Townapedia
Eglwys Farmor Bodelwyddan, Sir Ddinbych - The Marble Church of bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, Wales 14
Eglwys Farmor Bodelwyddan, Sir Ddinbych - The Marble Church of bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, Wales 14 · Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0
Bodelwyddan Vicarage
Bodelwyddan Vicarage · AlwynapHuw, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bodelwyddan Village Hall (former School)
Bodelwyddan Village Hall (former School) · AlwynapHuw, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rhaeadr Dyserth Waterfall, Sir Ddinbych, Wales - Bryniau Clwyd AONB 13
Rhaeadr Dyserth Waterfall, Sir Ddinbych, Wales - Bryniau Clwyd AONB 13 · Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ocean beach fun fair site rhyl dec 2007
Ocean beach fun fair site rhyl dec 2007 · Wonderwiki, CC BY 3.0
Rhuddlan Castle, May 2012
Rhuddlan Castle, May 2012 · Julie Anne Workman, CC BY-SA 3.0

Bodelwyddan, United Kingdom

Bodelwyddan is a town of 1,794 people in Wales, United Kingdom.

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Population1,794 GeoNames
RegionWales
Elevation59 ft 18 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Land area6.4 sq mi 279 people per sq mi
Nearest airportHawarden Airport (CEG) 22 mi
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Why visit Bodelwyddan

Townapedia lists 16 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 41 places to eat, 10 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Dyserth Waterfall, Ocean Beach, Rhuddlan Castle and Bontnewydd Palaeolithic site.

About Bodelwyddan

Bodelwyddan (Welsh pronunciation: [bɔdɛlˈwəðan]) is a village, electoral ward and community in Denbighshire, Wales, approximately 5 miles (8 km) south of Rhyl. The parish includes several smaller hamlets such as Marli and Little Pengwern.

From the Wikipedia article Bodelwyddan (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photos of Bodelwyddan

Things to do4

Dyserth Waterfall

Waterfall · 4.2 mi

Waterfall in Denbighshire, Wales

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Ocean Beach

Monument and historic site · 3.2 mi

Amusement park in Rhyl

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Pont y Ddraig

Bridge · 3.2 mi

Bridge

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Bryn Meiriadog

Scenic view · 2.2 mi

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Museums and landmarks16

Rhuddlan Castle

Monument and historic site · 2.1 mi

Castle in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, Wales

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Bontnewydd Palaeolithic site

Monument and historic site · 3.0 mi

Cave and archaeological site in Wales

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Rhyl Miniature Railway

Museum · 3.1 mi

Miniature railway museum in Wales, United Kingdom

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Bodelwyddan Castle

Monument and historic site · 0.5 mi

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Twthill Castle

Monument and historic site · 2.1 mi

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Glascoed Road

Monument and historic site · 1.4 mi

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The Old Bishop's Palace

Monument and historic site · 2.5 mi

The Bishop's Palace, St Asaph. A stone-built, two storey palace, the E, garden front of which is of 1791, whilst the W, entrance front...

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Bedd-y-cawr Hillfort

Monument and historic site · 2.4 mi

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Blue Earthworm Art Studio

Monument and historic site · 1.2 mi

Top Y Glascoed Top Y Glascoed, Abergele

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Adventure Park

Monument and historic site · 1.0 mi

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Canadian War Memorial

Monument and historic site

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Glascoed Road

Monument and historic site · 1.1 mi

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4 more on the map.

Parks, trails and playgrounds5

Bodelwyddan Park

Park · 0.6 mi

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Kinmel Park Golf Club

Golf course · 0.7 mi

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Rhuddlan Nature Reserve

Hiking and trails · 1.8 mi

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St Asaph Common

Park · 2.3 mi

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Restaurants and cafes41

Starbucks

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.7 mi

Kinmel Park Services, Rhyl

Sa-Th 07:00-18:30; Fr 07:00-19:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 1745 826187

