Gareth Lewis: North Wales' choppy election waters

Vicki Vernon, who runs a flower shop in Llangollen, says political parties are “out of touch”

You’d be hard pressed to get a more tranquil spot than Llangollen, nestled in the Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Here in the new seat of Clwyd East we are in a part of the country where the tranquillity belies a fierce political fight.

Perhaps the River Dee itself, raging through the town, is a better metaphor.

Across north Wales, the Conservatives need to stay afloat, Labour need to get voters back on board and Plaid Cymru are hoping to make a wave or two of their own.

This is a town used to the media spotlight because of the International Musical Eisteddfod, but what’s taking political centre stage?

You get a good mix here of locals and tourists: the fight for a car parking space is almost as fierce as the political one.

Enjoying the sun and the view at the Riverbanc cafe with her sons Michael and Stanley, Nicola Gaskell, from Acrefair, is not impressed by the election campaign.

"It is like that man said on the TV debate on Wednesday night," she said.

"Is this the best the country has got - Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer? As far as I am concerned they are both a waste of time."

A carer, she says she’d like to be treated with some respect.

Hoping to escape the election just outside the cafe is Mark Bates, on holiday from Wiltshire with his wife and two dogs.

He has already voted by post. The message is similar: "They just argue with each other most of the time," he says.

"Disillusioned?" I ask. "Yep," he laughs.

Round the corner Vicki Vernon is working flat out, having opened The Florist in February to pursue her "dream".

Are any of the parties making it easier to realise that dream?

"As far as I’m concerned they haven’t got a clue what goes on in real life. They are out of touch," she says.

"It is ridiculous. This is not a third world country but it is starting to feel like one," she adds.

"If the car breaks down you’ve got to think if you can incur that cost to fix it."

One voter is at least delighted to talk election.

Hilary Dodd would like to see more focus on the climate emergency

Hilary Dodd, out for a coffee with her husband Peter, would like more focus on the climate emergency, which she does not feel has been really addressed.

But her delight stems not from enthusiasm but the chance to get the frustration off her chest.

"I have had enough of it to be perfectly honest: you just see them fighting all the time," she says.

"I have been following it pretty closely but it’s just the same things repeated over and over again."

The people we spoke to us here might not be impressed, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care.

A ribbon of north Wales from Ynys Mon to Wrexham turned from red to blue at the 2019 Election.

Whether blue, red or green is the colour after next week, whoever wins needs to reignite some enthusiasm amongst voters.

In some cases give them reason to hope.

The gorgeous setting in Llangollen is certainly unique.

The feelings of despair, disillusionment and struggle with the cost of living are not.

We have heard them right across Wales during this election campaign.