David Appleyard
Contact Details
Address: Flintshire, North Wales
Mobile: (+44) 07946 898 361
Email: david@nwtours.co.uk
Website: https://nwtours.co.uk/
Biography
I am a Wales Blue Badge Tourist Guide, Liverpool City Region Blue Badge Guide and Chester Green Badge Guide, offering private tours, cruise excursions, coach tours and walking tours across North Wales, Chester and Liverpool.
My guiding is built around helping visitors understand places rather than simply visit them. I enjoy connecting landscape, history, culture and people’s own interests into relaxed, informative and memorable tours. Whether exploring the castles and mountains of North Wales, the medieval streets of Chester or the maritime and musical heritage of Liverpool, my aim is to bring places to life through clear interpretation, storytelling and conversation.
I regularly guide cruise passengers, private groups and clients of specialist tour operators, and I particularly enjoy working with curious visitors who want more than a standard sightseeing tour. Tours can include castles, cathedrals, coast and countryside, industrial heritage, family history, Welsh culture, Liverpool’s waterfront, Beatles heritage, Chester’s Roman and medieval history, and bespoke multi-day itineraries across the region.
Alongside guiding, I serve as Chair of the Guild of Chester Tour Guides, Secretary of the North West Tourist Guides Association and an Executive Council Member of the British Guild of Tourist Guides. These professional roles reflect my wider commitment to high standards in guiding and heritage interpretation.
If you are looking for an experienced, qualified guide who can help you explore Wales with context, clarity and enjoyment, I would be delighted to help plan your visit.
Interests
Best of Wales - general interest tours
For visitors who want to experience Wales with context rather than simply see the sights. I can plan flexible tours combining landscape, history, castles, culture and local stories, especially across Conwy, Caernarfon, Eryri/Snowdonia, Anglesey, the Great Orme and the North Wales coast.
Castles
Wales has some of the finest castles in Europe, but they make most sense as part of the wider story of Welsh princes, English conquest, landscape and power. I regularly guide visitors at Conwy, Caernarfon, Beaumaris, Harlech and other historic sites.
Churches Chapels and Cathedrals
I enjoy guiding religious and historic buildings as places where architecture, belief, politics and community life meet. My experience includes churches, chapels and cathedrals across Wales, Chester and Liverpool.
Coastline
The Welsh coast is one of the great pleasures of guiding in Wales. I can include coastal viewpoints, harbour towns, historic crossings, maritime stories and scenic routes, especially around Anglesey, the North Wales coast, the Menai Strait and the Great Orme.
Countryside
My countryside guiding helps visitors understand how landscape, farming, geology, industry and culture have shaped Wales. Tours can include scenic drives, gentle walks, viewpoints, villages and stories that connect landscape with the people who lived there.
Family History/Ancestral Tours
Ancestral visits can be some of the most meaningful tours. I can help visitors connect family stories with real places, particularly around North Wales, Chester, Liverpool, migration, chapels, industry, ports and rural communities.
Folklore and Traditions
Welsh stories, legends and traditions are woven into the landscape. I enjoy exploring how folklore, saints, dragons, princes, customs and local legends help visitors understand Welsh identity.
Geography and Geology
North Wales is a wonderful place to explain how geology and landscape shape history. Glaciated valleys, mountains, slate, coastlines and river crossings all help explain why castles, towns, roads and communities developed where they did.
Industrial Heritage
Industrial history is central to understanding Wales. I particularly enjoy interpreting slate, ports, transport, mining, maritime trade and the communities shaped by industry. This can be linked naturally with North Wales, Liverpool and the wider story of Britain’s industrial past.
Slate and Slate Landscape
The slate landscape of North Wales is one of the great stories of Wales: geology, labour, language, export, engineering and community all come together. I can include slate heritage in wider North Wales tours or build tours around the UNESCO World Heritage landscape.
