Cycling UK Forum

Can anyone advise on whether the Wrexham area would be suitable for a family camping trip? I don't know Wales very well, but from the bits I've seen it looks lovely. Quite happy with moderate walks with the kids, exploring forests etc. Llangollen seems to be scoring a few points on web searches, but there's nothing better than local knowledge. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Snowdonia is far nicer
This is a nice family campsite:- http://riversidecamping.co.uk/

Is there any particular reason for Wrexham?

It was simply that I'd sen a decent looking campsite just South of Wrexham. No offence to Wrexham residents, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of nice things said about the town....any reason?

There used to nice things said about the town, but in recent years it's gone downhill.
My sister and family lived there from 1975(?) to 2013. We've visited over all the years of course and seen it change completely.
Big sister has sold up and moved out. The family have grown up and flown the coup and have families of their own. None live in Wrexham any more.

Wrexham was a lovely little market town, but it's expanded and changed over the last 40 years.
Maybe most places have changed in those years too, some for better and some for worse.

This C&CC map will bring up lots of sites.
http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co ... earch.aspx

Select the type of site and facilities on the left then double click the area of map for sites.
If you are a member of the Caravanning & Camping Club then prices would be cheaper but you don't have to be.

This also has a camping site search map:-
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/

Mick F wrote:There used to nice things said about the town, but in recent years it's gone downhill.
My sister and family lived there from 1975(?) to 2013. We've visited over all the years of course and seen it change completely.
Big sister has sold up and moved out. The family have grown up and flown the coup and have families of their own. None live in Wrexham any more.

Wrexham was a lovely little market town, but it's expanded and changed over the last 40 years.
Maybe most places have changed in those years too, some for better and some for worse.

Wot 'e sed

This place is fantastic, but a little bit further out than Wrexham, on lake Bala.

Glanllyn Caravan & Camping Park
www.glanllyn.com
2 Google reviews
Bala, Llanuwchllyn
01678 540227
more info

And this one, I've not used it but have cycled past it often. It's a small field behind a very nice pub.

http://www.griffininntrevalyn.co.uk/campsite/

I'm a Wrexhamian, grew up there and left in 1975, visited regularly until last year. The town itself has an interesting Parish church, the gates are one of the seven wonders of Wales. If industrial heritage is of interest, nearby Bersham and Minera are worth a web search. Llangollen and the Pontsysyllt aqueduct are quite stunning. Worsen, Turin and Denbigh

BAH predictive text! CORWEN, RUTHIN and Denbigh - are smaller and more picturesque.

I think Wrexham suffered from too much funding from the Welsh Development Agency. However I lived in North Shropshire for many years and do think the area around Wrexham has lots of interesting places. Canal aqueducts, cyclepaths and tunnels, castles and west of the town some fantastic scenery. Candy Woods and the Old Racecourse near Oswestry offer lovely walks and form part of Offa's Dyke.

Thanks folks, that's helped narrow things down a bit.

We are a very active group in the Wrexahm area as you can see
http://www.ctcchesterandnwales.org.uk/wrexhamgroup.html
If there are any specific questions you have; someone from our group will be able to assist.
We probably know all the campsites but as they are local we probably wont use them !!
This is a very nice campsite -www.plassey.com/

bikepacker wrote:.... do think the area around Wrexham has lots of interesting places. Canal aqueducts, cyclepaths and tunnels, castles and west of the town some fantastic scenery. Candy Woods and the Old Racecourse near Oswestry offer lovely walks and form part of Offa's Dyke.

I can back this up - I lived in Ruabon for a few years and I found that the less pleasant parts of that area are pretty self-contained and to be honest even they're not that bad. Head south and there are lots of quiet roads and villages, rolling countryside etc - Chirk, Oswestry, Ellesmere, Whitchurch, Bangor-on-Dee, Overton etc are pleasant enough towns and villages. Ruabon has a recent CAMRA national pub of the year (the Bridge End Inn). Llangollen is OK but the roads to get there can be unpleasant for a cyclist - squeezed into the Dee valley as they are.

The main urban areas are Wrexham and its suburbs, including up the hill to Rhosllanerchrugog and Penycae; also to the south-west of Ruabon, places like Cefn Mawr. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit those places, but even they have their charms and if you go up the hill out of Penycae there are some lovely quiet lanes and some scenic routes around 'Ruabon Mountain'. There's also a fascinating industrial heritage in this area.

Just as parts of Lancashire like the Forest of Bowland are beautiful but bypassed by holidaymakers heading for the Lakes, so much of Clwyd and Shropshire is missed by those heading to Snowdonia and the Welsh coast. Do your research, I think it's an area well worth visiting.

Re the above post, it's now possible to ride along the canal from the Chirk area all the way to LLangollen.
Must be one of the most scenic canal side rides around.

MikeLR wrote:Re the above post, it's now possible to ride along the canal from the Chirk area all the way to LLangollen.
Must be one of the most scenic canal side rides around.

D'oh! Forgot about the canal - though I left there in 1997 so it might have changed.