Monday September 8th 2025.
Who's Lady Bagot?.
The Bagot's of Blithfield Staffordshire are probably one of the few landed families to have held their estates since William the Conquerer. The history of them is quite interesting and a click on the link HERE will take you to their life long endeavours.
Anyway, Sir Walter Bagot (1645-1705) is the guy we are interested in. He was a long serving MP for Staffordshire but suffered restrictive illness in later life. It didn't stop him marrying Jane Salusbury in 1670, an heiress who had come into the Bachymbyd and Pool Park Estates in Denbighshire and Merionethshire, amounting to 20,000 acres, on the death of her farther in 1666. They knew what they were doing in them days and I don't think much has change in the class system to this day.
The estates passed into the Bagot family, but Sir Walter had to battle in the courts in 1670's. This acquisition doubled the wealth and income of the Bagot's and made them a leading Staffordshire family. Sir Walter was succeeded by his son Sir Edward (1674-1712).
Lord Bagot had huge plantations throughout his lands at Clocaenog. It was during this time that he created for his wife what has become known as, Lady Bagot's Drive along the River Clywedog. a three mile carriageway linking Pool Parc with Bontuchel (some maps show Pont-uchel).
In the 1st World War many trees were felled and new forestry planted in 1930. A memorial celebrating the completion in 1830 was erected but we didn't come across it. (we wasn't really looking for it).
Lady Bagot having attended a church service in St Mary's Llanfwrog, would take the ride before returning home to Pool Parc for lunch. The "Drive" is now a nature trail and has lots of interesting rock formations, pools, waterfalls, flora and fauna and habited by numerous Dippers and Kingfishers. We saw a Dipper but no Kingfishers.
At the end of the 19th Century, the London and North Western Railway Company, gained permission to lay a line between Ruthin and Cerrigydrudion, along the route of Lady Bagot's Drive. The route was started but it was never finished.
Where is Lady Bagot's Drive.
Our route today started in Rhewl just north of Ruthin, and we did the circle route incorporating the "Drive".
We left our accommodation and parked the car in the free carpark in Rhewl. Its a small carpark but there was only one other vehicle there. At the main road, the A525 we went right, crossed over and carefully crossed the stone bridge to the footpath sign at SJ 1058 6043.
Here we encounter a badly treated JCB Sitemaster which was being swollen up by nature.
JCB 3CX Sitemaster.
A good landcover track heads east and upwards into Coed-Orllwyn forestry. Before getting into the woodland we had a good view back to the ridge of Offa's Dyke.
A path led off to the left and one slightly right. I checked the map and we went right following a fence line with open views on our left across wide farmland. Expensive water troughs were sited in the field where usually old baths would sit.
On reaching a farmers barn we could see our accommodation on the hillside above us. Fron-huelog. The onward path was quite overgrown with award winning nettles and thistles. Luckily this was only a 50 metre stretch before we entered a field of cows.
Overgrown section of path
A number of fields were crossed with new galvanised gates. The path continually heading in a south westerly direction. The cows in the last field were all lying down in the shade so the field, although wide, was crossed no bother and then it was back into woodland.
An old flooded brick works provides water for the sheep and cows. The brickwork must have been in use around 1919 onwards but not before 1914. I can't find out the "name" of the yard but I don't think it was working for many years.
This woodland was particularly dark although the photos don't portray it that way. The light sensor on the iPhone must have been working overtime. We came across a plastic tube with a "Log" inside it and a black plastic sheet on the top. I wondered it was for monitoring the insect population. Any ideas?
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This was a very enjoyable section of woodland and when we walked through open spaces we were greeted with the mournful mewing of buzzards above and the Blackthorn had lots of berries. The land was very steep on both sides and care would be needed in rainy weather. It would be slippery and there is a right drop off. That was why there was so many fallen trees.
Blackthorn in fruit.
Sheila being a backwoodswoman. We soon joined the lower path which handrails the River Clywedog. We were not yet going to follow this route back to Rhewl as we wanted to go to the village that Lady Bogat frequented which was Bont-ouchel. We joined a quiet road lead steeply downwards to the bridge. The village name translates to High Bridge. It's a quiet place now but many years ago it was probably a noisy place as there was a saw mill right adjacent to the bridge. It's now a large residence.
Across the bridge the houses crowd around a rocky hill side, a chapel is situated amongst the houses. Along the river bank apple and plum trees adorn the route. Across the road a small enclosure, which used to be a piggery, is now flower beds in memory of a local hero.
It was lunchtime and a bench at a bus stop provided shelter from a short shower.
A poignant epitaph to Richard (Dick) Dunn.
The village information board.
The High Bridge with the Old Saw Mill to the left beyond.
The Chapel
Plum Trees
Apple trees, one of many.
A high rocky backdrop to the bus stop bench and lunch spot.
It didn't rain for long. Lunch over it was back up the steep hill over the bridge to retrace our steps to pick up the path beyond the access gate alongside the river.
At this point I will point out that the Warden does not like mountain bikes using the footpath. Just because its a wide footpath it doesn't mean bikes can use it. They can't.
In the beginning the river is quite far below and the edges are quite overgrown, so you can hear it but only catch glimpses. I said to Sheila that this is like a single track railway and it was only later that I found out about the proposed railway as I mentioned earlier in the post.
We came to a good strong footbridge which led to further paths. We stopped for photos then carried on.
The gated entrance to the path and the exit to the road to Bont-uchel
We had seen no one until we met a chap with a young collie. It seemed like we had his life story. He had just had a hernia operation and only had the dressing removed 2 days ago. Yesterday he did 400 metres, today 3-4km. Ex long distance lorry driver................I could go on.
Then we were fortunate enough to spot a dipper in the river. I tried my best to get a photo but it proved impossible with an iPhone. No Kingfishers either.
The river was now wider and the path was running lower so it was much easier to appreciate its beauty. In spate this river would be well worth seeing. But as we were told the river has never been this low before.
The river was enclosed by high cliffs with one or two caves that looked worthy of exploring but not today. Along the path I noticed an old dam wall and then a wide deep leat with sluice gates.The leat went under the footpath and into a field where we lost it as it was private land. Later we came to a small hamlet and one of the buildings was a flour mill in times gone by.
The weather was now wonderful, sunny and windless. We stopped at a two arched bridge for a sandwich and coffee. The mill certainly looked old, Tudor even. I haven't researched the mill but if this area was in Devon or Cornwall it would be packed with tourists.
The old Leat with sluice gate at the end.
Approaching the two arched bridge.
Coffee stop and then back at the car.
We also found a brick with the initials on it V.C.B &P. Co.
I couldn't find it in my info or on the internet so I messaged some people who I thought would know and maybe could pass on information or add the brick to their own libraries. So far it's a mystery but as a combined good guess it maybe, Victoria. Coal. Brick. & Pipe Co.
I will add any new info as it comes in.
The route 9km. But both Sheila and my watch said 11km. So let's call it 10km for argument sake.
