St. Digain's Church & the Llangernyw Yew Tree: Accessibility Review.

Earlier on in the year we spent a day driving around North Wales. We had a plan and central to it was a visit to St Digain's church and the Llangernyw Yew. The church, which is grade 2 listed, sits in the centre of the village and dates back to the 13th century (additions were made to the building in the late medieval period and further renovations completed in 1720 and 1849).

The church is supposedly inhabited by the Angelystor or ancient spirit that is said to appear at Halloween and 31st July to speak the names of parishioners who are soon to die. It is said that one Halloween a sceptical tailor went to the church to prove the stories false but heard the spirit speak his name and died soon after. Aside from being a particularly beautiful and peaceful place, St Digain's is famous for having the Llangernyw Yew which sits on the North Side of the church. The Yew is estimated to be between 4000 and 5000 years old. It is said to be the oldest living tree in Wales. The tree measures 10.75m at its base and has at some point split into two main trunks.

St Digain's is one of those places that simply feels magical when you're there and offers a wonderful resting place when travelling North Wales.

🎟️ Booking.

None required.

ℹ️ Accessibility Information Availability.

There is no information available online.

🚗 Parking.

Parking can be found at the Old School, approx. 40 metres away from the church lychgate. There was no charge when we were there, but always check just incase. There are no dedicated blue badge spaces.

A view of the car park from the road.

🩼 Mobility.

The walk from the car park is uphill, but Bob (having a goodish leg day) managed it with his walking stick. There are no footpaths for approximately 15m as you leave the car park (photo 1). The footpaths are narrow so be careful of the traffic (photo 2). The footpath essentially ends on the corner where the lychgate stands (photo 3). The curbs for the footpaths are low to the road.

There is a small step to enter the lychgate and there is a seat inside it if you need to rest. There is another entrance through the graveyard which is step-free with a drop curb. However, other than a very small layby there is no parking and the path is significantly longer.

The path from the lychgate to the church is relatively smooth and as you head towards the church entrance, you'll find the Yew tree on your left. The Yew tree is on sparse grass and has loose branches and twigs around it. The ground is relatively uneven and there are grave stones around.

If you are heading to the church you'll find a step-free route all the way until the door. Once inside the floor is made up of large, smooth flags. The aisle is wide and wheelchair users should be able to explore all the way up to the altar.

🎧 Sensory.

The church and graveyard are incredibly peaceful. There are no sensory accessories available. The church is light and airy inside.

🚽 Toilets.

There are no toilets inside the church (that we found) however there is a very large and incredibly clean accessible toilet next to the car park. The toilet is free to use, but does have an honesty box for donations as it is run and maintained by local volunteers. The nearest Changing places toilets are at Llandudno railway station (28 minutes or a 13 mile drive away) or at Glan Clywd Hospital (23 minutes or a 13 mile drive away).

☕️ Food and Drink.

The Old Stag next door to the church serves food and drink and there is a shop across the road from it for snacks. We never went into the pub and so don't know how accessible it is inside and they have no accessibility information on their website, however, from pictures inside it looks to be carpeted and all on a single level with level access into the pub from the street (but sadly we can't guarantee this so I would recommend phoning in advance if you wish to eat there ).

🪑 Rest Opportunities.

Inside the church there are plenty of places to rest as well as inside the lychgate. We don't recall seeing many benches in the church yard.

🦻 Hearing.

There is no information available for visitors with additional hearing needs.

📖 Visual Guides.

There is no information available for visitors with additional vision needs.

🐕‍🦺 Assistance Dogs.

There is no information about assistance dogs available other than a sign on the cemetery gates stating no dogs allowed.

Our verdict.

This church is lovely. It felt very welcoming and had lots of interesting things to see inside such as the 15th century font and the medieval roof truss. The Yew tree is absolutely magical. To think that it is roughly 4000 years old is hard to comprehend and it's somewhere I am very glad we visited. Sadly the lack of information on the website really lets it down though, not knowing this information makes it a bit of a gamble and we only made the decision to go after an extensive walk around the site on google maps. However, if you like peaceful places, folklore and very, very old trees, then we'd definitely recommend a visit here.

We're giving two ratings for this one:

• Firstly for availability of information 💀

• Secondly for the tree and the church 💀💀💀💀