Wales

Erddig riverside walk

Enjoy a short circular walk taking you round the green waymarked route on the 1,200-acre estate with an array of natural and archaeological features. Take in Erddig’s famous 18th-century Cup and Saucer water feature, designed by William Emes, and follow the River Clywedog along the bottom of Wat’s Dyke and Court Wood into the historic village of Felin Puleston.

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: 1.5 (km: 2.4)

Duration 30 mins to 1 hour 30 mins

Dog friendly***

*Some steep slopes. For further details, please see Terrain section.
**Fairly easy terrain with one short steep climb. Footpaths and gravel pathways. For further details, please see section marked Access.
***Please keep dogs on leads due to livestock continuously grazing on the estate.

Dogs
Please keep dogs on leads due to livestock continuously grazing on the estate. Dogs not allowed in the Grade I-listed house and garden, but are welcome through the tea garden and to the Midden Yard.
Car park
Free parking
Electric vehicle charging point
Toilet
Toilets are available in the Midden Yard and in Wolf's Den natural play area.
Café
Tea garden on site.
Shop
Second-hand bookshop and gift shop on site.
Restaurant
Restaurant on site, please check opening times.
Total stages: 11
Total stages: 11
Start point
Erddig car park, grid ref: SJ326481
Stage 1
Begin at the dovecote and head down the main drive, past the 'No parking' area and cut through the small woodland past the Coachman’s tea-room.
Pass the 18th-century dovecote | © National Trust/Vicki Coombe
Stage 2
Go past the white gates on your right and head down the steep tarmac hill around the west front of the house.
Stage 3
Head through the wooden kissing gate and, if you’d like to see the unique 18th-century water feature, known as the Cup and Saucer, walk over the wooden bridge on your left.
The Cup and Saucer
This cascading circular water feature was designed by William Emes in the 1770s, along with many other features on the estate. The waterfall drops about 10ft and was designed to lower the Black Brook quickly to prevent erosion. There is also a hydraulic ram from the late 18th century, which used to pump 10,000 gallons of water 90ft uphill to supply the gardens and fountains. The thudding noise of the ram was known as the ‘heart of Erddig’. Black Brook was so named because of its origins in the coal mines at Bersham, a few miles away.
Stage 4
Retrace your steps back to the stone footpath, continuing over a stone bridge and along through the parkland.
Norman motte and bailey castle earthwork remains
On your right is Big Wood, where the 11th-century motte and bailey castle earthwork remains are situated. In winter you can see the steep slopes of the castle mounds. The motte and bailey was constructed in around 1071 by Hugh D’Avranches (Hugh the Wolf), the Earl of Chester, under instruction from the Norman King to gain control of the Welsh borders.
Stage 5
Follow the footpath, curving right and over a second stone bridge which then veers left across the grassed area to another kissing gate into Court Wood. Here is the point where the Black Brook meets the River Clywedog.
Stage 6
Continue through the woodland, which runs parallel with the River Clywedog.
Wat's Dyke
On your right in Court Wood, there is a steep bank which runs through the woodland. At the top of this bank is a large section of Wat’s Dyke. Constructed in the 8th century, it predates its larger cousin Offa’s Dyke, and is a 40-mile-long defensive linear earthwork in the form of a bank with a ditch on the western side, stretching from the Flintshire coast to south of Oswestry. There are 2 miles of Wat’s Dyke on Erddig’s estate.
Stage 7
During spring, Court Wood on your right has a spectacular array of English bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), as well as being a good habitat for small birds and mammals.
Stage 8
Continue along the narrow path through the woodland until you reach the Felin Industrial Estate and follow the path round to the left.
Stage 9
Go through the kissing gate and over the bridge on your left into Felin Puleston car park.
Stage 10
At the cottage turn left and through the kissing gate, continuing along the stone footpath to follow the course of the River Clywedog.
Stage 11
Continue through two further kissing gates and rejoin the original path by the stone bridge.
End point
Erddig car park, grid ref: SJ326481
Trail map
Erddig riverside walk map | © National Trust
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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.