County may have just one beach ... but it's a stunner

WHEN you search up 'best beaches' in one Welsh county - Tripadvisor only throws up one option.

- By OWEN HUGHES

Talacre is the sole sandy representative in Flintshire, an area with plenty of coastline but only one actual beach.

For me living in Conwy then, a seaside visit meant either picking one of the many options in my home county or heading west to Gwynedd or Anglesey.

I had vague memories of visiting Talacre many years back, and actually had a brief (unsuccessful) summer job as part of the construction of Point of Ayr gas terminal next to the beach in the 1990s.

It's a place I had written about plenty of times - from the iconic lighthouse to sea rescues and as I was passing nearby last week I decided to pay it a visit.

I parked up next to a business park nearby and took a 10-minute walk through the small resort to the beach.

There was a real end-of-season feel to the place although there is perhaps a final half-term flurry coming and this was a weekday, so I'm sure weekends are still busy.

Coming from a tourist area, I've always quite liked that winding-down period after a busy summer season and the feeling you're getting your favourite spots back after the hordes have departed.

It meant there was only a smattering of people on the short walk with me exchanging greetings with most of them.

Prior to reaching the beach, you go through the significant sand dune network that runs from Prestatyn to Talacre. Unfortunately, parts of the dunes at Gronant and Talacre have been under pressure for some time.

Restoration work is taking place between Natural Resources Wales, Eni (who own Point of Ayr terminal) and Presthaven Holiday Park.