AONB at 30

The 2011 AONB with, inset, its original area from 1985

The Bryniau Clwyd/Clwydian Range area of outstanding natural beauty celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. It would have been so nice had the commemoration peaked with the AONB's promotion to a full national park. Such a move would have given the area a significant boost in recognition. Full national park status was always unlikely, though, and is now no longer on the agenda. This follows opposition from landowners, even though the tops and two country parks are managed by the public sector.

Anyway, the $64,000 question was, could the Range maintain park status against more prominent landscapes, such as Snowdonia? And of course the answer was YES! This thanks to the dramatic and unique chain of hillforts across the Range.

As it is, AONB categorisation does recognise and preserve what is a special landscape set against the contrast of the Vale itself. The glorious and archaeologically-significant heather moorland atop the range is juxtaposed against the hedged fields of the lower slopes that blend into the Vale. Appealing settlements along the sloping fringe have a natural charm. The summits themselves boast a string of Iron Age hill forts that add historic interest to natural beauty.

In 1985, the AONB accounted for 62 sq miles. This was very compact. In 2011, it doubled to 150 sq miles upon extension to encompass a very different landscape, the upper Dee valley. This added the Horseshoe Pass & Castell Dinas Brân and also knocked Moel Famau (1,821 ft) off as the highest peak spot, replacing it with Moel y Gamelin (at 1,893 ft). With the extension came the inclusion of the AONB's first towns, Llangollen & Corwen.

Do we in Rhuthun take all this for granted? The answer is probably we do. As for recognition, Google Maps simply doesn’t. No light green for this part of the world, even after 30 years of the AONB and 10 years of Google Maps. Google tends to give national parks that all-important acknowledgement but you'll also notice how prominent is the Shropshire hills AONB.

Zoom in on Google (click to expand these two images) and even then, there's no credit for our own splendid AONB, other than indicating the two country parks of Moel Famau and Loggerheads. Why?

The logos above show the evolution of the Clwydian Range "brand"