Hanmer: Discover the lake, trails and rural culture

Hanmer combines a distinctive lowland landscape with a special lake, a variety of trails and notable cultural and historical features. If you are looking for a mix of nature, activity and village history for your trip, you will find a range of starting points here for planning your days.

Hanmer Mere and the village landscape

Hanmer Mere is a small, shallow 18-hectare lowland lake with high alkalinity. The lake and parts of its surrounding catchment form the Hanmer Mere SSSI. Hanmer Mere is also part of the Midland Meres & Mosses Phase 2 Ramsar site. These clearly defined site characteristics give your stay a natural-history dimension without requiring you to centre your trip around a single activity.

The Hanmer Conservation Area also shapes the character of the place: it encompasses most of the village. The landscape there is characterised by hilly lowland, used predominantly as pasture, well-maintained hedgerow trees and small woods. Anyone who values a rural setting and varied landscapes when choosing accommodation can factor this combination into their personal travel plans.

Trails for different day plans

The Maelor Way passes through or close to Hanmer and is 24 miles long in total. Its route uses public footpaths, bridleways, quiet roads and a towpath along a canal. This makes it possible to view the route as a longer hiking destination, while individual sections can also provide the basis for an outing. Plan the route to suit the time you have available and choose a holiday apartment or holiday cottage according to the itinerary you actually intend to follow.

Another option is a public path along the eastern side of Hanmer Mere. It passes through meadows and woodland. This route offers a different emphasis from the Maelor Way: here, the focus is on the combination of lakeside, open spaces and wooded sections.

Village history and visible details

Cultural history is also part of Hanmer’s character. St Chad, Hanmer, contains stained-glass windows by C E Kempe & Co Ltd. A handsome medieval churchyard cross also stands south of Hanmer Church. Both features add specific historical and design details to the landscape. You can incorporate the church and the cross into your exploration of the village, adding a cultural focus to your stay.

Rather than searching only by type of accommodation, it is worth deciding first on the rhythm you want for your days. You can then make a more targeted choice of the holiday apartment or holiday cottage that fits your personal plans.

More places to consider when planning your trip

If you would like to compare Hanmer with other destinations, here is a compact selection: Trevor, Erbistock, Llanarmon Dyffryn-Ceiriog, Chirk, Penycae, Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham and Rossett.

Return to the overarching travel overview: Wrexham.