Ceiriog Valley facts for kids
The Ceiriog Valley (which is called Dyffryn Ceiriog in Welsh) is a beautiful valley in north-east Wales. It's named after the River Ceiriog that flows through it. The valley is also a special local area, or "ward," within the County Borough of Wrexham. This area is the biggest part of Wrexham by size. It sticks out like a finger between two other areas, Powys and Denbighshire.
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About the Ceiriog Valley
Where is it?
The Ceiriog Valley used to be part of the old county of Denbighshire. For a short time, between 1974 and 1996, it was part of a county called Clwyd. A small part of the valley even reaches into Shropshire, which is in England. The valley is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) long. It runs mostly from west to east, just south of the Vale of Llangollen. It's a bit of a quiet, hidden place, as the main road, the B4500, ends at Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog. This village is near the very end of the valley.
Getting Around the Valley
A special narrow railway, called the Glyn Valley Tramway, used to run through some of the valley. It was about 8.25 miles (13.3 kilometers) long. This tramway helped carry stones from different quarries. It also offered rides for people between Chirk and Glyn Ceiriog. Even though the valley is only a few miles from the main A5 road, not many visitors come here. The former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George once said it was "a little bit of heaven on earth."
Villages and Communities
The Ceiriog Valley is split into three main local areas, or "communities." These are, from west to east: Ceiriog Ucha (which means "Upper Ceiriog"), Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog, and Glyntraian. The biggest village in the valley is Glyn Ceiriog. It's also known as Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog. Here are some of the villages and smaller settlements you can find in the Ceiriog Valley:
Upper Ceiriog Villages
- Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog
- Tregeiriog
Glyn Ceiriog Area
- Glyn Ceiriog
- Nantyr
- Pandy
Glyntraian Villages
- Dolywern
- Llechrydau
- Llwynmawr
- Pontfadog
Famous Writers and Poets
The Ceiriog Valley has connections to three important Welsh poets. John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887) was born on a farm near Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog. He even took "Ceiriog" as part of his name and as his special poet name. Huw Morus (1622–1709) was born and lived near Pandy in the valley. His special poet name was Eos Ceiriog, meaning "the Nightingale of Ceiriog." Reverend Robert Elis (1812–1875) was a Baptist minister in Glyn Ceiriog from 1838 to 1840. He was known by his poet name, Cynddelw.
The Ceiriog Memorial Institute in Glyn Ceiriog village was built to remember these poets. It has beautiful stained glass windows dedicated to each of them. The Welsh writer Islwyn Ffowc Elis was born in Wrexham. However, he spent most of his childhood growing up on a hill farm in the Ceiriog Valley.
