Adventures around Rhylwith PlusBus
Long sandy beaches, watery nature reserves, a boat-bobbing harbour and plenty of arcades. Grab your bucket and spade and get the train to Rhyl for a day of old-fashioned seaside fun. But that’s not all the area has to offer. With a PlusBus ticket added on to your train fare for a couple of quid, you can catch the bus to neighbouring villages like Dyserth and Rhuddlan for a thirty-metre waterfall and a thirteenth-century castle.
-
-
1. Dyserth Waterfall
With a PlusBus ticket for Rhyl, you can explore the area all day on unlimited buses. Transport for Wales runs regular trains from Chester and Holyhead to Rhyl and Avanti West Coast has a couple of direct trains each day from Crewe. Twenty minutes from Rhyl railway station, is the lovely village of Dyserth with pubs, cafés and great walking country.
- Here the powerful Dyserth waterfall rushes over a cliff, carrying the River Ffyddion towards the River Clwyd and the sea beyond. The huge stone structures near the falls may once have held a giant medieval water wheel. Put 50p in the honesty box near the entrance to see the waterfall up close, with bracing clouds of spray from the thundering water, and climb the steps up to a viewpoint.
- How do I get to Dyserth by bus? Bus 36 runs every half an hour from Rhyl railway station (every two hours on Sunday) and stops outside the Red Lion in Dyserth twenty minutes later. The waterfall is a minute’s walk away. From the viewpoint above the falls, there are walks through the woods to the Maes Hirradug reserve or all the way up Graig Fawr.
- And what about lunch? As well as a choice of pubs in Dyserth, there is the seasonal Waterfall shop for tea, coffee, ice cream and toasties. If you hike a mile or so along the Dyserth walkway to explore Graig Fawr, you’ll come to a lovely café with a terrace at Y Shed in the village of Meliden.
-
-
2. Rhuddlan Castle
The ruthless King Edward I was responsible for lots of the castles in Wales, many of them now designated World Heritage sites. Rhuddlan Castle, begun in 1277, was the first castle built to a pioneering new design involving concentric layers of fortifications. An impressive stronghold with twin-towered gatehouses survives to this day within a circle of turreted walls. Edward I even got engineers to alter the course of the River Clwyd for this castle.
- You can buy tickets to visit Rhuddlan Castle Thursday to Monday from April to October. The surrounding village has pubs, bistros, burger bars, Indian restaurants, and even hotels if you want to stay the night.
- How do I get to Rhuddlan by bus? Bus 36 from Rhyl railway station stops in Rhuddlan, after about 15 minutes, on the way to (or back from) Dyserth. The nearest stop is Llys Hendre, which is five minutes’ stroll from the castle. You can also take bus 51, which takes about the same amount of time and stops equally near at Rhuddlan’s Parliament House.
-
3. Beaches and seaside attractions
Rhyl’s buses are also handy for reaching the seafront and exploring the wide golden beaches that originally made the town famous as a coastal resort in the nineteenth century. The sea is just five minutes’ walk from Rhyl station so you could stroll down the pedestrianised High Street, turn right just beyond the clocktower and walk along the coast in both directions. When you’ve had enough, catch the bus back to the station. Here are a few of the things you could explore along the way.
- Comedians, concerts, dance shows, panto… there’s something for everyone at Rhyl’s Pavilion with its 1000-seater theatre right on the sunset-catching seafront. The first Pavilion, on the prom near Rhyl Pier, was built in 1891 and burned down ten years later. The current incarnation opened in 1991, exactly a century after the original theatre and its Victorian origins are commemorated in the new first-floor 1891 bar and restaurant, hosting Northern Soul nights, Christmas parties and more.
- To get to the Pavilion and 1891 quickly, hop on good old bus 35 outside the railway station and get off, a couple of minutes later, at the stop called Pavilion Theatre.
- Walking back along the seafront, you will reach the River Clwyd and Marine Lake. Cross the footbridge over the river for refreshments at the Harbour Hub cafe. From here you can stroll out through the dunes along boardwalks to see the marram grass and wildlife of the Horton’s Nose nature reserve. Nearby, Kinmel Bay sandy cove is a great place to watch the afternoon sun dipping behind the Great Orme, which rises over the waves on the horizon.
- Ready to head home? Walk a couple of minutes along St Asaph’s Avenue, past Asda, and turn left at the end to find Kinmel Bay bus stop. Bus 12 runs every 12 minutes from here during the day to Rhyl railway station (half-hourly after 6pm and on Sundays).
- Still time before your train? Stroll straight into Bodfor Street, past the clock outside the railway station. Cross into Queen Street and turn first right into Market Street to find the excellent new Artisan cafe and bistro, just minutes from the station and a tasty, relaxing place to wait for you train.
- Thanks to Visit Wales for help with this feature and photos of Rhuddlan Castle.
