Last August, I organised a four-night break in Llangollen, mainly to visit the Shrewsbury Flower Show. I arranged the trip through Bowens Group Travel based in Northampton.

We stayed at the Hand Hotel Llangollen, an old coaching inn, and found the food and accommodation to be very good. Alternatively, if you wish to stay in mid-Wales, The Metropole in Llandrindod Wells is excellent. I did not have one complaint about these two hotels from any of my 40 plus group members. The Hand Hotel has entertainment including a local male voice choir who practice at the hotel one night a week.

When travelling into Wales from the north may I suggest you stop at Bridgmere Garden World, in Cheshire, or The Trentham Estate, in Staffordshire, for lunch and from the south, Webbs garden centre in Droitwich.

Llangollen is a very attractive little town with a steam train, canal and barge rides plus a good walk up to a peak with a ruined castle overlooking the town.

The first morning we visited Bodnant Garden, one of England’s ‘must-see’ gardens, and the next day we went to the Shrewsbury Flower Show.
The following day, we went to Blists Hill Victorian Town, in Shropshire, which was very interesting and in the afternoon we went to Dorothy Clive Garden in Staffordshire, which was an utter pleasure.

On the final day, as we left Llangollen, we stopped to walk over the famous viaduct before taking lunch at The Trentham Estate.

Graham Block
Group Outings Organiser
Wood Street Horticultural Society, Surrey