LIFE ON THE ROAD
Our family’s lived on a roundabout for 60 years… we refuse to leave even if we’re trapped during rush hour
The couple have no plans to move from their home in the middle of a roundabout
A DEFIANT family who refused to sell their family home before it turned into a roundabout said life "gets busy" sometimes.
Clwyd Howatson, 65, feels most at home hearing hundreds of cars whizz past his pad on the Denbigh bypass in Denbighshire, Wales.
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His charming bungalow on the busy stretch of the A525 from Rhyl to Ruthin has been in his family for more than 60 years.
The father of seven and grandfather of 12 lives on the roundabout with his wife Anwen.
However, he has admitted that life on the roundabout "does get busy at times".
He said: "Getting off the roundabout can be a bit of a challenge.
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"When people are on a roundabout they don't expect someone to come out of the roundabout itself so we do get a few double-takes.
"It can be a bit awkward as well if someone lets you go because someone could be coming up on the other lane, but we don't really have any issues with it, we just tend to wait until it's a bit quieter which is most of the time."
As well as this, he explained delivery drivers are often driving in circles when trying to find his address.
The grandad added: "We share the same postcode as the houses around us so it can take a while for drivers to realise the house is on the roundabout if they've not been before.
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"Normally when we give instructions it's fine, but I do end up saying: 'No, no, we're not by the roundabout - we're on it and they always sound a bit dubious until they get here."
As for crashes, Clwyd says they've been lucky over the years and haven't seen anything serious, though there were a few occasions when the roundabout was first built, where people would go around it the wrong way.
Here to stay
Clwyd's father David John and his mother Eirian Howatson moved into the bungalow back in 1960.
Back then, there was no roundabout or Denbigh bypass, just a small holding that surrounded their home.
That was until the late 1970s when plans were submitted for a roundabout following the completion of what at the time was the new Denbigh bypass.
David John and Eirian were told they could not build another bungalow on their small holding and they refused to uproot their family, so they stayed put as the roundabout was built around them.
The roundabout was completed in 1980, cutting off the Howaston family.
However, Clywd, who has lived on the property for more than 40 years, wouldn't have it any other way.
And he is keen to pass on his appreciation for the outdoors to his seven kids and 12 grandchildren after his upbringing on the rural roundabout.
Clwyd said: "The lovely views are spectacular and we are lucky to have them.
"We probably take them a bit for granted, but they are great in all the seasons.
"I've lived on the roundabout for over 40 years so it's pretty much all I know.
"We'd lived here for 20 years before that as well so it's been in the family for a very long time."
But most importantly, Clywd doesn't have to care about conversing with any other residents - and is in a convenient spot for travel.
He continued: "We don't have to worry about the neighbours as we don't have any on the roundabout.
"Most of the family live close by, so it's a handy central point. I'd say it's like living by any road but it's not that bad.
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"We have double glazing so it's not something that bothers us and the road only gets really busy at peak times, which is only a few times a day."
As for what the future holds, Clwyd says they may consider moving at some point when they're older, but expect the house will stay in the family for years to come.
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