The Alyn Gorge is a spectacular forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

ed gorge section of the River Alyn

River Alyn

The River Alyn is a tributary of the River Dee. The River Alyn rises at the southern end of the Clwydian hills and the Alyn Valley forms part of the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

 north between Loggerheads

Loggerheads, Wales

Loggerheads is a village in Denbighshire, Wales on the River Alyn , a tributary of the River Dee.It has a country park which follows the course of the River Alyn through karstic limestone countryside including the sites of old lead mines and mills...

 and Rhydymwyn

Rhydymwyn

Rhydymwyn is a village in Flintshire, North Wales, located in the upper Alyn valley...

 in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. The west side of the valley rises gently to Moel Famau

Moel Famau

Moel Famau is the highest hill within the Clwydian Range on the border between Denbighshire and Flintshire in North Wales. The hill, which also gives its name to the Moel Famau country park, has been classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 1985...

, while the east bank is along parts a cliff with evidence of tram lines and old quarry workings.

The path along the edge of the gorge is well maintained, with metal bridges and barriers across sites which are popular with climbers.

The character of the gorge changes at Cilcain

Cilcain

Cilcain is a small community, near Mold in Flintshire, north-east Wales. The village has an industrial history and includes the Millennium Woods, a post office, a public house, a parish church and a village hall....

 where a small bridge crosses the watercourse at 53°10.660′N 3°13.012′W. The water sinks into the river bed a hundred metres north from this place and enters the cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

s Ogof Hen Ffynhonnau and Ogof Hesp Alyn

Ogof Hesp Alyn

Ogof Hesp Alyn was discovered by in 1973 in the Alyn Gorge near Cilcain, Flintshire, Wales. Reaching the end of the cave is a serious commitment requiring one pitch series and the draining of two sumps....

, which were discovered in the 1970s after the watertable had changed due to the mineworkings earlier in the century.

High on the east bank near these two entrances is the small cave of Ogof Nadolig

Ogof Nadolig

Ogof Nadolig is a cave in the Alyn Gorge near Cilcain, Flintshire, North Wales. It is mostly crawling, long, and ends with a shaft up to the surface and a locked manhole cover....

.

The Alyn Gorge and caves have been considered for designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest

Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

(SSSI)