Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
BRIDGE END INN
If you're prepared to make a pilgrimage for a good pub, seek ye out Ruabon's
Bridge End Inn
(
www.mcgivernales.co.uk
;
5 Bridge St; 5-11pm Mon-Fri, noon-11pm Sat & Sun) . In 2012 this unassuming
little place became the first Welsh pub to win the coveted Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) pub of the year
award. It's the home of the McGivern Ales microbrewery and alongside its own brews, it showcases craft beers
from around the nation.
Ruabon is 6 miles east of Llangollen, on the way to Wrexham.
Information
Llangollen Tourist Office
( 01978-860828;
www.northwalesborderlands.co.uk
; The Chapel, Castle St;
9.30am-5pm)
Helpful tourist office, well-stocked with maps, books and gifts. It doubles as an
art gallery. Pick up the
Llangollen History Trail
brochure, which details a 9.5km walking
circuit taking in Valle Crucis and Dinas Brân.
Getting There & Away
Bus X94 heads to Wrexham (35 minutes), Llandrillo (26 minutes), Bala (48 minutes),
Dolgellau (1½ hours) and Barmouth (1¾ hours).
National Express coaches head to Wrexham (£2.80, 25 minutes), Shrewsbury (£4.70, one
hour) and Birmingham (£12, 2½ hours).
Parking is at a premium in Llangollen. If your accommodation doesn't have its own,
check whether it can provide a pass for the council car parks.
WORTH A TRIP
TYDDYN LLAN
Set among gardens near the pretty Georgian village of Llandrillo (located on the secondary B4401 route between
Llangollen and Bala), the rural restaurant-with-rooms
Tyddyn Llan
(2-/3-course lunch £19.50/25.50, dinner £45/
55; lunch Fri-Sun, dinner daily) is the only North Wales restaurant to hold a Michelin star. The food, as you'd
expect, is both spectacular and spectacularly priced; the most affordable option is the set lunch, served Friday to
Sunday. The 12 rooms each boast their own individual style, some frou-frou romantic, some shabby-chic modern.
