'Free' seafront campsite with North Wales beach views leaves people incensed
Some people worry the campsite will entice others to take advantage of the free facility during the summer holidays. Denbighshire Council said it was obliged to provide services in line with government guidance on Gypsy, Roma & Traveller encampments.
Several tents, two caravans and a couple of cars have been spotted on a grassy area off Rhyl Promenade, by the town's Eisteddfod Standing Stones. It's understood they arrived late last week.
The same area attracted similar encampments last summer, and another was moved on from the promenade last month. Nearby are the Old Golf Road Public Toilets, where signs warn camping is banned.
'The irony is not lost on me,' said one woman online. 'Toilets closed for everyone but temporary ones can be provided for a pop-up campsite.'
The public toilets are currently shut for repairs. Along with others in the resort, the block has been earmarked for an 'upgrade' so that the previously free facility can be run unstaffed, with cashless payments.
Rhyl Town Council is being asked to hike its council tax levy to pay for running costs, estimated at £12,211-a-year.
Bins have also been provided for the campers. A regular visitor said it was 'not nice' for locals who must pay for similar services through their council taxes.
On social media, some people complained about the situation. 'They never put a portaloo out for visitors,' noted one woman.
Others worry the encampment will become a free-for-all. Tongue-in-cheek, a Prestatyn woman said: 'Think I will take my tent and dog there next week – saves money going to a campsite and (there's) a beach on your doorstep.'
There was also plenty of support both for the campers and for the local authority. People living nearby said they'd had 'no issues at all' with the site's occupiers.
One resident said the council had no option other than to provide basic services. A few people believe the 'live and let live' mantra should apply, others suggested the campsite was a more productive use of land that was otherwise little used.
'Fantastic to see people enjoying what otherwise a waste of space,' said one man. 'I hope the council are clever enough to charge £10 a night – just saying.' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Denbighshire Council confirmed it had visited the site. A spokesperson said: 'The council visited the occupiers of the site to perform a welfare check-in, which is in line with government legislation and guidance on unauthorised Gypsy, Roma & Traveller encampments.'
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Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
Britain's 30 biggest airports, ranked from worst to best
For some, an airport is no more interesting than a bus stop or a taxi rank, a functional thing as unworthy of deep consideration as the colour of the seats on a train. For others, the airport can be as glorious an element of that journey as the location at the other end of it. And a meaningful topic of consumer discussion. The range of shops, the number of bars, the variety of restaurants, the quality and accessibility of the lounges, the availability of parking – these can all be important matters, particularly if you are the sort of traveller who likes to spend extra time in the terminal prior to take-off. And particularly if you live in an area where you have more than one airport from which to choose. In this data-driven study, Telegraph Travel has taken the 30 busiest British airports and assigned each a score based on almost 40 metrics (see 'methodology' and 'the ranking in full', below, for all the details). This is our detailed rundown of the top 10. 10. Jersey Total points: 799 Jersey is the second smallest airport in this top 10 when it comes to passenger numbers; the 1.5 million people who entered its terminal in 2024 amount to fewer visitors than Heathrow (84 million passengers in 2024) sees in one week. This smallness is also visible on a departures board which features only six countries and 24 destinations (worth just 15 points in our study) – emphasising the idea that Jersey is a place you fly to for a holiday, rather than from. But the airport's size also works to its credit. According to the CAA, 71 per cent of its flights were on time last year (a better performance than many bigger rivals; 51 points). It can also claim the joint-highest average Google review score (4.2; 55 points) of all the airports in this poll – and is one of only seven British airports (the others are London City, Isle of Man, Newquay, Inverness, Guernsey and Sumburgh) not to demand a contentious drop-off fee (50 points). Fascinating fact One of the airline's hangars, now disused, was built by and for the Luftwaffe, during the German occupation of the Channel Islands (July 1940-May 1945). 