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Essential Hotels > Wales > Clwyd
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, stretching across the northeast corner of Wales. The county as a whole is rather sizeable, bordering the Welsh counties of Gwynedd and Powys, and the English counties of Cheshire and Shropshire. Merseyside is also close by, on the other side of the River Dee. However, although Clwyd is the retained name for the whole area, the county is actually split up into newer counties and authorities, namely Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.
Conwy occupies the middle of North Wales, facing out to the sea. It is named for the river that flows through the area out to the Irish Sea. It is sandwiched between Gwynedd to the east, Denbighshire to the west and Snowdonia National Park to the south. Conwy is home to a several well-known towns, including Conwy town and Colwyn Bay, which gained notoriety in the 19th centuries as coastal resorts. However, the most famous destination is probably Llandudno, which also the largest. Conwy is a historic county. The town of Abergele is a former Roman trading settlement, while Rhos-on-Sea has numerous links to previous Roman occupation, the Titanic and even the discovery of America by the Welsh Prince Madog.
Denbighshire and Flintshire comprise the northeastern counties of Wales, sitting above Wrexham. This border area is a good choice for exploring into Cheshire. Flintshire is a fairtrade county and contains an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the shape of the Clwydian Range. The major towns in Flintshire include Flint, Holywell and Mold, all of which are market towns. Like Flintshire, Denbighshire is named for an older and larger historic county. It is also said to be the oldest consistently inhabited place in Wales, with known Paleolithic findings. Denbighshire’s major towns are primarily the popular coastal towns of Rhyl and Prestatyn. Rhyl was a Victorian seaside resort, changed somewhat after a boost in population after WWII. Prestatyn originated as a Roman settlement, but there are few remains of this to be seen today, aside from the Roman Bathhouse. Finally, Wrexham, at the bottom of Clwyd, contrasts distinctly with the other parts of Clwyd, being one of the largest towns in Wales and an economically busy area.
Conwy occupies the middle of North Wales, facing out to the sea. It is named for the river that flows through the area out to the Irish Sea. It is sandwiched between Gwynedd to the east, Denbighshire to the west and Snowdonia National Park to the south. Conwy is home to a several well-known towns, including Conwy town and Colwyn Bay, which gained notoriety in the 19th centuries as coastal resorts. However, the most famous destination is probably Llandudno, which also the largest. Conwy is a historic county. The town of Abergele is a former Roman trading settlement, while Rhos-on-Sea has numerous links to previous Roman occupation, the Titanic and even the discovery of America by the Welsh Prince Madog.
Denbighshire and Flintshire comprise the northeastern counties of Wales, sitting above Wrexham. This border area is a good choice for exploring into Cheshire. Flintshire is a fairtrade county and contains an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the shape of the Clwydian Range. The major towns in Flintshire include Flint, Holywell and Mold, all of which are market towns. Like Flintshire, Denbighshire is named for an older and larger historic county. It is also said to be the oldest consistently inhabited place in Wales, with known Paleolithic findings. Denbighshire’s major towns are primarily the popular coastal towns of Rhyl and Prestatyn. Rhyl was a Victorian seaside resort, changed somewhat after a boost in population after WWII. Prestatyn originated as a Roman settlement, but there are few remains of this to be seen today, aside from the Roman Bathhouse. Finally, Wrexham, at the bottom of Clwyd, contrasts distinctly with the other parts of Clwyd, being one of the largest towns in Wales and an economically busy area.