The River Dee or Afon Dyfrdwy is one of the most beautiful rivers in Wales . Starting life on the slopes of Dduallt in the mountains of Snowdonia, it tumbles down the hillside into Llyn Tegid, the largest natural lake in Wales , and then flows along the tranquil Vale of Edeyrnion beneath the sheep-studded slopes of the Berwyn Mountains to the attractive old market town of Corwen. From here it rushes through the stunningly beautiful Dee Valley to Llangollen, a charming border town surrounded by mountains and rocky escarpments. Overlooked by the ruin of a native Welsh castle, the town lies on the banks of the Dee, spanned by a sturdy 14 th -century bridge that is one of the 'Seven Wonders of Wales'. East of Llangollen, the river flows beneath Thomas Telford's Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which carries the Shropshire Union Canal 120 feet overhead, before meandering through the rich farmland of the borderlands to the historic city of Chester and the coast of North East Wales .

The Dee Way traces the river upstream from Flint Castle on the shores of the Dee Estuary to the bustling little town of Bala on the edge of Llyn Tegid. Along the way it passes through a succession of attractive towns and villages such as Aldford, Farndon, Holt, Overton, Bangor-on-Dee , Llangollen, Carrog and Llandrillo as well as the historic Roman city of Chester . It also takes in many sites of historic interest including Flint Castle, the first of Edward I's 'Iron Ring of Fortresses'; Chester Castle, Cathedral and Roman remains; the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and the Shropshire Union Canal; Castell Dinas Bran, a 13 th -century fortress built by the Welsh prince Gruffydd ap Madoc; Valle Crucis Abbey, one of the last Cistercian foundations in Wales; the Llangollen Steam Railway; the impressive Iron Age hillfort of Caer Drewyn; and 'Glyndwr's Sword' incised into the porch of the Church of St Mael and St Julian at Corwen.

Carrog in the Dee Valley © CWH