MY FRIENDS and I often spend our Sundays climbing mountains and going on hikes; and living not too far from North Wales it's great to have so many scenic routes and trails to choose from. 

On Sunday (January 22), we decided to cross the border once more and tackle Moel Famau - a hill that I personally hadn't done before. 

The snowy conditions amplified just how much areas in Flintshire and Denbigshire were affected during the cold snap, and despite the challenges facing drivers on the roads, the scenes at Moel Famau were incredible, we all agreed that we truly could've been anywhere - you'd be forgiven for thinking we were walking through the Alps!

The Leader:

We decided to take the Moel Famau Circular route, a moderate walk which takes roughly about three and a half hours to complete, equalling about 11.4km with a good mix of inclines, although the conditions made it slightly more difficult. 

As we ascended, the snow was very deep - at least five inches. It was a good job we were prepared with the correct footware and clothing or the climb would have got very uncomfortable very quickly. 

I was taken aback by some of the wintery views which again, quite easily could have been mistaken for a Scandanavian trail. 

As we reached the summit after a couple of hours, Jubilee Tower made for some incredible sights stretching all the way towards Liverpool and also all the way back to Snowdonia, although I imagine on a clearer day you can probably see further still. 

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The most surprising thing of all however, came in the form of a plastic bottle which was wedged in the metal gate. 

For some reason, it caught my eye. There was a laminated piece of paper containing a message inside which had been deliberately sliced open for people to access this literal message in a bottle. 

The Leader:

Upon taking the message out of its plastic casing, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a nod to a brilliant initiative back in Mold from non-other than The Mold and Buckley Round Table. 

As I later discovered, the message in the bottle was part of an initiative left waiting to be discovered by the Mold and Buckley Round Table to 'encourage fellowship'. 

Someone had been here before me, as the badge which was previously attached to the letter has now been 're-hidden' waiting for someone else to find it.

The offer of a free drink is also a nice touch - just a shame I'm doing dry-January!

The Leader:

Following our walk, I got in touch with Mold and Buckley Round Table to share my findings, and chair, Colin Devitt revealed more about the initiative: "It was just a bit of fun really!

"There are four or five other Round Tables in our vicinity, and a lot of them will walk up Moel Famau to get out and about, especially in January.

"We thought we'd leave the note, and it did have a pin badge attached to it, just for a bit of fun and to encourage fellowship. We were messaged last week by a guy who had found it and rehidden it, which obviously you had found.

"Let us know if you want the free drink sometime soon!"

The Mold and Buckley Round Table's message in a bottle is now ready and waiting to be re-hidden for another eagle-eyed person to find!