WREXHAM (Wrecsam) is odds-on favourite to be named a city as part of the celebrations for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. Don't be fooled into thinking, however, that this gives the place much of a cosmopolitan edge. Its industrial past is all too evident and, as a border town, its Welshness is often hidden. There's little reason to stop except to use it as a base for the nearby attractions, which in any case - if you have your own transport - are better visited from Llangollen. You might call in at St Giles' Church (Easter-Oct Mon-Fri 10am-4pm), its Gothic tower rising gracefully above the kernel of small lanes at the end of Hope Street. Topped off with a steeple in the 1520s, the tower has five distinct levels, stepping up to four hexagonal pinnacles. The same design was used at Yale University, in homage to the ancestral home of the college's benefactor, Elihu Yale, whose tomb can be seen at the base of St Giles' tower.

Wrexham has two train stations , half a mile apart, all services stopping at Wrexham General on Mold Road, ten minutes' walk northwest of the centre. Walking into town from here, Mold Street becomes Regent Street and then Hope Street, from which King Street branches off left to the bus station , for National Express coaches (tickets from Key Travel, King Street) and frequent local buses serving Chester and Llangollen. The tourist office , Lambpit Street (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Oct-Easter closes 4pm; tel 01978/292015), is reached by turning left where Hope Street turns to the right. If you need to stay , make for Lyndhurst Guesthouse , 3 Gerald St, off Grosvenor Road (tel 01978/290802; under £40), a short walk from the centre, or the much-refurbished town-centre Wynnstay Arms (tel 01978/291010; £50-60) on Yorke Street, which is also a good place to grab a snack or full meal.

Europe > Wales > North Wales > Wrexham