn, taking us left onto a road with a ‘No Through Road’ sign up hill to Midlist Farm, where we dismounted our bikes and walked past the farm on a designated public footpath. 

We had started the ride in overcast but dry conditions but now drizzle was now falling with the skies looking increasingly ominous.  We continued northwards to the east of Halkyn Mountain and up and around Holywell Common.  The drizzle had turned to rain and the gloomy and windy conditions gave no confidence in any imminent improvement, and so we decided to head back on a different route through Pentre Halkyn, Halkyn, Rhosesmor and Northop. 

We crossed many cattle grids on the route with a good number of sheep on the roads or grazing just off them.  We had also wished a fair few locals “Bore Da”.  Alan had cycled to the Gallery Café earlier and he left us at Northop to head home leaving Kevin and I to return to Hawarden where we had both left our cars.  Our round trip from Hawarden and back was just 26 miles but with 1,670ft of climbing. Alan’s mileage was higher at 33 miles and 1,800 ft of climbing.

A wet outing certainly but temperatures were mild and so we could have been a lot colder on another day.  It was still an enjoyable ride and it was good to get out even if it was a shorter route than normal.

Anthony M

See route map and/or gpx file download