North East Wales
While there is a lot of North East Wales to see, we’re going to be concentrating on three major areas: Denbighshire, Wrexham and Flintshire.
Denbighshire
Denbighshire holds the title as the longest known inhabited part of Wales, with Neanderthal remains dating from 225,000 years ago found here. There are a number of castles, as well as the smallest cathedral in Wales, St Asaph’s.
It’s a great area for beautiful surrounds. The Clwydian Range is popular with hikers, and with the upper Dee Valley makes up an Area of Outstanding National Beauty. There’s a special Eisteddfod held each year, the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
Nearly 25% of the population can speak Welsh.
Wrexham
Right on the border to England, Wrexham is an old coal-mining town, and situated between the Welsh mountains and lower Dee Valley. There are some great streets for shopping, three traditional covered markets, and north Wales’ largest open-air market!
Other draws to the area include:
St Giles Church (one of the Seven Wonders of Wales), Techniquest Glyndwr, the Science Discovery Centre, a Racecourse Ground and Wales Comic Con.
It also holds an annual Science Festival, with over 9000 visitors, as well as holding many parks and green spaces.
Flintshire
The most north-easterly county of Wales, Flintshire is right on the edges of Cheshire. Main rivers are the Dee and the Clwyd, and it is a maritime county thanks to its relation to the Dee estuary.
Flintshire is a Fairtrade County which contains (primarily) Mold, Flint and Holywell.
In Mold you can find historic churches, shops and a theatre (which includes a cinema, art gallery and bookshop).
Edward I built Flint Castle, and it was later used by Shakespeare in Richard II at the pivotal point when Richard is captured by Bolingbroke, leading to his abdication.
Holywell is home to St Winefride’s Well, a site of pilgrimage for the last 1300 years.