Wednesday Walk - Welsh Woodlands and Ruins of Kings

Ewloe castle ruins and Wepre Woodland Park are situated about an hour drive from my home city of Liverpool.

The site offers a real countryside escape from the hustle-bustle of the city and a wealth of ancient history stretching back to the 11 hundreds.

Upon arriving we were greeted by the frantic barking of a nearby dog/cat kennels. There is limited parking on the road near to the path that leads to Ewloe castle ruins, meaning it is best visited at quiet times such as a weekday afternoon.

Please see my Pinmapple tag in the comments section to find the location of this hidden gem in North Wales.

After parking up, a 'public right of way' path on the right leads through fields to a woodland glowing green in the near distance.

The sun was lightening our spirits as we walked toward the woods, the crisp autumn air keeping us cool as skylarks swooped above and chaffinches trilled their morning song from the hedgerow.

After passing through a gate we descended a set of stairs and on to a well maintained path as sunbeams glowed diffuse through the bows of trees. The woods held a silence, heavy with the weight of time.

Wepre Woodland Park comprises of160 acres of ancient woodland that is rich in history and wildlife. The woods has a variety of habitats, and were mentioned in the Doomsday Book (published in 1086).

There are also many local ghosts’ stories about Wepre Woodland, with spirits said to roam the park.

This is hardly surprising given the history of Ewloe castle ruins and the surrounding woodland which saw a bloody battle in the 11 hundreds.

The battle of Wepre Woodland saw King Henry lead a huge army into North Wales in 1157 determined to defeat Owain ap Gruffudd the king of Gwynedd.

After sending a fleet around Anglesey to cut off supplies to the Welsh, Henry then marched 30000 men from Chester to Rhuddlian castle.

But Owain camped with his much smaller army at Basingwerk blocking the route, so Henry took some of his soldiers through Ewloe Woods (now Wepre Woodland) to try to outflank the Welsh king.

The endeavour ultimately failed as King Owain ambushed Henry's army and they were forced to retreat.

Perhaps these slaughtered soldiers are the shades that are sometimes seen silently wandering the woodland at dusk 👻 😉

Ewloe castle ruins are impressive, especially when you consider the age of the site.

It is possible to ascend to the battlements via a small ruined (but stable) stairway where there are impressive views of the old courtyard below and the canopy of the massive Oak and Sycamore trees 👇

The origins of Ewloe castle are something of a mystery. It seems a strange place for a castle as the slope above the castle leading to the fields where we walked would allow for easy attack by enemy siege weapons, which could easily cast missiles into the castle from the high ground.

The only historical reference to Ewloe castle states that in 1257 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (one of the last native and independent princes of Wales) built 'a castle in the corner of the woods.'

After ascending the battlements to take these pictures, we continued on through the woods.

There were few people, and the quiet stole through my soul in that nourishing silence of trees. Green swaying leaves and the occasional song of birds flittering in the branches - natural meditation at its best.

As morning waned into afternoon we drifted on through these haunting woods, feeling nothing but peace in the murmur of the swaying canopy.

A bridge forded a small stream, and as we walked deeper into the woods we saw a sign for a waterfall and decided to follow the path.

The path lead through a river valley and wetland alive with small darting fish which I later found out were called Bullhead.

Dippers lurked on the banks, heads bobbing, keeping a beady eye out for a Bullhead meal. Common frogs hopped in tussocks of reeds hunting flies, worms, snails and slugs.

Finally the water-meadows ran out and the modest rumble of a small waterfall could be heard. The falls were beautiful, causing me to reflect upon the difference between man-made noise and that of natural processes.

Despite its volume; the waterfall's bubbling, burbling dance of air and water sounded like a rhythmic music to me, perhaps a deeply ingrained genetic memory of a time when we were more closely rooted in natural processes.

As we walked back to the car along a different path, I spotted this carving that made me think of the legendary Green Man, Pagan god and protector of the woodland.

I love woodland walks for how it opens you up, if you have the mind (or rather lack of mind) to listen.

In the seeming stillness a story is repeated - a tale of bark fed by sap turned green growth, the dance of water feeding life in a myriad of ways and the eternal hum of sun through leaves that bleeds chlorophyll into trees.

Chlorophyll that nourishes the earth each autumn as leaves fall in the great cycle of rebirth that is the woodland song.

This is the whispering of the Green Man, a quiet song without words that has always helped me gain true depth of being.

Thanks for joining me on my Wednesday walk 🙂🌿

All of the pictures used in this post are my own, taken today using my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.

#wednesdaywalk is a community/initiative started by @tattoodjay to encourage people to get out for healthy walks and document their adventures. Check out Jay's profile for fantastic photography blogs.

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