Wales

Erddig Bryn-y-Cabanau and Lewis Wood walk

Erddig's Bryn-y-Cabanau woodland walk in Wrexham is a 3-mile circular walk around a purple waymarked route through a mix of riverside paths and woodland.

Near to

Erddig Hall and Garden

Start point

Erddig car park, grid ref: SJ326481

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Accessibility**

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 3 (km: 4.8)

Duration1 hour 30 mins to 2 hours

Dog friendly***

*Footpaths and gravel paths with boggy areas, as well as some steep inclines and declines. For further details, please see section marked Terrain.
**The route is not fully wheelchair accessible. For further information, please see section marked Access.
***Please keep your dog on a lead throughout. For further information, please see section marked Facilities.

Explore a 300-year-old wood

The peaceful 300-year-old Lewis Wood brings a rich abundance of wildlife and bluebells in spring. Bryn-y-Cabanau Wood is thought to have been used as a 19th-century rifle range, chosen for its remoteness and steep, wooded banks.

Address
Erddig car park, Wrexham, Wales, LL13 0YT.
Directions via Google Maps
By train
Wrexham Central station is 1.7 miles away; Wrexham General station is 1.9 miles away via Erddig Road and footpath.
By bus
Take the Arriva 2 from Oswestry, Route 4 from Penycae, or Route 5 from Llangollen. Stop at Felin Puleston, then a 1-mile walk through Erddig country park.
By road
Follow the brown signs on the A525 Whitchurch Road or the A483. Exit at junction 3.
Total stages: 14
Total stages: 14
Start point
Erddig car park, grid ref: SJ326481
Stage 1
Start by the dovecote and walk east through the coach park, continuing straight on to the stony track. On your right you'll see the dead oak tree (Quercus robur), which is home to barn owls and a myriad of invertebrates.
Stage 2
Follow the path round to the left and past the ha-ha.
Uninterrupted views
If you look westwards to your left past the ha-ha, you will see the back of the house, the canal water feature and a glimpse of the 18th-century formal gardens. The elaborate wrought iron gates from Stansty Hall, thought to be constructed by the Davis brothers, were installed at Erddig in 1977 when the house opened to the public. Ha-has are a quirky kind of wall built in the 17th and 18th century on country estates of the landed gentry. They typically formed a boundary between the estate's gardens and grounds and were built to be invisible from the house, ensuring a clear view across the estate.
Stage 3
Continue along the path and enter Big Wood.
Stage 4
Follow the path round to the left and take the right-hand path, following the waymarkers.
Stage 5
At the next set of waymarkers turn right and continue along Lime Walk, enjoying the views across the French meadow, following the course of the Clywedog River below you.
Stage 6
At the end of Lime Walk go through the kissing gate onto the road. Take care when entering the road as there is a blind bend. Turn left and make your way down the steep road over the bridge and towards Sontley Road car park.
Stage 7
Continue past Sontley Road car park and go through the kissing gate on the other side of the road, following the purple waymarker.
Discover 1,200 acres of parkland at Erddig | © National Trust Images/John Millar
Stage 8
Follow the footpath through Lewis Wood for about half a kilometre, following the purple waymarker arrows as you go.
Stage 9
At the edge of the woodland head over a stile leading out onto an open field. Bearing slightly left, go across the field where you will reach an iron footbridge across the Clywedog River.
Stage 10
Continue along the footpath to the right, entering Bryn-y-Cabanau Wood.
Stage 11
Stay on the footpath running through the wood with several sets of steps and slopes along the route.
Stage 12
Walk over a small wooden bridge and a stile, then head out of the woodland and into an open field.
Stage 13
Make your way up the field and over a stile at the top, then you arrive back out onto Sontley Road.
Stage 14
Cross over the road and retrace Steps 1 to 6 back through the kissing gate at the end of Lime Walk, through Big Wood and round the east of the house passing the ha-ha and returning once again to the dovecote.
Pass the 18th-century dovecote | © National Trust/Vicki Coombe
End point
Erddig car park, grid ref: SJ326481
Trail map
Bryn-y-Cabanau and Lewis Wood walk trail map | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
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The 18th-century house at Erddig, viewed across the lake with the water in the foreground.

Place

Erddig Hall and Garden

Explore a much-loved home, garden and estate filled with the stories of a family and their servants

A family walking their dogs in the park at Erddig, Wrexham, Wales

Trail

Erddig Big Wood trail

Explore a gentle stroll around the parkland at Erddig on this circular walk. Wander through woodland and discover the ancient remains of a Norman motte and bailey castle as you join the historic and mysterious Wat’s Dyke way.

A father and son lean over the parapet of the stone bridge in the park at Erddig, Wrexham, Wales

Trail

Erddig riverside walk

A circular waymarked walk around Erddig's estate, along the River Clywedog, past an 18th-century water feature, castle remains and historic defensive earthworks.