Maen Achwyfan Cross

Wales’s most northeasterly county contains little in the way of big blockbuster attractions, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see or do. Bounded by the Dee Estuary to the north and the Clwydian mountain range to the west, with the bright lights of Chester just over the border to the east, Flintshire has been described as both ‘the Gateway to Wales’ and ‘Wales in miniature’.

Much of the county’s greatest delights can be found in its landscapes. The purple-heathered Clwydian Range is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Talacre Beach sports a picturesque lighthouse and miles of world-famous sand dunes. And the Dee Estuary is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a great place to spot wading birds.

St Winefride’s Well in Holywell is one of the Seven Wonders of Wales, and the site of a famous Welsh legend – the well is said to have sprung up from the spot where Winifred was beheaded by Caradoc after refusing to marry him (A Morbid Taste for Bones, the first Cadfael novel, takes its plot from Winifred’s legend). It’s still a site of pilgrimage for some. Other Flintshire towns include former country town Flint, and the market town of Mold.