It's a bit of a hill!

Just spotted an interesting article in the Denbighshire Free Press debating whether Moel Famau is an old volcano!

Apparently not, but this article makes for an interesting quick read!

Silly me!

Some time ago whilst messing around in facebook (I tend not to use it) I created a fan page for Moel Famau as an exercise in seeing what fan pages were all about. I then forgot all about it until today.

It seems that facebook now send out a weekly email for fan pages and I received one today. As it transpires I’ve been neglecting over 40 fans of the page. Sorry about that!

I’ve done a little bit of tinkering and you can now view the updated Moel Famau fan page.

Any tips/corrections always welcome.

I’ve just caught sight of this money saving offer from Blacks so I though I’d share it with you.

You can get £10 off when you spend over £50 by entering the code Over50 at the checkout page. Offer expires on Wednesday 31st March 2010.

They’ve also got a promotion on North Face fleeces with up to 25% off.

Click here to take a look.

Many thanks to Chris Attwood for letting me know about his Moel Famau webcam.

You’ll be able to enjoy the view by visiting this page – I suspect we’ve missed a view of a snow covered summit now, but I suppose you never know!

Many thanks to Nick at BBC northeast Wales for alerting me to a short video of the Clwydian Range. You can view the video and read more about the Heather and Hillforts project right here.

If you like seeing photos of the area then you’ll find lots of great images at the popular photo sharing site flickr.com – new images are added every week by walkers, locals, etc.

Also, thanks to you all for offering your thoughts on the proposed Moel Famau zipwire proposals.

Thanks to Paula Hughes for alerting me to the news that outdoor activity company Go Ape is aiming to build something called Zip Wild at Moel Famau.

You can read more about Zip Wild on this page and you can offer your comments here. As Moel Famau is a beautiful place within an area of outstanding natural beauty (ANOB) there are concerns that such a development is not appropriate for the area. So, do voice your comments (for or against) on that website.

A local action group opposed to the Zip Wild plans can be contacted by emailing paulahughes [at] freenetname.co.uk should you wish to offer your support.

And you can always add a comment here.

A long shot but you never know….

A reader of the site has been in touch to say that she is trying to find a camera that she recently lost on Moel Famau. The lost camera is a Nikon D40, black, and will have photos of a ginger dog.

As the owner was helping someone to push their stuck van out of the snow, I think you’d agree that one good turn deserves another! Please get in touch if you know anything about the camera and I’ll forward your details on.

Thanks.

Over here where I live on Wirral we’re privileged to have Ness Botanical Gardens that are managed by Liverpool University. The Liverpool Daily Post recently reported that an archeologist named John Hill has recreated the world famous Stonehenge in the park grounds and used two visible landmarks. Mr Hill says:

We have carefully orientated the henge so it incorporates a number of important astronomical alignments.

We have also aligned the henge towards the direction of a special ‘notch’ on the horizon between the two Welsh mountains of Moel Famau and Moel Arthur.

But I did that by observing the midday sun, not through years of studying the stars.

The north Wales coastline and inland is easily viewed from West Wirral of course, although Ness is much closer to sea level and not as good as the better viewing points such as Caldy Hill.

If are visiting anywhere Ness then do pay a visit to Ness Gardens (no dogs allowed) as they really are well maintained and well stocked.

Many thanks to Nick Bourne from BBC North East Wales for alerting me to a Moel Famau story. By the way, you can follow Nick on twitter.

Derek Brockway (blog archive) the BBC Wales weatherman has been filming at a few north east Wales locations, including Moel Famau. His blog report includes a couple of photos clearly highlighting the varying weather conditions that can occur in the Clwydian Range (and in many other popular hill walking areas of course). Always respect the weather.

Ray, a reader of the site has a question that you might be able to answer:

Can anyone please tell me about the little green hut that stands all alone in a field next to Bryn Bowlio Caravan Park on the way to the Loggerheads car park? This littl place looks like it has a bit of history to it was it a shop? or a site office? On a tree by the gate is a sign that says Camp Alyn.

If you can offer any information then please leave a comment.