Reinterpreting

A new ‘interpretation board’ has sprung up in the Market Street car park. And very nice it is, too. It’s part of a series spanning Dyffryn Clwyd/Vale of Clwyd. It particularly welcomes you to Rhuthun’s picturesque townscape, the Old Gaol and Nantclwyd-y-Dre. There’s also a reference to the Craft Centre. OK, so the Centre's not entirely ready just yet!

The board’s colours reflect those of the Clwydians—in all its seasons. The design represents the form of the hills. And the suite of them throughout the area is a positive way of encouraging people into and around the Vale. We wish the promoters well.

Of particular note is the tag line about Rhuthun: yn Llawn o Hanes/Alive with History. This is a change. Rhuthun is more usually referred to as Perl y Dyffryn/The Jewel in the Vale. We’d interpret this change as probably being, well, politically correct. It would be unfair of Rhuthun to hog the limelight by calling itself the Jewel when the tour is designed to present an equal and egalitarian view of all the attractions along its length. But everyone who lives in Rhuthun will know it actually *remains* the Jewel.

Rhuthun is sixth in a north-south tour. Each site has a specific centrepiece but Rhuthun has (or will have) two!

1. Castell Bodelwyddan Castle
2. Castell Rhuddlan Castle
3. Eglwys Cadeiriol Llanelwy/St Asaph Cathedral
4. Tweedmill Outlet
5. Castell Dinbych/Denbigh Castle
6. Hen Garchar Rhuthun/Ruthin Old Gaol
7. Canolfan Crefftau Rhuthun/Ruthin Craft Centre
8. Parc Gwledig Loggerheads Country Park
9. Coedwig Llandegla Forest
10. Bwlch-yr-Oernant/Horseshoe Pass

Of these, the Tweedmill stands out as, erm, the Tweedmill (what more can you say about it?) but it probably has more visitors than any of the other nine put together. Encouraging people to venture beyond the Tweedmill would be a major coup.

And Llandegla Forest is understood to have as many visitors as the old Craft Centre once did.