Andy Gilpin returns to his hometown and finds it has become the somewhat unlikely hottest thing in travel
Waynes Cram is one of the Americans who are flocking to Wrexham(Image: DAILY MIRROR)
It’s 1.24pm on Friday afternoon and while most pubs around the UK at this time would be empty, The Turf is full. There are regulars, a retirement party and a vociferous pool game.
There’s also Wayne Cram, from Boston (that’s Massachusetts, not Lincolnshire), supping pints with Max from Wrexham, who’s just come in for a swift half after a hospital appointment. These two would normally never meet, especially here, but they’ve been brought together by one thing – Wrexham FC.
Almost attached to the historic Racecourse Ground, The Turf is one of the main stars of the Welcome to Wrexham show that’s got people flocking to this unassuming and in some ways run-down North Wales city. It follows the fortunes of a football club bought by Ryan ‘Deadpool’ Reynolds and Rob ‘It’s Always Sunny’ McElhenney.
And people have fallen in love with the show. New research says Wrexham is the UK’s newest holiday hotspot for 2026 – with bookings surging an astonishing 184% compared to 2025.
But why and what leads the likes of Wayne to travel 3,200 miles to a place that used to be famous for a giant slag heap and a massive industrial estate?
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“I’m like the Richard Dreyfuss character in Close Encounters of the Third Kind” explains Wayne. “I was looking for something. I was probably making models of the Racecourse Ground out of mashed potato. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but when I came here, I found it.”
Wayne has been over to see Wrexham five times – six if you count the 10 hours he drove to watch them play in Philadelphia. The first time he ‘kept under the radar’ and didn’t interact much.
Now, you can’t shut him up about Phil Parkinson’s 3-5-2, the recent transfer window and if the club have enough for four promotions in a row.
“I don’t know what the show’s demographic was, but I am it,” he adds. “I keep getting pulled here.”
The Turf’s landlord Wayne Jones is also about grafting, pulling pints, carrying boxes and chatting to regulars. While he’s a star of the show, he doesn’t particularly like the limelight, but will happily pose for selfies for people from all over the world. It’s what has got his pub so busy.
One of the people playing pool is Bryan Still. A former Wrexham Supporters Trust board member, he now runs tours of Wrexham in his minibus, taking eager foreigners to the places that feature and the people who star in them.
Bryan is one of those people who has a story or quip about everything and everyone. We jump into his taxi as he drives into town, pointing out interesting landmarks on the way. We go to the Wrexham Lager Brewery, now 95% owned by Ryan, Rob and their investing partners, the Allyn family.
We visit the historic St Giles Church, one of the seven wonders of Wales, where the founder of Yale University, Elihu Yale, is buried, as well as various murals around the city dedicated to heroes of the club.
We also pay a visit to Rob Clarke, owner of Mad4Movies in the Butchers Market and another regular in the show. Wayne chats to him, before an Aussie fella can’t wait and jumps in, much to the Bostonian’s amusement.
It’s good-natured fun, but it’s not all good news in Wrexham County Borough. While the Turf is full, the high street is empty. Rob’s shop is well visited, but other stalls in the market are struggling for footfall. Shop owners don’t believe the council is doing enough to get people spending in the city – whatever the benefits of the documentary are.
Back at the Turf, Wayne Jones is still busy, but he stops to talk about Flo’s ‘world famous’ baps on the counter at £2 a pop.
“They’re world famous because Rob McElhenney had one once,” says Wayne, before giving us some intel on Millwall fans’ whereabouts and carrying on the graft.
Scoot, lead singer of the Declan Swans who’s song ‘It’s Always Sunny in Wrexham’ is a soundtrack to the show (think this ‘less than a mile from the centre of town’) is talking to a German fella. Bassist from the band Mark Jones is milling around after finishing his shift. A Yorkshire-based reporter charged with covering the club has just walked in and Boston Wayne is holding court with all of them.
Everyone here seems to have a link to either the club, the documentary or both. Even me. I do the voice-over for the show.
My hometown is in the spotlight of the world, and I, Wayne(s), Bryan, Scott, and so many others want to show it off. And you may get embroiled in a chat about the merits of 3-5-2 and a world-famous bap in the bargain.
You get the slap heap for free.
Book it
For inspiration and where to stay and what to do in and around Wrexham, visit the Welsh tourist board.