9. Aberdeen Total points: 816 The airport for the 'Granite City' also falls into the 'small' category. Aberdeen greeted 2.3 million passengers in 2024 (the third lowest total in this top 10), and offers departures to just 26 destinations in nine countries (17.5 points) – the furthest-flung being Turkey (Dalaman). But as with Jersey, a lack of size can mean fewer complications. An impressive 75 per cent of Aberdeen's flights were on time in 2024 (66 points), the fifth best statistic overall – even if its ratio of cancelled flights in the same period (1,646 in total, at a rate of 2.7 per cent) was less laudable. It also loses ground in lacking a rail link to the city centre (a 15-point penalty). But if you are going to find yourself stranded at a British airport, Aberdeen would be a good 'choice'; it can boast seven four-star hotels within a two-mile radius (26 points), and the cheapest room rate of any British airport within that bracket (£55; 30 points). Even better, it is the only British airport with a beer garden, offering a rare dose of outdoor space (20 points). Fascinating fact Aberdeen Airport has a single terminal dedicated to aircraft operations, but four terminals for helicopter flights, mainly serving the oil fields out in the North Sea. 8. Inverness Total points: 817 Pitched in a spectacular location on the edge of the Moray Firth, Inverness has perfected the equation for smallness and simplicity. It welcomed just short of 800,000 passengers in 2024; the only airport in this top 10 not to break the million-mark. Yes, it has year-round flights to just one other country (the Netherlands), but with a solid cancellation rate (1.8 per cent; 39 points), there is a good chance that you will actually land in Amsterdam. Smallness also translates into amenities that bigger airports do not tend to provide. Inverness has not introduced a drop-off fee (55 points), offers unlimited free Wi-Fi (60 points), and its parking prices (from £72 for a week in July) are the fourth cheapest on the British mainland (48 points). Little wonder that it has a Google Review score of 4.1 (50 points), or that the Airports Council International (ACI) named it 'Best Airport in Europe' (in the under-two-million-passengers category) in 2024 (20 points). Fascinating fact It has two railway stations. Sort of. A new Inverness Airport station opened in 2023. The original stop (Dalcross, half a mile away) was closed down in 1965. 7. Birmingham Total points: 819 If you cannot fly to all corners of the world from Birmingham, you can travel a fair way around it; 130 destinations in 40 countries appear on the airport's route list (85 points), including places in Asia (India, Qatar), Africa (Cape Verde), North America (Mexico, the USA) and the Caribbean (Dominican Republic). Birmingham's passenger count (12.8 million people in 2024) makes it Britain's seventh busiest airport, but it manages this situation with a cool head – with 731 flights pulled from the schedule last year, its cancellation rate (0.83 per cent; 63 points) is commendably low. And while the average time to clear security (29 minutes, according to consumer bible Which?) is the longest in this top 10, travellers can at least keep everything in their hand luggage thanks to the CT scanners at the end of the queue (40 points). Birmingham is also an inexpensive departure point – its parking fees (£80 for a week in July; 36 points) are the cheapest of any English airport in this top 10; the best possible train fare into the city centre (£2.80) is also the lowest in the UK (40 points). Fascinating fact In 2012, there was talk of re-naming the airport after Ozzy Osbourne. 6. London Gatwick Total points: 842 You would perhaps expect to find Britain's second busiest airport (43 million passengers in 2024) in this top 10. But would you expect to find it more highly ranked? Gatwick is certainly well connected – it offers flights to 205 destinations in 69 countries (137 points); only Heathrow serves a greater number. But it does not always cope well with the demand – according to the Civil Aviation Authority, only 59.8 per cent of Gatwick's flights were on time last year, the worst statistic of any airport in this survey. Lucky, then, that it seems rather more adept when it comes to serving passengers on the ground. Together, Gatwick's two terminals boast 37 bars and restaurants (30 points), and it has been listed as the eighth best British airport for food and drink (12 points) in a data-crunch of 1.2 million consumer reviews by luggage company Radical Storage. Its own lounge (Clubrooms) has the highest average Google review score (4.8; 20 points) of any airport in this top 10, while unlimited free Wi-Fi (60 points) and CT scanners in security (40 points) give it a technological filip. Fascinating fact Gatwick's original (1936) terminal, The Beehive, still exists, as offices. 5. Newcastle Total points: 867 The growth of the north-east's main airport over the last three decades has been striking; Newcastle International's annual number of passengers has more than doubled in the last 30 years – from 2.4 million in 1994 to 5.1 million in 2024. The latter figure equated to 37,218 flights over the course of last year, but just 387 non-departures – a cancellation rate of 1.03 per cent (57 points). If this is good news for travellers in England's upper corner, so is the range of destinations – Newcastle offers flights to 76 destinations in 28 countries (52 points), and places as diverse as Dubai and Barbados. With nine bars and restaurants (15 points), it is ranked the ninth best airport in the UK for food and drink by Radical Storage (eight points), while the cost of a train to the city centre (£3.60; 40 points) is comparable to rail prices for mid-sized 'rivals' such as Birmingham and Liverpool. Perhaps some of