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Our
LocationRuthin Castle is Located in the heart of the town of Ruthin, Denbighshire, North Wales, only 22 miles west of Chester, 38 miles from Liverpool, 55 miles from Manchester (48 miles from Manchester International Airport) 104 miles from Birmingham and 102 miles from Leeds.
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This page contains many sections. Please scroll down the page or use the links immediately below to jump straight down to the topic of your choice:
Ruthin | Snowdon | Portmeirion | Chester | Liverpool | Manchester | Historic Castles | Llangollen | Sports | How to Find Us - Directions
RuthinIn addition to its attractive architecture and mediaeval street patterns, Ruthin (pictured right - photo © Wales Tourist Board) has a wide range of quality, specialist shops, plenty of places to eat and drink, and the Ruthin Craft Centre. With Ruthin placed at the foot of the Clwydian Range, which is a designated "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty", the visitor is never far from a pretty walk or a magnificent view. Annual events include the Ruthin Festival (a week-long annual music festival) and the Ruthin Flower Show (large carnival parade, classic & vintage cars and motorbikes, craft and other stalls, Shire Horses and Shetland Ponies, visiting Queens, Majorettes, celebrity guests and the large horticultural show). Ruthin Gaol was built in 1775 and has recently been redeveloped and restored as a visitor attraction and as a home for the County Archives at a cost of over £1 million.
At 3560ft (1085m) Snowdon is the tallest mountain in Wales. The Snowdon Mountain Railway was built in 1896 and can take you to within 66ft of the summit, or you can walk up if you wish (if you have enough time, are fit enough, and are suitably equipped!). Weather permitting, trains run daily from mid-March to October. The summit is the destination between May and October, but from mid-March to mid-May, the trains stop at Clogwyn or Rocky Valley. The trains start at Llanberis, which offers spectacular views, the Welsh Slate Museum the Llanberis Lake Railway, the Electric Mountain Visitor Centre and the Dinorwig Power Station which is built into the Elidir Fawr Mountain.
Portmeirion"The Italian Village" (pictured right - photo © Wales Tourist Board) is fun for all the family at any time of the year. Beyond the village are the Gwyllt Woodlands with rare and exotic plants. Close by are miles of sandy beaches. There are seven shops at Portmeiron, plus the Dome Gallery and Beauty Salon, and four restaurants. Portmeirion was created by architect Clough Williams-Ellis, who built the village between 1926 and 1976. It was his boyhood dream to build his own village in a woodland location and he wanted to show that a beautiful location could be developed without being spoilt. Portmeirion is where the cult 1960s TV series The Prisoner, starring actor Patrick McGoohan, was filmed.
See also:
The Official Portmeirion website for more information about Portmeirion
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ChesterChester began as a Roman fortress and became an important Saxon town. It was still a military centre in the Middle Ages, when it was a stronghold against the rebellious Welsh and in the 17th century, when it was embroiled in the Civil War. Chester has unique character in its two-tiered galleries of shops, The Rows, and traditional black and white buildings which have been restored and re-developed to provide easy access to Chester's main shopping streets. At the Grosvenor Museum you can explore Roman life in Chester, explore the past and present wildlife of Chester, imagine life in the past in the Period Houses, admire the glitter and craftsmanship of the Chester Silver Collection and take a trip through the ages in Chester's unique Timeline presentation. Chester Cathedral has been a place of worship for over 1000 years and has beautiful monastic cloisters and garden (they provide an audio-visual presentation of its history and admission is free).
See also:
The Chester Portal for more information about Chester
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Home of both the Liverpool & Everton Football Clubs whose stadiums and museums you can tour. You can also go on the ferry across the Mersey or visit the Cavern Club (an early Beatles venue), the Liver Building, Liverpool's two Cathedrals and the Albert Dock which is the most successful attraction in Liverpool, receiving more visitors than any other. The cafés, restaurants, shops, Tate Gallery and Merseyside Museum attract millions of visitors each year. The Tate Gallery exhibits collections of modern art, while the Merseyside Maritime Museum shows the sometimes unpleasant past of Liverpool as a port.
About an hour's drive from Ruthin, Manchester is a typical big city. Whether you wish to shop, taste the food and drink, sample the sights and museums, dip into the art and architecture, enjoy the music and theatre or get involved with sport, you will find something to entertain you.
Godlee Obsevatory, Greater Manchester Police Museum, HMS Bronington, Manchester Museum, Manchester Ship Canal, Manchester United Museum and Tour, Museum of Science and Industry, Museum of Transport in Manchester, Ordsall Hall Museum and the Pankhurst Centre.
Castlefield Gallery, Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester Art Gallery, Cornerhouse, CUBE, The Lowry, Metropolitan Galleries Manchester, Salford Art Gallery and Museum, and Whitworth Art Gallery.
North Wales is blessed with many historic castles (including Ruthin Castle) as a result of centuries of conflict between the Welsh and English. Beautiful towns have been created in the shadows of these fantastic castles and it is easy to plan a whole day visiting a castle and its town e.g. Caernarfon, Conwy, Rhuddlan, Chirk, and Beaumaris.
LlangollenOn the way to Llangollen (pictured right - photo © Wales Tourist Board) the road leads through the twisty tree-covered Nant-y-Garth Pass and over the beautiful Horseshoe Pass. The railway line at Llangollen was closed in 1968 for normal passenger services but it was opened again in 1975 as a scenic tourist attraction and today runs for 7.5 miles along the Dee Valley. Other attractions include Plas Newydd (home to the Ladies of Llangollen), Canoeing and Rafting, the Motor Museum and Canal Exhibition, Royal International Pavilion (venue of the Eisteddfod), Llangollen History Museum, Llangollen Wharf (with horse-drawn boat trips and canal boats), Thomas Telford Aqueduct Cruises, Hot Air Balloon Festival & Nightglow Spectacular, Valle Crucis Abbey ruins ('Valley of the Cross'), Victorian School and Museum
Please see our Leisure page for more details of leisure opportunities in the area.
On site at Ruthin Castle we offer massage, aromatherapy, beauty treatments, fitness equipment, snooker and fishing. Nearby you can find:
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A range of leaflets is available from the hotel reception.
See also:
North Wales
Tourism website
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The hotel is just off the main Ruthin town square in the direction of Corwen.
Ruthin Castle has a helicopter landing pad on site at the following co-ordinates:
N 53 06 66
W 003 18 65
207 WAL 18nm
From the M6 join the M56 (signposted Chester and North Wales) at junction 20. Follow the M56 to meet the A55 following the signs to North Wales. Exit the A55 following signs for Mold. Ruthin is clearly signposted from Mold on the A545.
From the M6 join the M54 towards Telford. At end of M54 join the A5 and follow signs for North Wales and Llangollen. At Llangollen turn right into the town centre and then left at 'T' junction after crossing the river. Follow signs for Ruthin leading across the Horseshoe Pass, go straight over next roundabout then turn left at 'T' junction. Stay on this road traveling through the Nant y Garth Pass following signs for Ruthin.
We recommend either renting a car or taking a taxi cab (rather than a bus).
Car rental is available at Liverpool Airport, Manchester International Airport and Birmingham Airport.
