The last few weeks have seen some dreadful scenes on the British coast
with the combination of high spring tides and stormy weather leaving a trail of
devastation in its wake. Faced with all
this, the people of Towyn - or Tywyn in Welsh - must have been holding their
breath and harbouring terrible feelings of deja vu, since this little resort on
the North Wales coast has seen it all before.
On February 26 1990 the sea wall in Towyn was breached by massive waves,
causing a large residential area to be inundated with seawater up to 6 feet in
depth, invading houses, businesses and caravans. Up to 6,000 people had to be evacuated, the
largest such evacuation since World War II.
The coastal defences which proved unequal to the 1990 event have since
been reinforced, and thankfully seem to have held up in the recent flooding
episode, although neighbouring Kinmel
Bay and Rhyl were sadly
hit by flooding last week.
Towyn is a small family-friendly seaside resort, while Abergele lies
slightly inland, apart from the beach suburb of Pensarn, where there have been
reported sightings of a ghost ship. The
main point of historical interest in Abergele is Gwrych Castle and Gardens, which
lies just to the west of the town and can be clearly seen from the A55 road. Although it looks older, the
castle was constructed between 1819 and 1825.
The castle was used to house Jewish refugees during World War II, then
later it opened its doors to visitors, with attractions in the grounds which
included a miniature railway and a small zoo.
There were also holiday apartments available for rent. Sadly, this all ended in 1985 when the castle
was closed to the public and went into a decline. Now the castle is up and running again, and is open to visitors daily. A visit there could prove to be an
eventful one, because the castle is one of the most haunted properties in Wales. The castle is full of tales of apparitions,
cowering, terrified dogs, the sound of galloping horses' hooves, strange smells
and cold spots.
Map of the area.
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| Gwrych Castle. Photo by Dot Potter, via Wikimedia Commons. |
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