Bodelwyddan countryside park celebrates re-opening to the public

A ceremony was recently held to mark the official opening of the site since works began in 2022.

Situated at the foot of the historic Bodelwyddan Castle, the site celebrated its official opening following the completion of the first phase of works.

Denbighshire County Council’s Chairman Arwel Roberts officially opened the country park at the ceremony.

The project received £900,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, with the work looking to address the condition of the parkland beginning in 2022.

As a part of the works to reopen the parklands, woods and orchards to the public, nearly one and a half miles of new disabled friendly limestone topped pathways meander from the bottom of the parkland right up to the woodland at the top of the site.

To accommodate for the returning visitors, a new 73 space car park near the bottom entrance off the A55 was created, whilst a countryside ranger with a designated budget for management and maintenance at the park was appointed on a full-time basis.

Hedgerows were planted along new boundary fencing to also support local nature on the parkland, with access to resident deer provided at certain parts of the boundary fence. Special protective fence enclosures were also built in the woodland to protect tree and plant areas including the old Victorian Orchard from deer to allow certain species to flourish stronger going forward.

Further work was undertaken to preserve the historic First World War trenches at the top of the parkland with a new fencing enclosure protecting the site. 

The project also delivered over 19,000 m² of green space, 2 km of footpaths, planted 7,150 trees and installed several interpretation boards along the paths to explain the surrounding land.

Councillor Jason McLellan, Leader and Lead Member for Economic Growth & Tackling Deprivation said:

“The opening of this park signifies a fantastic milestone for the project. I’d like to acknowledge the hard work of our countryside team who have worked tirelessly to address the condition of the park in order for us to be in the position to open the site to the public.

“The regeneration of the parkland will provide vital support that our local wildlife needs to survive going forward and will also give Denbighshire residents and visitors a great place to visit to experience the nature our county has to offer.”