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The
small village of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog nestles at the foot of the Berwyn
Mountains where the River Ceiriog runs down from the hills, to the fertile
valley floor.
Drove Roads once criss-crossed the Upper Ceiriog Valley, bringing Drovers
with their cattle and sheep to Llanarmon on their way to markets in England,
and with them came the need for inns, roads and bridges. The confluence of
the Ceiriog and Gwrachen provided a natural river crossing point and a focus
for settlement. The name of the village is derived from the name of the 5th
century missionary, Saint Garmon: Llan - the church land, (G)armon - the
Saint, Dyffryn - in the wide valley of, Ceiriog - the river.
Llanarmon and the upper reaches of the Ceiriog still retain their quiet
rural tranquillity. The landscape around the green fertile valley is one of
rolling hills topped with wild empty moors and crossed by many small streams
and springs.
Walking, horse riding, cycling, fishing and shooting are only some of the
ways in which visitors can take advantage of this end of the unspoilt
valley. Llanarmon and the Upper Ceiriog have a rich natural and historical
heritage which waits to be discovered.
St
Garmon's Church is a fine early Victorian stone building of 1846 which
replaced an earlier church in serious dilapidation demolished the year
before. The Church is unusual in having two pulpits. The mound in the
Churchyard may be a bronze age burial mound, although it is known locally as
Tomen Garmon and is said to be the place from which the saint preached.
The graveyard contains many old slate headstones, some dating back to the
1700's. At least one of the yew trees here is over 1000 years old. |