Caergwrle is dominated by its castle, out of sight to the left of the railway station at the beginning of this section. Sometimes called “the very last Welsh-built castle”, Caergwrle was begun in 1277 by Dafydd ap Gruffudd, younger brother of Prince Llewellyn. From here Dafydd launched his victorious attack on the English castle at Hawarden in 1282. It was then taken by Edward I and shortly afterwards reduced to ruins by fire and was never rebuilt. The castle, which commands amazing views, stands in the corner of a much larger ancient hillfort on an isolated wooded hill. It can only be reached on foot via a steep path with steps; parts of the ruin are hazardous.

Within living memory, Caergwrle was a thriving spa town. In its heyday thousands of visitors would arrive in trains at “Caergwrle and Wells Station” to take the waters. On the road out of the village, 1,080- feet Hope Mountain commands the landscape to the west. Otherwise known as Waun Y Llyn, this attractive heather-covered park provides extensive views of the Cheshire Plain and the Wirral coast.

Visiting the park involves a detour left in Hope, picking up the A541 north before quickly turning left towards Horeb. The church of St Cynfarch and Cyngar in Hope was almost certainly founded in the early medieval period and the present building may date from the end of the 13th century, with a largely 16th century tower. The church is set in a raised circular enclosure. Far-reaching views of the Cheshire Plain appear as you drop down towards Kinnerton, a village which straddles the England-Wales border. The road from Penymynydd to Hawarden winds through a wooded area known locally as Tinkersdale.

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