10th May 2019
It is easy to forget what a wonderful county we live in. Many will think of Wrexham as simply a market town, which is true but it is also an extremely diverse county. Close to the major motorway networks, and only a 45 minute drive to both Liverpool and Manchester Airports, Wrexham County Borough offers something for everyone. Be it shopping , fine dining, the growing tourism offering, country walks, culture, arts and a superb annual events programme, Wrexham County has it all. Above you will see a map of Wrexham County Borough which stretches from LLay in the North, over to Holt, the outskirts of Whitchurch, over to Chirk and the stunning Ceiriog Valley and over to Trevor and the World Hertitage Site Aqueduct, to the outskirts of Llangollen.
Over the summer months we will be out and about exploring many of the wonderful things Wrexham has to offer, as well as taking a look at some of the things just over our border.
To start with we thought we would mention the lovely little village of LLanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, at the top of the Ceiriog Valley, easily accessible via a lovely drive, cycle or walk up the Ceiriog Valley.
Extract from Wikipedia
“The village grew up at the intersection of several drovers’ roads which forded the River Ceiriog. It still has two inns, the Hand and the West Arms, which originally served drovers taking their flocks to market: the inns’ names are a reference to the armorial bearings of two prominent landowning families, the Myddletons of Chirk Castle and the Wests of Ruthin Castle. It also has an ancient tithe barn, now converted into a dwelling house.
The village church of St Garmon was possibly named after Germanus of Auxerre, though there have been suggestions of an alternative St Garmon. The original church was reputedly founded in the 5th century, and rebuilt in the medieval period. It was, however, largely demolished and rebuilt in 1846, and nothing remains of its earlier fabric.[2] A hoard of coins of the reign of Edward IV was found during the demolition.
The churchyard contains a mound, the Tomen Garmon, which may be of Bronze Age origin, accompanied by ancient yew trees.
Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog is situated in the upper Ceiriog Valley, which is known both for its high landscape value, being extremely scenic and dominated by traditional agricultural use, and as a strong centre of Welsh culture.[3] In the 2001 census of neighbourhood Wrexham 019B, containing the village, 55.1% of residents were found to have knowledge of the Welsh language, against 28.4% in Wales as a whole.[4]”
Llanarmon DC has several pubs / eateries and today we though we would give you a little peak at The Hand at LLanarmon.
“One of the thirty most cosy pubs in Britain” – The Sunday Telegraph
The Hand at Llanarmon is an ancient hostelry with all the attributes you’d expect – bags of character, a cosy, relaxing ambience and a warm welcome from your hosts, Jonathan and Jackie Greatorex. As soon as you arrive you feel the weight of the world dissolving as the surroundings work their magic. All the classic ingredients are here – old beams, roaring fireplaces, a casual mix-and-match of pine and oak furniture, real ale and good food. The latter is seriously good. Thanks to the talents of Head Chef Grant Mulholland and his team, The Hand is renowned for award-winning food; an inventive marriage of country fare and sophisticated metropolitan cuisine.
The bedrooms, in a variety of sizes, have all been decorated to a high standard and boast sparkling modern bathrooms, satellite TV and all the amenities that you would expect from a country house hotel.
Country lovers just love the location. You can walk in the Berwyns for hours with only the sheep for company and the ever-helpful Hand can arrange many country pursuits, including horse riding, fishing and shooting. You may be away from it all, but you’ll also be in the swing of things; this gem of a country inn is so much a part of village life that locals and visitors mix in unaffected harmony.
For more information visit website.
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