The last weekend of each month can only mean one thing, it’s DAS Resilience time! Organised by Denbigh Army Surplus Store, it is a brilliant 'race to grid point' competition, where the week prior they advise an OS Map no. covering the area where the location will be. On last Saturday of the month they publish a grid reference, you then have a window of three hours to get to the point – first there is the winner. This would be my third DAS Resilience having discovered the challenge over the summer, however, this time it wouldn't be a day event (the grid ref is normally published at 10am) but instead, a night navigation exercise!

The majority of my early night navigation experience was spent during my time in the Officer Training Corps, where we would tactically trawl across Catterick training area. The main objective here was either trying to locate the enemy and ambush, or try not to be seen by the enemy and, well, hide....sometimes for hours. This is where I first experienced hallucinations, the type you only get when looking into the dark for so long trying to make out just what that shape is, that you begin to see the most ridiculous things. Any other time you would think "this is madness! There is no way that a tank is coming straight towards us" or "I know that I am not really seeing a Native American Indian over near that shrub......it is in fact....just another shrub.... isn't it?”

This is what it can be like when out on a night navigation, you see and hear things that you know can’t possibly be there, but your brain suggests otherwise. It was only in later years when I experienced night navigation at a more leisurely approach that I began to truly appreciate how good an experience it can be. Sure, it can be horrifyingly scary if the weather is awful and you are cold, tired and possibly lost, but with a few lessons in how to navigate at night, your skills will  enable you to become confident in making decisions and taking precautions when out in the dark.

A quick note: anyone looking to navigate at night I would seriously recommend taking a night navigation skills course as it is different to navigating during the day and is a great skill to have if you get caught out in the dark on the hills. Also, like everything, practice makes perfect, so do a number of night navs in familiar, well tracked terrain,  where you have an easy point of exit should things get dicey.

A great thing about being out on the hills in the dark is the atmosphere, it is so quiet and you come across the nocturnal wildlife and it provides the feeling that it is just you and nature existing. On a clear night you see the most unbelievable stars and often shooting stars.

On this particular evening the weather conditions were perfect with clear skies a near full moon, though it was the coldest it had been in a long time, with a chilly wind exposed on the ridge. The OS Map was ‘265 Clwydian Range’ though the grid ref could be anywhere on the map, but I hazard a guess that they would choose a location on the range itself, so headed towards the car park Bwlch Penbarra.

Having no idea where they would be I decided to make my way up towards the Jubilee Tower just before the 7pm when the Grid Reference was to be published via the DAS facebook page.

The walk up was quiet apart from the sudden rush of feathers as birds flew out of the heather and I didn't really expect to see anyone else on the hill at this point. I was then surprised to see a lone man making his way down the path, so as one does when they find themselves alone on a hill in the dark I jumped over a low stone wall alongside the path and.......hid! Here I lay with baited breath whilst listening as the footsteps approached. "Had he seen me?" I thought, "or have I just escaped a psychopath?!" I’m sure he wasn't actually a crazed man trouncing across moorland looking for unwitting fell runners, though these days you never know!

I waited until the footsteps had faded into the distance and peaked over the wall to see if there were any head torch lights in the distance. It was approaching 7pm so I got out the map and waited for the grid reference to be published. At 7pm I had it and was happy to see that it was in fact on the range and not too far off from where I was! I jumped up, put on my backpack and ran up the track toward the Jubilee Tower, stopping every now and again to listen out for voices. Due to the conditions being so good I didn't need my head torch and decided to leave it off so I could make a tactical approach, hoping not to be seen by other contenders. Unfortunately they must have had the same idea, for once I was on the top at Jubilee Tower there were no tell tale signs on people knocking about.  The wind also was pretty wild on top so it was impossible to hear any other noises apart from its howls and my god, it was chilly!

