Clwyd

This area has been settled since prehistoric times, the Romans built a fort beside a ford on the River Conwy, and the Normans and Welsh disputed the territory leading to many castles being built at strategic locations including Conwy, Flint and Rhuddlan. Castell Dinas Brân was a Welsh fortress of the same period.

St Asaph Cathedral dates from the 13th century, as does the medieval Cistercian abbey of Valle Crucis.

Traditionally, agriculture was the mainstay of the economy. The introduction of the railway from Chester along the North Wales coast in the mid-nineteenth century led to a massive expansion of the seaside towns like Llandudno, Rhyl and Prestatyn and nowadays, tourism is the main source of income combining traditional seaside delights with spectacular scenery and history.

To the south, the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley constitute an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ideal for a leisurely drive with many opportunities for walking or canoeing. Denbigh, Colwyn and Ruthin are historic towns and Llangollen hosts the International Musical Eisteddfod in July each year. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was built by Telford in 1805 and is the largest aqueduct in the United Kingdom; it carries the Llangollen Canal over the River Dee and is a World Heritage Site.
Bodnant Garden is a formal garden, and Erddig Hall a stately home, both owned by the National Trust. Other fine country houses include Trevor Hall and Bodelwyddan, while Plas Mawr and Aberconwy House are historic town houses in Conwy.

The North Wales coast is well served by road and rail connections.

The Welsh ceremonial county of Clwyd borders the Irish Sea, Merseyside via the River Dee, Cheshire, Shropshire and the Welsh counties of Powys and Gwynedd.

Clwyd has a population of approximately 500,000 inhabitants with Wrexham by far the largest town, with other populations at Rhyl, Llandudno and Prestatyn.

The county benefits from miles of sweeping coastline, sandy beaches, mountains, estuaries and a number of rivers including the River Alyn, River Dee, River Clwyd and River Conwy.

The county is splits into two with the inland part peppered with pretty villages, mountains and river valleys whilst the northern coast is home to a number of traditional coastal resorts including Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl and Prestatyn.

The county of Clwyd has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Deceangli tribes occupied a series of hill forts in the Clwydian mountain range before the Romans exercised control over all of Wales. The city of Chester was the stronghold for a series of invasions in the Norman Conquest of Edward 1, and a number of castles remain in evidence today.

The Industrial Revolution activity in north Wales was mainly centred on the coal fields around Wrexham, with important ironworks also at Bersham.
In 1996 Clwyd became a ceremonial county, with the creation of Wrexham, Flintshire, and Denbighshire.

Clwyd’s occupation and defences over the years have been responsible for the creation of a large number of castles throughout the region. From Norman castles forming the Iron Ring including Rhuddlan Castle, Denbigh Castle and Flint Castle to the Welsh Prince Gruffydd’s castle at Castell Dinas Bran or the border stronghold of Chirk Castle.

You can visit the World Heritage Site of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct – a Thomas Telford masterpiece from 1805 carrying the Llangollen Canal over the River Dee. At 38m high and 18 stone arches wide, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is the largest aqueduct in the United Kingdom.

Clwyd has a number of stately homes to tour. Bodelwyddan Castle may look like a castle but is actually a Victorian mansion that wouldn’t look out of place in a children’s fairy story. Bodrhyddan Hall is largely 17th century – tour the house to see the collection including the armour, period furniture and a 3000 year old mummy! Outside you will find a mixture of formal and informal gardens and woodland walks.

Erddig House dates from the 17th century and was remodelled in the 18th century. You can explore the record of domestic life through paintings, printed documents and poems – all testament to the servants of the house. Outside the gardens are amazing set against the backdrop of a canal. You will find other houses at Gwrych Castle, Motsyn Hall, Brynkinalt, Hartsheath Hall and Plas Newydd at Llangollen.
The Clywdian range provides some great driving trails with the route from Llangollen to Denbigh via Horseshoe Pass taking in some great scenery.

A trip to North Wales simply has to include a visit to Bodnant Gardens near Conwy, set against the backdrop of the Carneddau mountains of Snowdonia. Constructed over 150 years the National Trust Gardens are set in over 80 acres, the Laburnum Arch is real delight.
But Clwyd is best known for its seaside resorts from the gentile Victorian charms of Llandudno and Rhos on Sea to the full on family entertainment of Prestatyn, Rhyl and Towyn.

Clwyd’s famous names include Olympian Jade Jones, comedian Dawn French, singer Aled Jones, former Liverpool footballer Ian Rush, James Bond actor Timothy Dalton and politician John Prescott.

Clwyd has a large range of annual events, including the Rhyl Air Show, the Prestatyn Walking, Theatr Clwyd’s Family Art Festival, Llangollen International Music Festival Eisteddfod and a number of agricultural and rural shows.

Located in North Wales, Clwyd is one of the easiest accessible counties in the UK. The main road running in from the north of the country is the A55 from the M6 that heads to the north west coast. From south the A5 is the main road link, finally arriving. A train service runs from Crewe, stopping at a number of coastal towns before eventually terminating in Bangor.