The Denbigh Moors, Mynydd Hiraethog in Welsh, are a high, empty plateau of heather, grass and forestry in the north of Wales, between the Vale of Clwyd and the upper Conwy valley. It is a quiet, bleak and lovely landscape, with few people, wide skies and the reservoirs of Llyn Brenig and Llyn Alwen lying in the hollows, surrounded by conifers. On a clear day you can see Snowdonia to the west, and on a bad one the mist rolls over the moor and the world shrinks to the road in front of you.
The roads across the moors form the so-called Evo Triangle, named after a motoring magazine that used them for testing cars: the A543 from Pentrefoelas toward Denbigh, the B4501 past Llyn Brenig toward Cerrigydrudion, and the A5 back to Pentrefoelas. Together they make a loop of about thirty kilometres, with fast sweeping bends, sudden crests, tight corners and long straights across the moor, and it is among the most popular riding areas in Wales. It has also seen serious accidents, and the police patrol it regularly, with speed enforcement and campaigns aimed at riders and drivers. Ride sensibly.
Llyn Brenig is a large reservoir built in the 1970s, with a visitor centre, a cafe and walks around the shore. The area around it has archaeological sites, including Bronze Age burial mounds and cairns, which have been excavated and restored, and there is a trail that links them. The moors are home to red grouse and black grouse, and in summer the heather blooms purple.
The weather on the moors can be wild, with strong winds, rain and fog, and in winter the roads can be icy. The surface is generally good, but there are bumps and crests that can unsettle a bike at speed. Traffic is light during the week, heavier at weekends with bikes and cars. Sheep graze on the open moor and sometimes wander onto the road.
There are few services on the moors. The visitor centre at Llyn Brenig has a cafe in season. Cerrigydrudion and Pentrefoelas are small villages with limited services, and Denbigh, about fifteen kilometres northeast, is the nearest town with fuel and shops. Ruthin, a little further, is an attractive market town.