Checking my map once again I made my way in the direction of the grid reference only to discover I was going across heather that was slowing down my process. With a bimble here and a few ‘flat on face’ falls I decided to head east to pick up a path before re-entering the heather again. This unfortunately was to become my folly as though it enabled me to run faster, it also meant that it added time on my approach to destination. As I began the run, skip and jump across the heather again, I noticed a light, which could only belong to a head torch. With a sudden rush of adrenaline I thought ‘that must be the guys from Denbigh Amy Surplus store at the destination. I’ve found it and in good time’ and picked up pace. It was only as I approached that i saw a couple more head torches and heard a group of voices....yup, sure enough I arrived at the destination to discover that I had been beaten by a group of three lads. And by only 4mins!!

Oh well, at least I arrived at the destination safe and sound, without getting lost across the moors of the Clwydian Range. After a chat and a quick cup of tea, kindly supplied by DAS, I said my farewells and ran back over to the path, passing the Jubilee Tower and running back down the path toward the car park. It was really cold hanging out on the top, so the run back was a warming welcome and as I headed back an owl came out of nowhere and flew above and beside me before making a 90degree turn toward the woodland.

Once back in the car, with warm clothes on and the heating turned up I thought about the night navigation and how much I enjoyed it, from the skill of map reading in the dark, to the tactical thinking that it brought out in me. So I didn’t win, but for me taking part in these DAS Resilience challenges is not just what it is about. It gets you out on the hills and challenges you to use your skills whilst adding an element of competition, whether it is with the other contenders or just with yourself. The guys who organise it are great and it is always a pleasure to catch up with them and meet other folk. Throw in a bit of adrenaline and excitement whilst waiting for the Grid Reference to be published and you have got an all round awesome challenge that is DAS Resilience!

And my mantra, which is often said at the end of these challenges.....’Next time it will be mine’!

On my journeys across North Wales to the peaks of Snowdonia and the west coast I have many a time past a mountain range with three prominent peaks dominating the landscape just north of Llangollen. I have never known the names of these peaks and as I drive past on the Horse Shoe Pass (a winding road that goes over the Maesyrychen Mountain linking Llangollen to Llandegla) I always make a mental note to check the map to find out which they are. 




Needless to say, I always forget and it was only when I was stood on the Eglwsyeg Mountain nearby with map in hand that I finally identified these hills. They were in fact the Llantysilio Mountain and Moel y Gamelin, and they breathed a real ancient mysterious air that I knew just had to get up and explore them.

The next day I found myself parked up in the small village of Rhewl at the base of this mountain range, ready to explore the ancient hills. I followed the track, passing by the 14th century Sun Inn, an Inn that was used to quench the thirst of the Drovers of yesteryear (sadly it seems to have closed its door these days).

I followed the track to a point where I was ambushed by a flock of pheasant who took a rather clumsy, over dramatic flight  from the field next to the track making the most immense racket, a rather awkward sound for such a gracious looking bird. With my heart beat back to its normal pace I continued up the track where a greater spotted woodpecker darted back and forth just ahead of me, and once it took its place on an oak tree began to peck on the bark creating that familiar drumming sound.

I walked on, passing farmers in their fields and eventually came to an isolated white house where the track came to an end. From here I took a grassy path which was surrounded by greenery making it feel like I was walking in a tunnel, and I half expected a White March Hare to pop out muttering something about being late.

The path gradually got steeper as I walked up gaining height and a bubbling brook ran parallel to it. Before long I found myself stood in an opening with rugged moorland ahead of me and the impressive limestone cliffs of the  Eglwseg Mountain as I looked back.
Here too, as I looked to my right, I could see the object of my walk – the peaks of the Llantysilio Mountains -  Moel y Gaer (504m) & Moel Morfydd (550m), and furth on – Moel Y Garmelin (577m).

As I made my way up the path which led through the heather scrub land and up towards Moel y Morfydd, the landscape began to open up and with each step I took the more of a view I had. From where I stood I could see the peaks of the Berwyn Mountains to the west, and south towards Dinas Bran, the remains of a castle fort dating back to 1260s, sat upon a steep hill in vale of Llangollen.

I continued up the path which leads to the west of the peak until it turns right, leading up to the summit. With each step I took I listened out to the call of the many birds that make this scrubland their home. In the valley below I could see buzzards soaring and heard the song of many smaller birds. Here is also home to the rare black grouse, but fortunately I did not encounter a sudden ambush as I did with the pheasants in the valley below.

