Between the towns of Llandudno and Rhyl sits the old Roman trading town of Abergele, where Edward I is said to have stayed during his invasion of Wales in 1294. Gwrych Castle, just outside Abergele, was not one of Edward’s ‘Iron Ring’ of Welsh Castles but has its own story to tell in Welsh history, dating back to around 1170.

The original castle on the site in the woodland just outside Abergele was built by the Normans, taken over by a Welsh prince and then eventually destroyed by the Roundheads during the English Civil War. Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh had the present castle erected in 1819.

The town of Abergele and its 10,000 inhabitants have strong links with the Roman Empire, with recent genetic studies showing the population to be descended from Romans in the area around 2,000 years ago.

Historical sites in Abergele include two Iron Age hillforts, as well as a grave at St Michael’s Parish church with the inscription “Here lieth in St Michael’s churchyard a man who had his dwelling three miles to the north,” – travelling three miles north of the gravestone puts you over two miles out at sea!

Wildlife spotters come to Abergele to visit caves in the hills surrounding the town, where the rare lesser horseshoe bat can be found. The species is protected in the area, as are badgers, otters, red squirrels, water voles, great crested newts and barn owls.

Cottages in Abergele provide a traditional Welsh welcome and there are some very good pubs and restaurants in the town.