Bod Erw Hotel

Bar and pub · 2.0 mi

The Roe, St Asaph

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The Plough Inn

Bar and pub · 2.2 mi

The Roe, St Asaph

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C & T Cafe

Cafe · German · 0.7 mi

Abergele Road, Rhyl

Tu-Su 10:00-16:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 7507 735907

Fei Von

Restaurant · Chinese · 2.1 mi

High Street, Rhyl

Open in Google Maps · +44 1745 591 821

The Swan

Bar and pub · 2.2 mi

The Roe, St Asaph

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Castle Inn

Bar and pub · 2.2 mi

Castle Street, Rhyl

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Kings Head

Bar and pub · 2.2 mi

High Street, Rhyl

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Morfa Rhuddlan

Bar and pub · 1.8 mi

Trem Castell, Rhyl

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New Inn

Bar and pub · 2.4 mi

Lower Denbigh Road, St Asaph

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Starbucks

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.9 mi

Marsh Road, Rhyl

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The New Inn

Bar and pub · 2.1 mi

High Street, Rhyl

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29 more on the map.

History

The name "Bodelwyddan" translates as Abode (Bod) of Elwyddan, he being a fifth-century Romano-British Chieftain of the area.

While Bodelwyddan may not have a long and notable history, it does contain many historic buildings, and has been the site of several important military training exercises during the two World Wars.

Until 1860, Bodelwyddan was a part of the parish of St Asaph, before being gazetted as a new and separate parish on 3 August, following the construction of the Marble Church.

During the two World Wars, the nearby Kinmel Camp was used to house soldiers, and was the location of the Kinmel Park Riots in 1919, which led to several Canadian deaths.

Historically, Bodelwyddan was home to a lead mine, but plans to abandon the mine were submitted in 1857 and the mine closed shortly thereafter. The nearby "Engine Hill" was named after the mine engines designed to keep the mine's water problems under control. Engine Hill has four "main" engine shafts with multiple smaller shafts; however, the majority of knowledge on earlier working has been lost.

The A55 road Bodelwyddan bypass was completed in 1986, and has been fundamental in shaping the changing Bodelwyddan, being at least partially responsible for the Local Development Plan and the continued existence of Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.

Read more of the history

In 2010, it was made public that Denbighshire County Council's Local Development Plan (LDP) had allocated over 1,700 new houses to be built in Bodelwyddan.

Following the announcement, the proposal has been heavily opposed by locals

including Conwy County Borough Council, who said "No evidence has been presented by Denbighshire County Council providing details of the likely impact on services generally in Conwy County (especially Health and Education)"

According to forecasts, the population of Bodelwyddan would be expected to rise significantly until 2021, potentially tripling the population.

In 2011 a referendum was held by the Town Council on the topic, with a resounding 94% against result. Despite the clear and near-unanimous opposition, the decision was made to go ahead with the plan, following a split vote by Denbighshire County Council.

From the History section of Bodelwyddan on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Bodelwyddan

Geography

To its South lies Bodelwyddan Castle, which sits on Engine Hill - so named for the Steam Engines that drove the mining operations that took place there in the past.

In the area surrounding Bodelwyddan lie small farms, including two farm shops. Also nearby are several hamlets - including: Cefn Meiriadog, Marli, Llannefydd and Pengwern.

Education

The local primary school is Ysgol y Faenol, which primarily feeds into Ysgol Glan Clwyd in St Asaph and Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan in Abergele.

From the Wikipedia article Bodelwyddan, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Bodelwyddan

Born in Bodelwyddan, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay10

Churches and places of worship16

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Shopping6

Gas and EV charging4

Schools, colleges and libraries9

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Healthcare8

Map of Bodelwyddan

119 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Hawarden Airport (CEG) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 22 miles away.

  • Rhuddlan 2 mi northeast, about 3 min by car
  • Saint Asaph 2 mi east, about 4 min by car
  • Rhyl 4 mi north, about 6 min by car
  • Abergele 4 mi west, about 6 min by car
  • Dyserth 4 mi northeast, about 7 min by car
  • Prestatyn 6 mi northeast, about 10 min by car
  • Denbigh 7 mi southeast, about 11 min by car
  • Colwyn Bay 10 mi west, about 15 min by car
  • Mostyn 10 mi east, about 16 min by car
  • Holywell 11 mi east, about 18 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Towns near Bodelwyddan

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.