those 5.1 million passengers are Telegraph subscribers; the airport's biggest airline – Jet2 – was the readers' short-haul champion at this year's Telegraph Travel Awards (35 points). Fascinating fact 4. London Heathrow Total points: 868 It should be no surprise to find Britain's biggest airport – and the planet's fifth busiest – in the upper reaches of this study. Heathrow is an international hub, with direct services to 216 destinations in 82 countries (149 points). That it manages to cater to so many people (84 million passengers in 2024) with relative composure is surely to be applauded. Heathrow achieved a cancellation rate of 'just' 1.73 per cent in 2024 (42 points), and saw 67.3 per cent of its flights depart on time during the same period (27 points). True, it can be expensive to reach – tickets for the fastest of the three direct rail links to central London (the Heathrow Express) will set you back at least £25. But it can also make for a comparatively stress-free start or end to a journey: You can pick from 20 four-star hotels within a two-mile radius (13 points), with room rates as low as £78 (27 points). Meanwhile, the average queuing times for security and passport control are 19 and 15 minutes respectively, according to Which? (a combined 24 points). Fascinating fact Heathrow earns an extra 30 points for the award it received from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2008 for the aesthetic flair of the new Terminal 5. 3. London City Total points: 872 The capital's top airport is not the giant out west beyond Hounslow, but the 1980s upstart in the easterly Docklands. City has slotted into London's landscape so well that its youth (it only opened in 1987, but, from that standing start, processed 3.6 million passengers last year) is often overlooked. Yes, it is a short-haul specialist, with just 31 destinations in 15 countries on its schedules (23 points), all European. But that's the point. City is a business-focused hub with a reputation for speedy professionalism. So it proves on the departures boards, where 73 per cent of flights in 2024 were on time (60 points) – and in the queues, where the tiny average wait times for security (10 minutes) and the passport gates (eight minutes) translate into 60 more points. Even the delays are 'swift'; an average of 13 minutes last year. City also matches Jersey's (joint highest) average Google review score (4.2; 55 points), and lack of drop-off fee (50 points). Only its rail link is 'unbusinesslike': a dash into London on the Docklands Light Railway starts at £5.40 (30 points) – hardly the stuff of expenses claims. Fascinating fact The then-Prince Charles laid the terminal's foundation stone – in 1986. 2. George Best Belfast City Total points: 880 Not to be confused with the larger Belfast International (which sits 15 miles west of the Northern Irish capital, and in 19th place in this study), Belfast City is another case of good things in smaller packages. Admittedly, it does not have the connectivity of its local brother, running flights to just three countries (Italy, Spain, the Netherlands; 12.5 points), as opposed to 23, but it excels as a short-haul hub, with Aer Lingus, British Airways and easyJet using it as a key runway. Its ability to excel at the basics is obvious in its most applause-worthy statistics: Belfast City's punctuality rating is the best of any airport in this survey – 78 per cent of its flights left on time last year (78 points). Its management of late-running aircraft is also outstanding: at just 12 minutes, its average delay was the shortest of any airport in this poll in 2024 (45 points). Better still, it is easy to reach. While it attracts a penalty (-15 points) for the absence of a train link, its proximity to the city centre – just over five miles away; a 15-minute cab ride – garners another 58 points. Fascinating fact Belfast City was renamed in tribute to George Best in 2006, just after the death of the former Manchester United footballer – who was born in the city in 1946. 1. Liverpool John Lennon Total points: 888 Perhaps the secret to being a brilliant airport is having the name of a long-haired genius of the 1960s and 1970s embedded in the sign on your main terminal. Then again, to credit Liverpool Airport's triumph in this poll to a lingering Beatlemania would be to severely underplay its attributes. To an extent, its success mimics Belfast City's performance at the metrics which matter – Liverpool's punctuality rate in 2024 (76.4 per cent of flights were on time; 75 points) was only eclipsed by its Northern Irish cousin; its average delay (14 minutes; 35 points) was only marginally lengthier. Its security and passport queues are brisk (an average of 11 minutes in each case; 56 points), while its cancellation rate in 2024 – 0.7 per cent of flights (69 points) – was the best in the top 10. All this is done with a heavier workload than Belfast City: last year, Liverpool greeted five million passengers, witnessed 35,523 aircraft movements, and waved off flights to 29 countries (49 points). Moreover, Which? agrees with us – and declares Liverpool the best of British (81 points). Fascinating fact The airport's motto, painted on its roof – 'Above us only sky' – is, of course, another John Lennon reference; a lyric from his 1971 post-Beatles track Imagine.
