A543

Route

The A543 is a cross-country A-road in south Denbighshire.

Pentrefoelas – Bodfari

We start at a T junction near a picnic area on the A5 just to the east of Pentrefoelas, which is itself just outside the Snowdonia National Park. We head north east past a farm up a small valley alongside some woodland into some wild, remote countryside, with little sign of civilisation.

Denbigh Moors

Soon the fields give way to boggy moorland as we pass the headwaters of a number of streams flowing initially south, but later on towards the north. We climb to a height of 464 m (approximately 1550 feet) shortly before we reach woodland and the junction with the B4501 near the Sportsman's Arms, the highest pub in Wales.

We pass a small lake, surrounded by forest, then run along the ridge to gradually descend to Bylchau where we meet the A544. We bear right and soon after we descend into a narrow valley towards the village of Groes. After passing the left turn for the B5428, the road levels out and we take a gently undulating course north-eastwards towards Denbigh. We run through the town centre, past the B5382 and the castle (high up on the right), running along the main street to a junction with the original A525. That road now bypasses the town to the east and so the A543 has taken over its old route, including a spur to the right leading that way south. At the next roundabout, we cross the current A525 to continue our way across very flat farmland to our terminus on the A541, just to the west of the River Clwyd.

Original Author(s): Simon Davies