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Llangollen is a small and beautiful town in North Wales, situated on the River Dee. The surrounding landscape is stunning and has been designated to be an area of ‘outstanding natural beauty’. It’s easy to see why. The rolling green hills and the river aren’t the only things to look at here. The quaint buildings haven’t changed much in decades and there are also canal boats and steam trains to boot. I’m originally from this area and have been visiting my entire life. As I think about it now as an adult, I realise now there is no where quite like Llangollen. So, in this guide I’m going to talk you through what this special town has to offer.
Llangollen is perfect if:
- You are looking for somewhere truly unique
- You enjoy hiking or outdoor activities, or even if you just want to spend some time in the town and take it all in
- You are interested in history and culture
Things to do in Llangollen
Enjoying the town centre
Llangollen is compact and you’ll find the high street, the area alongside the river, the train station and the canal.
There is a nice walkway alongside the river and lots of benches here too, so lovely to have a stroll and a sit.
There are plenty of quaint souvenir shops selling bits and bobs, and also a few high quality produce shops. It’s nice to spend a little bit of time having a browse, but don’t expect any designer boutiques or anything like that.If you are looking for a souvenir unique to Wales, then a Welsh love spoon is probably the most iconic. These date back to the 17th century and the craftmanship that went into hand carved spoons symbolised love and devotion to the recipient.
You will also find lots of ice cream shops in the area, so it would be rude not to get one. I usually go to the place opposite the public toilets on market street as they always have great versions of my favourites; pistachio and rum and raisin.
Llangollen railway
The most popular activity to do in Llangollen is to take a ride on the Llangollen Railway. This is a heritage railway line, rather than a modern train station. By that I mean that you take the trip on for the experience, rather than to travel anywhere. You can’t travel to Llangollen from elsewhere on the rail network either. The line is run by volunteers who have worked to preserve the heritage of the railway in this area.
You can take a round trip to Corwen, around 10 miles away. This takes around 2 hours and is a unique experience. At certain times of the year there are special events and trips, for example Christmas trips with hot chocolate or a tipple.
The Corn Mill
The Corn Mill is a truly iconic pub and restaurant that lives up to it’s legendary status. Since it opened in the year 2000, it has been, and still is a real treat. Before becoming an epic pub, it was a working corn mill until 1974.
Nowadays the outside terrace overlooking the water is a great place for a drink. Inside, there is a restaurant upstairs where the food is really top notch. You will need to reserve a table in the restaurant, especially if you visit on the weekend.
Pontcysyllte aqueduct
This cast iron aqueduct carries the River Dee a whopping 126 feet above ground level. It’s stood like this for over 200 years, which is pretty cool. As you can imagine the aqueduct is quite amazing to see and attracts visitors from around the world.
My lovely friend and fellow psychologist Dr Hannah recently did this canoe trip over the aqueduct which is a truly unique experience. She tells me that she would highly recommend it. I’m planning to give it a go at some point this summer but in the meantime I’ll leave you with her epic photos of the experience.
Llangollen history trail walk
My absolute favourite thing to do here is the Llangollen History Trail walk. It’s around 7.5 miles/12.5km. It is a great option for a long walk where you can feel fully immersed in nature. It also has some wonderful sights along the way. It’s a mostly easy walk, but it does get a little more challenging towards the end when you are ascending the hill to Castell Dinas Bran.
The walk is mostly signposted and you can check you are on track by using this map.
Here is my summary, with a few tips from many years of following this trail.
Firstly you will walk from the town centre towards the canal, where the trail begins. You will walk to your left (in a Westerly direction) along the canal. This is a natural warm up and there’s no worries at this point as to whether you are following the correct route.
While you are walking, you might see the famous horse-drawn canal boats. These were used to transport heavy goods such as coal, iron ore and grain during the industrial revolution. As you might expect, horses could pull 30–50 times more weight on water than on land. So, the canals were an efficient way of moving goods before the railways took over. Nowadays they are still a tourist attraction, and you can take a ride if you want to.