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Wales Online
Closure warnings during 30-week upgrade of Loggerheads Country Park to cope with visitor surge
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A 30-week scheme to revamp one of the busiest visitor sites in northeast Wales is to get underway this month. Main buildings at Loggerheads Country Park are being upgraded to cope with rising visitor numbers. The project will include refurbishing the visitor centre and café, with an enhanced seating area, as well as improving the toilets and carrying out external landscaping. Traditional porches will be installed over the shop entrance and a large sail canopy will be located near the park entrance to act as a meeting point for groups. Denbighshire Council said the project complements improvements also planned at nearby Moel Famau. A spokesperson said: 'The main aim of these improvements is to help manage the challenges linked to a growing number of visitors – currently exceeding 200,000 visitors per year – and meet their increasing expectations.' Initial works will focus on the toilet block, lasting around 10 weeks. A temporary toilet facility will be available on site during the closure. Improvements to the meeting room and café will then take place in the autumn, followed by the visitor centre and outdoor landscaping early in 2026. As these will also need to close temporarily, an 'exciting' pop-up catering facility will be established instead, showcasing produce from northeast Wales. The new canopies are a response to the site's "inadequate" covered outdoor spaces for socialising, eating and drinking. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here's how to sign up (Image: TACP Architects) Solar panels will be installed to improve the site's sustainability. Flood mitigation works at the site were completed earlier this year. Like the building upgrades, the flood defences were funded by £1.4m of UK Government Levelling Up funds. Council Leader Cllr Jason McLellan said: 'We have seen an increase in visitor numbers at Loggerheads Country Park in recent years and projects such as these, once completed, will help future-proof the park and meet the ever-increasing expectations of visitors. 'These sites are much-loved National Landscape areas, and it is important that we continue to maintain and develop sites such as these as their popularity grows to ensure that they can continue to be enjoyed by all who visit.' ParkCity Multitrade Ltd, based in St Asaph, has been awarded the contract. Work will start in mid-August and is expected to continue until early March 2026. Listed buildings at Loggerheads will not be affected by the work. The site was the location of Pentre Mill, an early 19th-century corn mill powered by a waterwheel. The wheel ceased operation in the 1940s but was later restored in the 1990s. In the 1920s, Crosville Motor Bus Company acquired the land, establishing tea rooms and gardens for visitors who mainly arrived by bus. With a bandstand, boating lake and refreshment kiosk, Loggerheads thrived. After a post-war decline, the site was bought by the old Clwyd County Council for conversion into a country park. Sitting below the dramatic limestone cliffs of the Alyn Valley, where the river enters steep wooded gorges, Loggerheads is now a gateway site for visitors wanting to explore the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley. A long-stay car park offers 90 parking spaces. Denbighshire Council has stressed the upgrade is unrelated to the Welsh Government's bid to create a new national park in northeast Wales. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Find family activities near you
Times
7 days ago
- Times
This one-of-a-kind stay provides a glimpse of the Eternal City's past
'Questa casa non è un albergo' is the motto you'll see all around G-Rough — in the rooms, at the bar and on business cards. 'This house isn't a hotel' may be the thrust of this design-led stay, but don't be expecting a home from home. Instead, think of it as entering someone else's home, or rather, the homes of multiple people, all of whom have left their mark on this 17th-century apartment block just behind Piazza Navona. When the owner Gabriele Salini, who used to live on the top floor, turned the building into a hotel, carving two rooms from each apartment, he stripped things back to the past. Centuries of paint were removed to reveal the layers of former occupation — whether brightly painted walls, thick wooden beams or centuries-old graffiti — and furniture from Italy's mid-century design greats was thrown into the mix. Although the shabby-chic feel is overwhelmingly modern, it makes for a fascinatingly appropriate stay in Rome, with the layers of the building echoing the city's lasagne-like archaeological strata. Add to this the brilliantly knowledgeable staff, who skilfully (and tactfully) steer guests away from tourist traps, and you'll agree it's no ordinary hotel. This