Straight from the Shepherds Hut website:

You are invited to the Moel Famau Shepherds Hut grand opening by Rt Hon David Jones, Clwyd West MP, Secretary of State for Wales.

The Shepherds Hut is a unique reproduction of a genuine Shepherds Hut, used in 19th century as a safe haven for shepherds against the elements. Customised to provide a environmentally sensitive “pit stop” for people who want refreshments and information in a very rural location, it also provides a showcase for local traders.

Our opening will take place in Bwlch Pen Barras car park – further details.

Have you seen a dog that went missing on Moel Famau yesterday (Sunday 10th November) at around 11.30am?

The female Husky is black, white and grey and she has a black sable on her forehead and sticks out like a sore thumb! The dog is two years old and her owners obviously want her home safe.

If you know if anyone has found the dog please leave a comment or contact Jamie Harris on 0151 342 1513.

[Photo above shows stunning views from atop the Jubilee Tower]

The repair works to the Jubilee Tower on the summit of Moel Famau have now been completed.

The BBC north east Wales team report that the Jubilee Tower was officially opened earlier this month following the completion of a programme of works that took several, weather-affected months. The specialist team from Grosvenor Construction started work back in February and had to endure cold temperatures and 6ft snow drifts earlier in the year followed by very hot days during the summer months.

Sam Clough, Architectural Assistant for TACP Architects describes some of the improvements to the Jubilee Tower: “The bastions have been revealed for the first time in a very long time, whilst steps have been constructed within the bastion making access to the top of the tower a bit easier than the steps constructed in the 1970’s. ”

Have you recently visited this iconic landmark and if so, what do you think of the renovations works?

*click for full size image

Many thanks to Gil Alexander for sending me this fabulous image of the Jubilee Tower taken on August 15th. Gil says: “This photo was taken from a microlight that I flew from Barton Airfield. I now live in Tucson, Arizona, but have many happy memories of hiking up Moel Famau as a teenager.”

As the photo shows, the renovation works were still in progress.

Many thanks to Tom Rees for making me aware of this unique short film of Moel Famau. This is Tom and his Three Times South team’s first attempt at a short film and was filmed over 6/7 weeks during July/August 2013 and was shot entirely on an iphone and gopro. Great views!

Visit the youtube channel  to view all the short films produced by Three Times South.

Helena emails:

I spotted a small rune amulet / pendant on the path up to Moel Famau on Saturday 29th June 2013. It looks like someone had already picked it up and placed it carefully on a flat stone to one side of the path.

I left it there in case the owner came back, but just in case, I think the location was:

South of the summit / Jubilee Tower.

Perhaps around 500 metres from the top.

On the less steep of the two ‘purple routes’ from Coed Moel Famau car park, i.e. the path that loops west of the steeper shale path up to the top.

On a rock on the left hand side of the path as you ascend.

The main contractors for the Jubilee Tower renovations – Grosvenor Construction – have recently published a couple of work-in-progress photos on their website including the one above featuring the entrance to the Jubilee Tower. You can imagine just how cold it must have been up on the summit of Moel Famau recently!

Visit their website to see a much larger version of the same photo along with another of an initialed and dated stone block.

This is a lovely, snowy view over the River Dee to Moel Famau from Burton Mill Woods, Wirral. The photo was taken by National Trust ranger Phil Neagle. You can follow National Trust Wirral on twitter. As the cold wind from the east keeps on blowing there doesn’t seem to be an end to winter just yet!

Talentog (translates to talented in English) is the company behind MoelFamauHut, a community interest company which wants to create opportunities for talented people in the area. Their website is here and this is what they’ve got to say about the project:

Figures from the AONB Clwydian Range show that there are nearly 200,000 visitors to Moel Famau every year. Talentog has been working with the AONB to introduce a Shepherds Hut, similar to one that was used in years gone by, to be used as a refreshment centre and information point so that the visitors can enjoy their visit to look over the Vale of Clwyd even more.

Talentog recognise it is important that we preserve everything that visitors enjoy about Moel Famau, so there won’t be generators, but we will be able to offer a nice cup of tea, and a good cup of coffee and locally made cake. Our staff are also working with the AONB so they will know about local conservation projects and the local history. With lots of information about what’s going on in the local area, we are hoping that people will hear more about the local areas and also want to visit the local villages and towns. And there will be a solar charging point for computers and phones to make sure people can take advantage of the AONB digital initiatives… phone tapes of the area are already in place… and digital imagery of the forts and the Jubilee Tower coming soon.

We are hoping that once the Hut is up there it will be a Hub for people who love the rural way of life and will be a focal point for some starting up businesses in leisure and creative pursuits, particularly (though not exclusively) for younger people.

As mentioned last week, the Jubilee Tower on the summit of Moel Famau is currently undergoing renovation works.

Here’s an aerial view video of what’s currently going on (and check out the other aerial videos of north Wales over on youtube):