A RANGE of new tourism routes across North East Wales has been launched as part of Wales Tourism Week, which started on Saturday.

The routes come as digital maps, which are available to download to help visitors explore a variety of locations across North East Wales, from Rhyl to Hawarden.

Users of the map will stop at key tourist hot-spots such as Talacre Beach, Chirk Castle and Ruthin Gaol. The newly-designed routes aren’t limited to their county either, meaning users can combine their trip with locations in nearby Conwy.

The new routes across North East Wales are part of a new collection of seven new maps, highlighting some of the unmissable, key tourism hot-spots in North Wales. Teaming together for the first time, the maps have been designed and produced by the four Destination Management Partnerships across North Wales (Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy and North East Wales (NEW)- compromising of Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham).

The maps interlink with the 75-mile North Wales Way – one of three national tourism routes launched by Visit Wales under The Wales Way brand.

With a wide-range of hidden gems across North Wales, each map is themed with its own unique route, spanning from Anglesey to North East Wales. On the agenda, users can explore Conwy’s coastal trail, the North Anglesey maritime circular, Gwynedd’s slate valleys and North East Wales’ famous landmarks.

Both the science and heritage route and the family activity trail take you through North East Wales’ must-see’s, whilst the outdoor adventure heritage loop shows off the best of what North Wales has to offer – which is renowned for its breath-taking scenery and adrenaline-fuelled adventure activities.

Ian Lebbon, Chair of Denbighshire Destination Management Partnership said: “I’m delighted that North East Wales is an important part of this Wales-wide project. The new routes will give visitors the opportunity to explore our coast, heritage, rural towns, landscapes and the wide variety of visitor attractions on offer across the region.

"We hope this campaign will encourage businesses to develop stronger partnerships and provide a welcome boost for the local economy and help to provide employment opportunities throughout the year.”

The new maps have been a community-effort, as businesses were invited to workshops across North Wales to discuss their ideas for new tourist routes to help promote the region and provide loops and detours off The North Wales Way.

The maps are part of a wider tourism campaign launched by the North Wales Local Authorities, who -together with funding from Visit Wales and the Regional Tourism Engagement Fund (RTEF) - put efforts in to boosting tourism figures during the winter months, which have previously been lower than desired.