article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue Score 8/10This is a Marmite kind of place — one look at the rooms and you'll either want to move in or run a mile to the nearest heavy-draped five-star. The ten suites — two per floor, with one on each level overlooking buzzy Piazza di Pasquino to the front and the other opening onto an internal space between apartment blocks at the back — have all been stripped back to show the building's history. The walls might be a patchy red, green or blush; they might have putty-like streaks where the first electricity cables were laid, painted ceilings or pencil sketches of weird and wonderful beasts left by a centuries-past builder. The floor might be simple parquet or antique tiles, often clashing deliciously from one room to the next. To that eclectic canvas is added mid-century furniture by some of Italy's greatest designers: the likes of Gio Ponti, Ico Parisi and Osvaldo Borsani, as well as pieces by Venini and Fornasetti. Much of the furniture is upcycled — like a headboard constructed from what looks like a giant gilded picture frame — and there's a bygone feel to the simple linen sheets and towels, giving a sense of the past in the Eternal City. Bathrooms take a more modern approach, with slightly louche, dark mirrored tiles and antique chrome fixtures. Freitag sponge bags act as a repository for things you can buy: everything from CBD oil to G-Rough tote bags (as well as the sponge bags themselves). While all the rooms are suites, there's a big difference between those at the front and back of the hotel. The ones at the back of the building overlook an internal space between apartment blocks, which is pretty dark and can attract mosquitos in season. Those at the front, however, have a spectacular outlook onto Piazza Pasquino, a small but busy square with the Pasquino — an ancient 'talking' statue to which, for centuries, Romans have pinned anonymous messages and gossip. If the budget allows, absolutely go for one of these front-facing rooms. The two top-floor suites are bi-level, with mezzanine bedrooms, clawfoot bath tubs and even cosy rooftop balconies. For families or groups they can be combined into a penthouse. Score 7/10 There's no restaurant here because, following the 'questa casa non è un albergo' philosophy, staff prefer you to get out there and experience Rome rather than wallow in the hotel. There is the Gallery Bar, though — its walls of glass and vintage chairs on the pavement blur inside and out, meaning guests are part of the Piazza di Pasquino bustle and passersby drop in for cocktails. Guests who want to be a little quieter can have drinks in Sito, a room out the back (beyond the minuscule reception desk, which itself hides discreetly behind the bar). For hotel residents only, the bartenders here will come out to you to take your order, giving it a rather exclusive feel. Breakfast is also served in the bar and Sito, or can be brought to your room. There's no buffet, instead, you'll find a simple breakfast menu on your bed on arrival, on which you select what you want and when you want it — choices range from homemade quiche to cold cuts and croissants — before hanging it on the door at night. It's then brought to you the next morning in the spot you've chosen. For meals and drinks out, the staff (cool but super-enthusiastic and approachable) can guide you to surprisingly authentic spots just seconds' walk away, and cleverly steer you away from places you've seen on Instagram. There's also a guide to Rome-born-and-bred Salini's top city picks in every room. • Best restaurants in Rome• More of the best hotels in Rome for 2025 Score n/aIn line with the ethos, there's nothing else on site. Instead, staff encourage guests to get out into the city, marking out routes for a run instead of a gym session, and lesser visited places in which to understand Rome without spending the day in a series of queues. They can also arrange unique experiences that go beyond the private-Vatican-tour mould, including an itinerary following in the footsteps of Caravaggio, visits to private palazzos and a trip to the Accademia Costume e Moda to become a fashion designer for a day. In-room massages are also a possibility. Score 10/10This area is officially called Parione, although most people would simply call it bang in the centre. It's an interesting one — central, busy but still with pockets of authenticity where you can eat and drink as the Romans do. Piazza di Pasquino has a clutch of restaurants and bars, much better than those a block away in Piazza Navona. The Pantheon and the Caravaggio-filled church of San Luigi dei Francesi are both an easy five-minute trot away and it's also a simple stroll across the Tiber to Trastevere and the Vatican. It's brilliantly central yet slightly removed from the chaos. Price B&B doubles from £348Restaurant n/aFamily-friendly YAccessible N Julia Buckley was a guest of G-Rough Rome ( • Milan v Rome: which city is better?• Best affordable hotels in Rome under £150