Eventually I came to the summit of Moel y Morfydd and the panorama was incredible, allowing for views across to the mountains of Snowdonia in the north east, the Clwydian Range in the north east and the welsh hills to the south.

From here as you looked to the east you could see the undulating line of the other peaks leading to the Maesyrychen Mountain with the sandy coloured path in contrast to the purple heathland of the hills.


At the trig point I stood and took in the view all around. It was then that I realised that there was no one else about, not one person. I glanced to the west and followed the path to see if I could see anyone ascending, but no one. I then shifted my glance to the east where the popular Horseshoe path lay, but still no one. So there I stood, on top of a hills in the welsh valley with this incredible view, all alone. I must admit this was rather nice and made a welcomed change from the busy national trails that I often find myself on. It allows for time to just look, listen and take it all in. A true connection to nature and the mountains that have graced this landscape long before the presence of people.

The path took me down and back up again until I reached the summit of the next hill, Moel y Gaer (translating as ‘Bare Hill fort), which makes perfect sense as it is indeed the location of a small hill fort dating back to the Iron Age. Though the ramparts have since diminished, the flattened path at the summit clearly marks out where it would have been, and the view across the valleys the Dee & Clwyd it was no doubt a good defensive position.



From here you can see the other hill forts in the region, from those on the Clwydian range and south at Dinas Bran creating a line which would be a valuable part of the defensive process back in the day, when warning beacons were lit on  them passing the message along the valleys.

I continued on the path which led down to a cross road of paths in which the Clwydian Way intersects and continued up the steep ascent to the summit of Moel y Gamelin. With it being the highest point on the Llantysilio range, it provides even more of a spectacular view across North Wales. Here I stood and thought about how thousands of years ago people would have been walking across this area and over these hills, defending their land as well as farming it.

 What really fascinates me about his peak is that instead of a trig piont there is a cairn at the summit, and this isn’t just a pile of stones to show the way. In fact it is the location of a burial cairn dating back to the Bronze Age, where someone of high status, whether a man of wealth or a chief, was laid to rest. I could almost imagine the scene as if I were part of it, a group carrying the body up to the peak where he could be laid overlooking the beautiful landscape of North Wales, the atmosphere sombre yet respectful as the burial place was covered by the stones. 

I stood there for quite a while looking past the cairn to the mountains of Snowdonia, whilst the re-enacting the scene in my head when all of a sudden I heard footsteps, the kind of someone running towards me. I quickly looked back, half expecting a Bronze Age solider, but was relieved to see that it was not an apparition from the past but a very modern looking fell runner. Though this was the first person I had seen on the hills so far this day, it did not surprise me that it was a fell runner as this range lends itself as a popular location for  a local fell race.

A quick hello as he ran past and he was gone, running down the steep path from where I had just come. I soon followed him, though run down I did not. I did try it for a couple yards but could see a slip, trip and fall on the cards and decided that rolling down the hill would be far less graceful than a steady walk down.

Once back at the cross roads I took the Clwydian Way path to the south which leads around the hill amongst the rich purple landscape of the heathland, which provides a nice sight when in contrast of the greenery of the valley and woodland below.

The path slowly descended until it came to a track which led past house with their chimney smoke puffing away and fields where pesky pheasant lay in waiting. On high alert and ready for any further ambushes I walked along the track which eventually brought me back to the car park near the church in Rhewl.





What I love about these Mountains is that when you are amongst them you feel like you are an ancient wilderness where Wales’s history shows itself with every step. From the Burial places to the quiet summits with extensive views, it is a range that provides an enjoyable walk with, a look into the past, but within easy reach.

