I moved to North Wales about 5 years ago and I love the place!  I live in a small village in Flintshire called Hawarden which is where the former Prime Minister William Gladstone lived.  It's also the home of footballer Michael Owen and his family - quite a popular place!

Even though Hawarden is such a small village so much history surrounds it.  A must-visit in Hawarden is St Deiniol's Library which is Britain's only Prime Ministerial library.  It was the personal library of Sir William Gladstone which was later opened to the public.  They offer guided tours of the library on the 2nd Saturday & 4th Tuesday of every month which costs £5 per person; it's a great way to find out about the history of St.Deiniols, Gladstone and Hawarden.

There are some great village shops in Hawarden that are perfect for some girly shopping!  First up is Classy Chic which is a women's clothing boutique that sell day and evening wear as well as accessories.  However, if you're looking for something unique try the lovely Llewellyn Shaw who make dresses for special occasions, my sister recently had a dress made from there and it was stunning!  If you're looking for some jewellery to accessorise your new outfit, you'll have to pop into The Design Studio, they have some gorgeous pieces in there.  As well as the girlie shops there's also a pet shop called Pups & Pets and the local post office (which also sells jewellery).

If you're feeling peckish after all the shopping, there are some great places to stop for a bite to eat including the Fox & Grapes, which is under new management and has a great menu - I'd recommend the fish medley, delicious!  You can find the Blue Bell next door which is where you'll find all the sports fans watching the latest premier league match.  We've also got The Gallery Coffee Shop; they do a great bacon butty!  They also put together a Greek evening on the last Saturday of every month, it's great fun but it gets booked up very quickly so you need to call in advance.  A bit further down the road is the Shared Olive which is bringing a bit more of the Mediterranean to Hawarden, it's a great place to go with friends to share some tapas dishes and a few bottles of wine!

On your way out of Hawarden stop of at the Hawarden Estate Farm Shop down the road, which is famous for its sausage rolls, you can't visit Hawarden and not try one!

Have you ever visited Hawarden?  What did you think of the village?  If you would like some more information on Hawarden, just let me know in the comments below!