Cheap Hotels in Denbighshire

Denbighshire has an area of 844 sq km (326 sq miles), with a narrow coastal plain where the beaches of Rhyl and Prestatyn are wide and sandy. Mostly rugged and hilly inland, the county is bounded in the east by the mountains of the Clwydian Range, in the south by the Berwyn Hills, and in the west by moorland on the northern part of the Cambrian Mountains; the setting of the 61 sq km (23 sq mile) Clocaenog Forest.

There are many prehistoric remains in Denbighshire, and Romans mined lead at Prestatyn. The area was the scene of conflict with invaders from Northumbria in AD 613, and Offa's Dyke, which runs through the county is a reminder of struggles between Welsh and Mercian kings in the 8th and 9th centuries. Normans arrived in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, but the county remained turbulent until the late 13th century when Edward I of England established control, building the castles of Denbigh, Ruthin, and Rhuddlan.

Agriculture, farming, forestry and tourism support the economy. Of note are the towns of Denbigh, built on a hillside and dominated by the 13th century castle, and Llangollen, where each July sees the International Musical Eisteddfod take place. A short distance northwest of Llangollen is Valle Crucis Abbey, where extensive remains of a 13th century Cistercian abbey can be found. Offa's Dyke Path begins at Prestatyn and winds southwards through the Clwydian Range, which has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.