Sometimes, when you are always heading to higher peaks in well known areas; it is easy to forget the area local to you and what it has to offer. This has happened to me recently, only to rediscover an area which featured heavily in my childhood. The Esclusham Mountain and both Eglwyseg & Ruabon Mountain (more of a long stretch of expansive moorland with impressive cliffs than individual, prominent, cone shaped peaks), lies to the north east of Llangollen in North Wales. The Esclusham Mountain area features many mine shafts, now disused, from the days where the limestone was quarried from the prominent escarpment and impressive rock faces that fringe the Eglwyseg Mountain, overlooking the Vale of Llangollen. Though this is not what drew me to the area, but more so the burial cairns and standing stones that are linked to the Bronze Age, that feature on the tops.  

At the peak of the Eglwyseg Mountain (511m) lies a burial cairn from around 2000BC, with the buried unknown. As they have not been excavated it is not clear whether it is an individual skeleton or a cremation, but the size of the cairn suggests the former.

I parked up in a lay-by just above the forest where the strangely named ‘Worlds End’ (the head of the Eglwyseg valley) lies before making my way up a path to the tops. Just below is the Manor House Plas Uchaf yn Eglwyseg, a timber framed manor house which bears the date of 1563, though legend has it, it once belonged to Owain ap Cadwgan, a prince of Powys and that it was place to which Owain took Nest ferch Rhys, after her abduction.

I continued over the moorland passing by the most incredible view to my right across the valley to the Llantysilio Mountains and beyond. At this point I was just above the woodland that envelops the Craig y Forwyn (the Maiden's Rock), a popular spot for rock climbers. On the moorland just above this woodland is a rather peculiar area which features little craters. My first thoughts were that they had some mystical, otherworldly connection, or where alien spaceships has landed, but it turns out they are actually old mining shafts. I made my way over the well trodden path towards the impressive jutting cliff called Craig Arthur, apparently not named after King Arthur himself, but after a giant that used to live in the rocks here. Legend also has it that a giantess called Cares y Bwlch, roamed these cliffs and was killed by St Collen, a 7th century monk who gave his name to Llangollen.

Here I peeled away from the cliffs and headed inland toward the peak of Eglwyseg Mountain (511m) is where the Bronze Aged burial cairn is and allows for great views. I then made my way cross country over the heather and bilberry bushes to the peak of Ruabon Mountain, where a trig point stands marking the peak at 502m. The views from here are incredible and on such a clear day I was able to see right across the Cheshire plains to the east and the welsh hills to the west and south, making it an extremely useful position to have watched approaching enemy armies in bygone days.

After stopping for a short rest and to watch paragliders in the distance, I headed back over the heathland to rejoin the path, passing the location of more cairns and standing stones. The weather was still glorious, with the sun shining warmly and I was alone except the company of the wildlife and the energy of distant times

 I approached the south of the mountain to just above the Eglwyseg Plantation, where I cut across to the west to walk along the cliff tops. Along my route I passed more burial cairns of which there are many featured in this area, as well as standing stones that are now fenced off. The dramatic limestone rockface makes for a fantastic viewing platform, and as I walked I looked over the Vale of Llangollen and across to the conical peak where the remains of Dinas Bran (also known as Crow Castle) sits.

I walked in the early evening with the sun still emitting its warmth and turning the rock face golden as it hung low in the sky. I watched as kestrels hunted over the vibrantly coloured moorland, and buzzards being harassed by crows as they soared above the woodland at Worlds End.

By the time I had arrived back at Craig Arthur the sun had begun to set, creating a beautiful array of colour that lit up the edges of the clouds surrounding the peak of Moel Y Gamelin and the Llantysilio Mountain.

As I made my way back toward the car I thought about how quiet this area was having not seen anyone else all day, and also how amazing to think about the people who once farmed this moorland and laid their people to rest in burial cairns across the landscape. I became drawn in thought about ancient time only to be brought to attention by the sound of voices.

Though I could not make out what they were saying I could hear what sounded like two people talking. As I looked around I couldn’t see anyone about and suddenly was quite spooked by the thought of ghosts of farmers from the Bronze Age, or giants from welsh mythology.

As I picked up pace I was soon realised that the voices were not of spectres, but actually belonged to rock climbers who were climbing on Craig y Forwyn nestled in the woodland!


To say I was relieved would be an understatement!