Prestatyn 3 Day Itinerary: A Full Guide to Visiting Prestatyn
βIf you are ill, donβt take a pill Iβll tell you something better still. For sunshine and air, weather thatβs fair and health-giving rest β Prestatyn is best.β – Public Health Committee (1920s)
A bit about Prestatyn…
Prestatyn was the first Welsh town to be accredited as a βWalkers are Welcomeβ town.
The seaside town of Prestatyn is located in Denbighshire, Wales. The area became popular in the 19th century when the railways started bringing people in and now sunny Prestatyn is the classic seaside resort of North Wales.
As well as being the perfect place for families, with amusements, beaches, and lots of other family fun. Prestatyn is also becoming the perfect stop off place for hikers and walkers exploring the surrounding area. Mainly due to Prestatyn being part of the Wales coast path and the 176-mile Offaβs Dyke Path, which is one of Britainβs premier National Trials.
But, Prestatyn is more than just beaches, buckets and spades, read on for our 3 day itinerary, including waterfalls, history, relaxing as well as beaches, buckets and spades.
Where to stay:
There is plenty of campsites, caravan sites and other accommodation in and around Prestatyn you can find somewhere to stay here. We stayed at Lyons Lido Beach Caravan Park, this place is perfect for this itinerary and for couples but equally excellent for families. The campsite has a brilliant park and is 2-minute walk from central beach, down its own sandy path. There is also plenty to do around the campsite and it is very close to the town centre for eating out. However, if you are self-catering like us, there is a co-op right outside the campsite or alternatively there is also Lidl and Aldi a short drive or walk away.
Day 1 β Arrive in Prestatyn for a beach day
Hopefully the weather is on your side for your trip to Prestatyn β and in that case head straight to the beach! However, even if the weather isnβt full on βbeach weatherβ, there is still fun to be had.
So, weather dependent either grab your swimwear and suncream or raincoat and wellies and spend the day at the beach!
Prestatyn has 3 main beaches along a 4-mile promenade: Barkby Beach, Prestatyn Central and Ffrith Beach.
Barkby Beach
Post code: LL19 7LG
Barkby Beach is to the east of the 4 mile stretch of the 3 beaches, the beach extends into the Gronant dunes local nature reserve. Water sports is popular here, but a permit is needed. The beach has a carpark for a fee, starting from Β£1.00 in the summer and 50p in the winter, payable using the βpay by phoneβ app.
Dogs are restricted on this beach during the summer months (May-October).
Prestatyn Central
Post code: LL19 9AA
Prestatyn Central is well, what is says on the tin, the one in the middle! This is the beach we went to as this is right on the doorstep of where we stayed. Also, being a blue flag beach, it’s considered the best spot by many other visitors. The facilities here ensure there is plenty to do, with an amusement arcade and a leisure centre, as well as a cafΓ© and toilet facilities. Central beach is popular for walkers, cyclists, and lovers of watersports. Parts of this beach are redistricted for dogs, however thereβs dedicated areas where they are allowed as well as Ffrith Beach below. There is a large carpark (Nova carpark) at Central beach with a fee starting from Β£1.50 in summer and Β£2.00 in winter, payable by βpaybyphoneβ app.
Ffrith Beach
Post code: LL19 7
Ffrith Beach is the dog friendly beach of the 3, so if you are taking your fluffy friends with you, this is the beach for you. Ffrith Beach was awarded coveted Marine Conservation Society Recommendation; this means that you can be sure to find a clean and tidy beach when you arrive. The beach is a great spot for swimming and paddling as the water quality is excellent.
Thereβs plenty to do here including jet skiing, sailing and wind surfing. As well as Ffrith street festival gardens being nearby with tenpin bowling and food for after your beach day. Ffrith Beach also has a carpark with a fee starting from Β£1.00.
Day 2 β Waterfalls & Sunsets
Lace up your trainers or hiking boots and head to Dyserth Waterfall (Rhaeadr Dyserth in Welsh) for the afternoon.
post code: LL18 6ET
Visit Dyserth Waterfall…
Dyserth Waterfall falls from 70ft high and is created by The River Ffyddion, a branch of The River Clwyd. Interestingly in the 1880s, mining in the area caused the waterfall to dry up, however, once the mining stopped, the waterfall resumed. Whatβs more, caves still remain from the mining days and are accessible too!
