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UNITED KINGDOM - Wales
Location - Western Europe; Capital - Wales - Cardiff; Population - Wales - 3 million; Currency - Pound Sterling MORE UK - LONDON
Bodnant Garden is an easy day trip from Llandudno or Conwy, after which it was a coincidental trip to surprise new I'm A Celebrity location, Gwrych Castle. Also on this page I've weaved in some of my original photos from many trips home to Prestatyn - July 2020.
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A short drive south of Llandudno and Conwy is Bodnant Garden
It's a 60 acre site of formal gardens created in the 19th century - Bodnant Garden
The Pin Mill stands at the end of a lily pond - Bodnant Garden
The surrounding countryside and hills look superb - Bodnant Garden
The garden is set around Bodnant Hall, also called Bodnant House - Bodnant Garden
Beyond the terraced gardens near Bodnant Hall is a wilder, more open section - Bodnant Garden
I'm clueless when it comes to flowers but I think these are blue hydrangeas on the right - Bodnant Garden
A 10min walk from the National Trust property are great views of the River Conwy - Bodnant Garden
I'd long seen Gwrych Castle from the coast road and had wanted to visit for some years - Abergele
The castle was built in the 19th century as a country house rather than for defensive purposes - Abergele
What were the chances of it being selected for I'm A Celebrity?!!! Didn't even cross my mind.. - Abergele
As it was the era of coronavirus the interior areas were closed, but I got this photo from the top of the stairs of The House, the main building containing the entrance hall, library, drawing room and dining room - Abergele
Restoration works have been going on for years, and many locals didn't know it was open to the public. ITV (producers of I'm A Celebrity) ploughed in some cash, and boy oh boy it's going to be popular in 2021 - Abergele
Gwrych Castle (Hedged Castle in English) has relied heavily on donations and volunteers to rebuild the site, so I'm A Celebrity has made huge strides to accelerate this. Congratulations! Abergele
A bit of a long walk from the castle is Pensarn beach, from where you can see Llandudno's Little (& Great?) Orme, out of picture - Abergele
There's not much to recommend Rhyl, a beach resort further east along the coast. Lots of regeneration money has been spent but the town and seafront still look run down and in need of a boost
Having said that, the beach is very wide, though not particularly soft and inviting - Rhyl
But this place is cool, Pro Kitesurfing, which offers kitesurfing and wakeboarding lessons and has a small outdoor bar-cafe - Rhyl
Can't escape the Ormes, Little or Great! Rhyl
Of course I have to include my home town of Prestatyn, a little further east again on the north Wales coast
The North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm is situated 7.5km off the coast.
It consists of 30 turbines providing electricity for 40,000 homes, and may well have expanded since - Prestatyn
A close up of the North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm from Prestatyn
Prestatyn beach runs the whole way along the town's coast, from Talacre to Rhyl - Prestatyn
Prestatyn is probably best known as the start or finish of the Offa's Dyke Path - signified by the Dechrau a Diwedd sculpture - which largely follows the England/Wales border for 285km from Prestatyn to Chepstow in the south
As a kid we called this disused 18th century lead mine Fish Cave, found off the Bishopswood trail - Prestatyn
The coronavirus lockdown inspired this COVID-19 snake, which stretches along the Prestatyn-Dyserth Way. People are invited to add their messages painted on stones - Prestatyn
The disused Prestatyn to Dyserth train line is now a popular walking trail. On the left you can just make out a distant Prestatyn plus the wind farm - Meliden
Take a trail leading off the Prestatyn-Dyserth Way that rises up to Craig Fawr, a viewpoint with great views of the surrounding coast - Meliden
It doesn't feel like north Wales if you can't see the Little or Great Orme, here with Rhyl in the foreground - Meliden
There's great views of the coast, offshore wind farm and Prestatyn - Meliden
The top of Craig Fawr is only a 15min walk from the railway path below - Meliden
Cute little Dyserth waterfall, a 10min walk from the end of the Prestatyn-Dyserth Way path - Dyserth
13th century Rhuddlan Castle, another built by King Edward I, stands above the River Clwyd - Rhuddlan
Shortly after Prestatyn is Talacre
The beach resort is known for its caravan parks - Talacre
The 18th century Point of Ayr lighthouse - Talacre
Birdwatchers might want a visit to the Dee Estuary - Point of Ayr reserve, which is accessed via boardwalks parallel to the water and marshland - Talacre
14th century St Asaph Cathedral in St Asaph, the second smallest city in Britain and known as Llanelwy in Welsh
The 19th century Marble Church, or St Margaret's Church, has a cemetery of WWI graves, many of them Canadian soldiers who died in a flu epidemic in 1919, after the war ended - St Asaph
Some lovely Welsh countryside near Tremerchion
The market town of Ruthin has several historic buildings, this being Nantclwyd y Dre, a 14th century timber townhouse which is now a museum
The entrance to Ruthin Castle, a medieval castle built by Edward I in the 13th century - Ruthin
In the grounds of the castle is a fantastic Welsh dragon painted on Welsh slate - Ruthin
The castle is now a luxury hotel - Ruthin
The Greenfield Valley Heritage Park is dedicated to the area's industrial past. This photo is of the 19th century Cotton Mills - Greenfield
The Arc sculpture honours the coal and steel workers - Wrexham
This 2018 mural depicts silhouettes of WWI soldiers and commemorates 100 years since the end of World War I - Wrexham
A shopping arcade in the town centre - Wrexham
The towering 15th century St Giles' Church - Wrexham
That might be Elvis outside the Rock Suite Cafe - Wrexham
A message for the wealthy: Eat The Rich - Wrexham
The National Trust property of Erddig is only 3.5km south of Wrexham
Erddig Hall is set within a huge 1,900 acres of estate grounds - Wrexham
Only the grounds were open post coronavirus lockdown, hopefully this changes in 2021 - Wrexham
A perfectly manicured tree-lined path within the grounds of Erddig - Wrexham
Website and content Copyright © 2008-2021 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.
LINKS
www.visitwales.com - Wales tourist board
www.northwales.co.uk - guide to north Wales
www.eryri-npa.gov.uk - Snowdonia guide
www.snowdonrailway.co.uk - take a train up Mt Snowdon, Wales' highest mountain
www.snowdon.com - more info on Snowdon
www.visitmidwales.co.uk - guide to mid Wales
www.tourism.powys.gov.uk - another site focused on mid Wales
www.southernwales.com - guide to south Wales
www.visitbritain.com - Britain's official tourism website
www.thetrainline.com - train information across Britain
www.traveline.cymru - Wales public transport journey planner
www.nationalexpress.com - National Express coaches cover Britain
I am not responsible for the content of external websites.