Peaky Blinders actor cleared 15ft brambles above Welsh beach and created piece of paradise

An actor who has appeared in Peaky Blinders and Coronation Street had dreams of opening a glamping site in North Wales. Nic Breeze and his wife Caroline were searching for the right location for a holiday business.
They found an ancient woodland above Talacre beach in Flintshire but the potential wasn't initially obvious.
It was in the grounds of School House, a 19th century Gothic revival former Catholic School, but it was overgrown with brambles towering 15ft into the air.
But they cleared the land near Gwespyr and discovered a "lovely spot" that over time they've developed into a slice of paradise.

Last week Emlyn’s Coppice, named after the famous Welsh actor, director and writer Emlyn Williams, from Mostyn, was named Best Self-Catering Site of the Year at the Go North Wales Tourism Awards.
It features bespoke pods, private hot tubs and a handcrafted sauna, and won praise for its sustainability, quality and guest experience.
He said: “My wife, Caroline, and I were planning to open a glamping site long before but Covid had put things on hold. We found this site which is in an ancient woodland tucked away above Talacre Beach and after we cleared brambles which had grown 15 feet high we discovered this lovely spot.”

Nic installed three privately-sited glamping pods four years ago and planted over 400 trees on the two-and-a-half acre site and has upgraded it over the years with individual hot tubs.

In their first year of operation they had over 70 per cent occupancy and their popularity has grown steadily since with customers booking in throughout the year to a site that is close to Liverpool, Manchester and the West Midlands.

He said: "Lots of visitors go past on their way to Eryri, the Llyn and Anglesey but we’ve got the Clwydian Range which is lovely and is now a National Landscape and on our doorstep are the Wales Coastal Path, the Pilgrims Trail and the Offa’s Dyke Path.

“You can see right up the Lancashire coast to the Lake District to the north and to the west there is the Great Orme and Anglesey.

“We have made the site as private as possible and there’s a real feel of being in the woods rather than on a caravan park and that what our guests say about us.”

He was "over the moon" to be recognised at the tourism awards. He added: “Unfortunately we weren’t able to attend the tourism awards for personal reasons but we are obviously delighted to win our first major award." A round up on the tourism awards and a full list of winners is here.