The best park in North Wales?

Exploring the forests, falls and fortress of Wepre Park in North Wales.

A rainy weekend had us all feeling like we were bouncing off the walls, so we took advantage of a break in the rain to drive a short distance into Flintshire to a park considered to be one of the best in the area.

Wepre Country Park is actually listed in the Domesday Book under the ownership of Chester's St Werburgh's Abbey (now the Cathedral). Nowadays it is a sprawling site incorporating a large play area, skate park, sports field, fishing pond, forests, waterfalls and rivers, and the ruins of the 12th Century Ewloe Castle; built by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as an act of defiance against Edward I (who built the castle in my last blog!).

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Taz loves a waterfall, so after a play on the park and a wander around the pond watching ducklings and fishermen, we spent a while around the Victorian-built dam which creates a cascade of water into the river below. There were plenty of people paddling, despite the chill, but we headed off around the clearly marked paths and boardwalks that meandered through the forest to reach the ruins of Ewloe Castle. It's a little steep at the last stretch, but well worth the climb to the top (and a final push if you want to climb the castle tower itself - still standing strong through the centuries!).

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Dodging raindrops we made our way back through the fields for a final play on the park and a coffee from the visitor centre. This is such a unique area for an afternoon out - how many play areas do you know that have a genuine castle attached?!