Abergele sits between Colwyn Bay and Rhyl in Conwy county, North Wales. It is bordered by the A55 expressway and the Irish Sea to the north, Llanfair Talheiarn to the south, Rhuddlan to the east and Llysfaen to the west. Nearby towns and villages include Moelfre, Pensarn, Belgrano, Llandudno, Llanddulas, Towyn and Conwy. The meaning of the name Abergele can be deduced by ‘aber’ being the Welsh word for estuary and ‘gele’ the name of the river which flows through the town.
Gwrych Castle sits to the west of Abergele. Built in 1819 for Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh, it stayed with his granddaughter Winifred’s family for several years until it was sold to Mr Robert Rennie in 1946. From there it passed along to many different people, and attracted millions of visitors each year. The castle, which dominates a hillside near Abergele, along with its magnificent gardens, finally closed in 1985. Plans are in place to convert Gwrych into a grand hotel. A watchtower, known as Lady Emilys Tower, can also be spotted amongst the woodland nearby.