What's on inDenbighshire

Denbigshire is a county in the north-east of Wales. It is the area of Wales that has been inhabited the longest (there is evidence at the Pontnewydd Paleaolithic site of Neanderthals being there over 225,000 years ago) and is named after Denbigshire historic county, although its borders are different. It is a beautiful corner of Wales with varied moorland and hilly terrain from the Berwyn Range along its southern border, the Hiraethog Moors in the west and the Clwydian Range in the east, as well as a slim coastal plain to the north.

Though close to England, it is a proud and independently Welsh area and is packed with Welsh historical treasures, from prehistoric sites to Celtic remains, to medieval castles and strongholds. Particularly worth visiting is the magnificent Denbigh Castle, standing in a prominent position above the town of Denbigh and built by Edward I it is known for its powerful and unusual gatehouse and polygonal towers and offers unparalleled views of the Clwydian hill range and the pastoral Vale of Clwyd. Also worth a look are the Rhuddlan and Chirk castles, also built by Edward in the 13th century and part of his iron ring of fortresses.

Other interesting sites include Bodelwyddan Castle, Valle Crucis Abbey in Llangollen, Rug Chapel and Llangar Church in Corwen. Equally worth seeing is the county town of Denbigh, which dates back to the 11th century as a border town and became the royal residence for Welsh princes. It features the beautiful St. Asaph Cathedral on a site that has been a church in one form or another since 560, and during the Elizabethan era the town was one of the largest and most powerful towns in Wales, a centre for culture and enterprise. To this day it is a bustling and beautiful town and well worth a visit.