Dyserth Waterfall is an 8-minute drive from Prestatyn town centre or a 2.7 mile walk away, we drove because we were in the middle of a very hot heatwave and walking just wasnβt an option ha-ha. There is a small car park that holds around 15 cars and is free of charge with toilet facilities. Entrance to the waterfall is 50p via an honesty box at the gate. There is a cafΓ©/ice-cream shop at the entrance too!
Where to go and what to do…
After parking up, you can head straight to the waterfall, paying your 50p each on the way in. The waterfall is surprisingly close to the entrance. After admiring the waterfall you’ll see two huge walls with steps between them to the left. Heading up these stairs, you will follow a steep incline of steps taking you up to a bridge, over the bridge youβll turn right and come to another larger bridge and a tree with a rope swing! Have a swing on the rope swing of course and then head away from the bridge (donβt go over it). Turn left up a little path through the treesβ¦ this will lead you to the river and caves at the top of the waterfall. If the weather allows, you should be able to access the caves. Tip: bring a torch as it is very dark in there.
Once youβve taken in the beautiful scenes and explored the cool caves, head back down, and pop to the cafΓ© for an ice-cream, coffee, or a bite to eat. We had a Vegan Salted Caramel ice-cream, and it was lovely!
For more information on Dyserth Waterfall see our full blog here.
Day 2 evening – Sunset on the beach
After a long day visiting the waterfall and all those steps!! It is time for a relaxing evening. Pack yourself a little picnic, grab your picnic blanket and head to the beach in time for sunset. On a warm day the beach has many people on at sunset, still enjoying the sea and sand. But youβll be sure to find a peaceful little spot to set up your picnic blanket. Now sit back and watch the sky do itβs thing! If you are into photography like us, itβs the perfect photo opportunity too!
Day 3 β Old Lighthouse & Abandoned Shipwreck
After a relaxing evening under the sunset, you must now be ready for another day of adventure. Today is a great day to visit two of the popular spots along the Wales coastal walk. For us, this worked out great for the last day as they were both in the direction of home.
Visit The Point of Ayr Lighthouse on Talacre Beach…
Firstly, another day another beach, but not just a beach for a beach day this time. We went to visit Talacre Beach and Point of Ayr Lighthouse. Point of Ayr Lighthouse, built in 1776 is a grade II listed building. The lighthouse was built by a Trust of the Major of Chester to warn ships entering The River Dee and The Mersey Estuary. Later the lighthouse was replaced by a pile light and then sadly decommissioned in 1844.
Talacre beach is a popular beach, and we can see why, itβs covered by miles and miles of sand and backed by sand dunes. The Point of Ayr Lighthouse makes a great feature on this beach. You could spend another full beach day here as the beach is beautiful. But if like us, you are visiting the lighthouse on your last day in Prestatyn, you could take a picnic lunch and head there for the afternoon.
There are two carparks here; The first carpark is Gamfa Wen with a fee starting from 20p for 2 hours, (Postcode: CH8 9RT). The 2nd car park is closer at the end of Station Rd (Postcode: CH8 9RP) but this one is free of charge, so it can fill up quicker, as you can imagine.
For more information on this place see our full Point of Ayr blog.
Walk by TSS The Duke of Lancaster Abandoned Ship
Once youβve finished at Talacre Beach, if you can take yourself away from the golden sands, itβs time to explore The Duke of Lancaster abandoned ship. They are around an 18-minute drive from each other (6.2mile).
Post Code: CH8 9DT
The former railway steamer passenger ship operated from 1956 to 1979 but was unfortunately abandoned in 2004. The Duke of Lancaster was docked at Llanerch-y-Mor, in August 1979 to become βThe Fun Shipβ, which was open until 1984 but due to a legal battle with the council the owners eventually walked away from the ship, and it has been sat there ever since. Itβs said that the main issue was the access to the ship for emergency services.
The ship used to have bars, arcade rooms, cinema, restaurants and apparently it even had a zoo! It was one of the most popular attractions in North Wales. Excitingly, since 2021 there has been talks of restoring the ship, to become open to the public again. In the meantime, you can visit and walk around the surrounding area of the ship to see how big this ship really is.
The postcode given above is for the ship itself, but we would recommend parking on the car park at Abakhan Stores (CH8 9DX) where there are toilet facilities, a cafe and shops, as well as a play park for children.
Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this blog, if you found this useful for your trip to Prestatyn, please leave us a comment below :).
Lu & Ad
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