North Wales
place to visit for fans of Welsh heritage. Exploring the castle’s nooks and crannies makes for a boy’s own adventure, but best of all, head to the battlements for panoramic views around the castle walls. Having ticked off the national park, seaside air and a
brace of living-heritage castles, few people venture further northeast. But they’re missing out. The Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB), based around the Country Park Centre at Loggerheads, near Mold, is a lesser-known area for bracing walks and fresh air. The North Walian market town of Ruthin, meanwhile, is home to the arts hub Ruthin Craft Centre and a slew of independent shops showcasing local produce. Try Cerrig & The Green Lady for beauty products made from natural ingredients, and stock up at Leonardo’s, a mouth-watering deli, for local cheeses, preserves and pies. No North Wales Odyssey can be complete without a visit
to Llangollen, home of the International Musical Eisteddfod and where the local Fringe Festival and new upstart Comedy Festival are garnering plaudits as a mid-summer alternative to Edinburgh. The town also makes for a great base to explore a wider area with lots of places to stay, eat and drink, all within a short walk of the ancient bridge over the River Dee. The civil engineer Thomas Telford is closely associated with Llangollen, having played a key role in the design of
www.britain-magazine.com
the 46-mile Llangollen Canal. Today, horse-drawn boat excursions from Llangollen Wharf ply the towpaths and canal locks as far as the village of Trevor, where Telford’s masterpiece – and Wales’ latest addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List – is to be found. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, completed in 1805 to carry
the canal over the Dee, is perhaps the most spectacular piece of engineering on the entire UK canal system. At 126 feet above the river, it is the tallest navigable aqueduct in the world. The narrowboats chugging across the aqueduct appear to be suspended in mid air, since the edge of the trough of the aqueduct is only six inches above the water level – the helmsman and passengers must hold on tight and try not to look down! A close brush with the region’s most iconic new attraction may be a high-wire adventure, but it’s also the perfect way to end a North Wales journey of discovery on a spectacular high.
For our full report, go to
www.britain-magazine.com. For details of what to see and where to stay in North Wales, contact Visit Wales, Tel: 0870 8300 3060;
www.visitwales.com. Tourist Information Centres: Library Building, Mostyn St, Llandudno LL30 2RP; Castle Building, Conwy, LL32 8LD; Pringles Retail Outlet, Llanfair PG, Anglesey, LL61 5UJ; Snowdonia National Park Visitor Centre, Betws-y-Coed, LL24 0AH.
BRITAIN 19
Top left: the famous Laburnam Arch at Bodnant Gardens. Top right: The Great Orme Tramway, a funicular which has been in operation since 1902. Above: The walled market town of Conwy with Conwy Castle
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100