Talacre Beach to Prestatyn Walk (Flintshire)

Talacre beach is a long sandy beach looking out over the Irish Sea and to the Wirral and Liverpool. The beach is backed by sand dunes and has plenty of room for everyone even in the summer with the local holiday parks. Talacre is a good alternative to the more commercialised North Wales coastal resorts. A major feature of the beach is the 18 meters high Point of Ayr lighthouse which although was decommissioned back in 1883 it is known for being haunted with a ghostly figure wearing old-fashioned lighthouse keeper clothes standing in front of the glass dome and looking out over the beach. If you do walk out to the lighthouse you need to watch out for the tide. The area around the beach, Gronant Dunes and Talacre Warren is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with an RSPB reserve. Rare species including the natterjack toad. Just around the corner, the Dee estuary is a haven for wintering birds with little terns, skylarks, meadow pipits and warblers all spotted here. The beach is great for walkers with spectacular views out to the Irish Sea and The Dee estuary is fantastic for wintering birds. Facilities include car parking, toilets, cafe/restaurant, pub and a selection of nearby holiday parks.

The Point of Ayr Lighthouse, also known as the Talacre Lighthouse, is a grade II listed building situated on Talcre beach on the north coast of Wales, on the Point of Ayr, near the village of Talacre. The lighthouse is around 60 ft (18m) tall, 18ft in diameter and has oak pile foundations, was built in 1776 by a Trust of the Major, Recorder and Aldermen of Chester to warn ships entering between the Dee and the Mersey Estuary. Originally it had two lights, one was directed at shipping out to the Irish Sea whilst the second beam directed towards the mouth of the River Dee. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1883 after being replaced by an ocean-based metal-pile lighthouse. It is thought to be haunted, one incident reported sighting of a person dressed in old fashioned lighthouse keeper clothes standing on the balcony of the lighthouse itself.

Gronant Dunes is a large area of sand dunes and foreshore located between Prestatyn and Gronant. The beach forms part of an extensive dune system that stretches eastwards to the Talacre Beach (Point of Ayr) and to the west it links up with Barkby Beach. Gronant Dunes also known as The Warren, is a protected site and deemed a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the only surviving largely unmodified dunes along the North Wales coastline. Facilities include parking, toilets, campsite.