Talacre Beach Resort, Talacre

Talacre Beach Resort stands at the top corner of Wales, where the Dee estuary opens out into the Irish Sea. The beach is a few minutes’ walk from the park gate, and the Point of Ayr lighthouse stands out on the sand at the end of it.

This is a large resort rather than a quiet field, and that is rather the point of it. If it rains on the Tuesday, there is plenty to do without anyone getting back in the car.

What is on the park

The swimming pool is indoors and tropically heated, with a sauna and a steam room beside it. There is a gym, an amusement arcade and a children’s cinema.

For food there is the Bistro at Talacre Beach, a Costa Coffee, a fish and chip takeaway and the Boardwalk bar. The on-park shop runs as a supermarket, a post office, an off-licence and a launderette, so a forgotten pint of milk does not cost you a drive.

Children get their own activity club in the school holidays. Sessions such as archery, fencing, raft building and the pool inflatables are charged on top, mostly at £5 each, so it is worth putting a little aside for them.

The caravans

Around 139 caravans are let out here, alongside several hundred lodges that belong to their owners. Most of the rental vans sleep four to six across two or three bedrooms, with a shower room, a proper kitchen and a decking area outside the door.

Dogs are welcome in some of the vans and not in others. The individual caravans are listed as taking either three dogs or none at all, so pick the van before you set your heart on bringing the dog.

The beach, the lighthouse and the dunes

Talacre beach is a wide, flat sweep of sand with dunes along the back of it. The lighthouse was put up in 1776 to warn ships off the Welsh side of the estuary mouth, and it now stands on its own out on the beach.

Behind the sand are Gronant Dunes and Talacre Warren, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The dunes hold North Wales’s only breeding colony of little terns, along with sand lizards and the only natterjack toads left in Wales. On a warm evening in spring you can hear the toads calling from the damp hollows, which is a surprising racket for something that small.

Getting out and about

The North Wales coastal cycle path runs 34 miles from Talacre to Penmaenmawr, nearly all of it away from traffic and hard-surfaced. It links Prestatyn, Rhyl, Kinmel Bay, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno, so a day out can be done on two wheels rather than four.

The resort has held five stars from Visit Wales and a David Bellamy Gold conservation award.

Prices

Prices start at £155 for seven nights. That is the cheapest van in the cheapest week rather than a typical summer figure, so treat it as the floor and check your own dates.

Common questions

Is Talacre Beach Resort dog friendly?

Some caravans take up to three dogs and others take none. Check the individual van, as it varies across the park.

How far is the beach?

Around 200 yards from the park, so it is a short walk rather than a drive.

Is there a swimming pool?

Yes, an indoor heated pool, with a sauna and steam room next to it.

What does a week cost?

From £155 for seven nights at the quietest time of year. Summer weeks cost a good deal more.

Is there a shop on site?

Yes. It doubles as a post office, an off-licence and a launderette.