The Forge

For strolls straight from the site, set off along the Clwydian and Tegid ways; for urban forays, the Roman amphitheatre of Chester and the dockside bars and restaurants of Liverpool are reachable in 50 minutes or an hour and 10 minutes. Back over the border in north Wales, this area’s known for its watersports, with some mighty rivers for rafting on (you can start off from The National White Water Centre a 25-minute drive away) and an inland tidal lagoon for surfing at Adventure Parc Snowdonia (50 minutes). The Rhaeadr Y Graig Lwyd can be checked out within half an hour. If you’d rather eat than expend energy, award-winning takeaways and Michelin-starred restaurants are within 15 minutes’ drive of the site; once you’ve filled up, head off for some history at Slate Mountain (50 minutes away) to learn all about the quarrying culture of this traditional mining area then return to the park to pull a novel from the book exchange and have a relaxing read...