Back to the walk: along the canal, a wonderful coffee shop called Ivy Wood Coffee has recently opened, so this is a great option of you want to get a coffee enroute. You’ll get to it around half an hour into your walk. The coffee shop is usually just open on weekends, so do check their Instagram if you want to be sure.
After 2 miles of walking you will reach the horseshoe falls. This is, as the name suggests, is a horseshoe shaped structure which is designed to regulate the flow of water into the canal. It’s interesting to see. Sometimes see people on the water in their kayaks, navigating the terrain.
When you’ve finished at the falls, head uphill towards the church if you want to see it. Otherwise you can head directly up the hill towards the car park where you will also find some decent public toilets.
The next bit is where the risk for getting lost increases a little. There are a few signs around so look out for them. You are going to head through a little forested area towards ‘velvet hill’. It’s called this because it’s covered in ferns and so the appearance from afar is velvet-like. From here you’ll see some great views of Castell Dinas Bran, which is the highlight of the walk.
From velvet hill you will walk down and cross the road to Abbey Farm caravan park. There is a little bistro that you can visit here (even if you are not staying on the site). It’s quite nice for sandwiches and light lunches or just to stop for a drink, especially on a hot day.
Enclosed within the camp site you will also find the ruins of Valle Crucis Abbey. Again you can just walk in here, there are no restrictions. You’ll find some information about the history as you walk in.
Back to the trail – you will need to walk from the campsite up hill and through some fields with sheep. You will be heading North and a little uphill, and then you will be coming back on yourself along the side of the mountain. This is one of the points at which the map is handy.
There is a well-established path up along the side of the mountain and a few picnic benches along the way. Once you’ve done this bit it all becomes a bit easier to navigate because you’ll be able to see Dinas Bran, where you’ll be heading next.
Once you see Castell Dinas Brân, perched dramatically above the town you’ll know that you’re nearly there. It’s name translates to ‘crow’s fortress’ and it’s associated with a number of Welsh myths and legends. There’s no getting around the fact that the climb is steep. However it’s really worth it when you get up there and see the dramatic views.
When you’re done taking it all in, head down the mountain towards the town. The walk down always feels very satisfying.
When is the best time to visit Llangollen?
It’s quite an outdoorsy place to enjoy so when the weather is better, so between May and September really. There is really not much to do here in the rain other than taking a ride on the train.
How to get to Llangollen
It’s worth noting that the parking situation in Llangollen is challenging and so if you are coming by car my advice would be to come early. There are several car parks, but they do get full very quickly. We usually try and arrive by 10am to get a spot in the long stay car parks.
Where to stay in Llangollen
I tend to go to Llangollen for the day and don’t stay over all that often. However I did recently camp for the first time at Abbey Farm caravan park. This was a good option because of the beautiful location and the proximity to town. The campsite also had good amenities although may have been a little bit too family oriented for me personally.
If you’re not into camping, of all of the hotels in the area, I’d probably choose The Chainbridge Hotel. This is a great location, towards the horseshoe falls but within easy walking distance of the town centre along the canal.
If you’re intetersted in exploring North Wales in more depth check out my North Wales 5-day itinerary
Last but not least
If you’re feeling hedonistic – try a traditional Welsh cake in one of the local teashops. It’s somewhere between a scone, pancake, and cookie, but truly in a category of its own. Locally known as picau ar y maen (cakes on the stone), they’ve been a beloved part of Welsh baking since the 19th century.
If you want a sense of accomplishment – it doesn’t get better than finishing the steep climb up to Castell Dinas Bran and seeing that view! You can take the full history trail that I described earlier, or just walk straight up the hill from the town.
Reasons to be optimistic – Every year Llangollen is home to the International Musical Eisteddfodd in the pavilion. Founded in 1947, just after WWII, the Eisteddfod was created to promote international harmony through music and dance. The festival continues to this day and takes place every summer.
