Category: Musings

Running in Llandudno – a quick Runaround!

Llandudno, a seaside resort town in North Wales, offers stunning views of the Great Orme and the Irish Sea. It’s also a great place for runners to lace up their sneakers and hit the pavement. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just starting, Llandudno has something for everyone.

One of the most popular running routes in Llandudno is the Promenade. The flat and wide pathway stretches along the beachfront and offers uninterrupted views of the sea. It’s an ideal location for a leisurely jog or a quick sprint.

Another popular route is the Great Orme. The Great Orme is a limestone headland that rises 207 meters above sea level. It provides a challenging run for more experienced runners. The route offers panoramic views of the town, the coast, and the surrounding countryside.

For those who enjoy trail running, there are several options in the area. The Llandudno to Conwy cycle path is a well-maintained trail that offers a mix of terrain, from grassy meadows to rocky paths. The trail runs parallel to the coast and provides breathtaking views of the sea.

If you’re looking for a longer run, you can try the Conwy Mountain Trail. The trail is a 9.5km loop that takes you through fields, forests, and up to the summit of Conwy Mountain. The trail offers challenging terrain and spectacular views of Snowdonia National Park.

For those who prefer a more social running experience, there are several running groups in Llandudno. These groups offer a supportive and motivating environment for runners of all levels. They provide opportunities to meet new people, share tips and advice, and explore new routes.

Llandudno also hosts several running events throughout the year. The Llandudno Easter 5k and the Llandudno Christmas 5k are popular events that attract runners from across the region. The events offer a chance to compete, test your fitness, and have fun with other runners.

In conclusion, Llandudno offers a range of options for runners of all abilities. Whether you prefer a leisurely jog along the Promenade or a challenging trail run up the Great Orme, there’s something for everyone. The stunning views, supportive community, and variety of routes make Llandudno a perfect destination for runners. So, grab your running shoes and hit the road – or trail, or beach!



Living in Llanfairfechan: A Runner’s Paradise

When I moved to Llanfairfechan in 2016, I had no idea how much this small Welsh village would change my life. Nestled between the mountains and the sea, Llanfairfechan quickly became my personal paradise for running, hiking, and enjoying the great outdoors.



I fell in love with Llanfairfechan’s stunning natural beauty from the very first day I arrived. The village is surrounded by the Snowdonia National Park, which offers endless opportunities for outdoor activities. Every morning, I would lace up my running shoes and head out for a jog along the coast, marveling at the stunning views of the mountains and the sea.

One of my favorite routes was the Llanfairfechan to Bangor Coastal Path, which winds along the coastline for several miles. The path is well-maintained and offers breathtaking views of the sea and the surrounding countryside. Running along the coast was always a highlight of my day, and I loved feeling the wind in my hair (figuaratively speaking!) and the sun on my face.

But running wasn’t the only way I enjoyed the great outdoors in Llanfairfechan. I also loved hiking in the nearby mountains, which are some of the most beautiful in the UK. The Glyderau and Carneddau ranges are just a short drive away, and offer a wide range of hiking routes for all skill levels. One of my favorite hikes was up Foel Lus, which offers panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.



In addition to running and hiking, I also enjoyed walks by the sea in Llanfairfechan. The village has a lovely beachfront promenade, which is perfect for leisurely strolls or picnics by the sea. I often took my lunch breaks on the promenade, enjoying the sunshine and the sound of the waves. The Beach Pavilion Cafe has a lot of lovely memories for me.

But Llanfairfechan wasn’t just about outdoor activities for me. The village also has a vibrant community of locals and expats, who welcomed me with open arms. I quickly made friends with other runners and hikers in the area, and we often organized group runs and hikes in the mountains. I also enjoyed attending community events like the annual Llanfairfechan Carnival, which was always a colorful and lively affair.

Living in Llanfairfechan was a life-changing experience for me. The village offered the perfect balance of outdoor activities, community, and natural beauty. I will always cherish my memories of running along the coast, hiking in the mountains, and enjoying walks by the sea. If you’re looking for a place to connect with nature and enjoy an active lifestyle, I highly recommend Llanfairfechan.



Red Skies Over Llandudno and the Great Orme – August 2012

This August I made it back to Llandudno, and spent 3 glorious days out in North Wales, taking a variety of pictures and videos of Llandudno and surrounding areas, including a return visit to Anglesey! Armed with this archive of material I plan to share as much as possible in coming weeks, and begin with some pictures I took during a walk over the Great Orme on Saturday August 18th, 2012.

I had arrived that day and the weather was lovely, although the forecast for the next day was not great. After unloading my stuff in the Westdale guesthouse, I headed off with my camera. Last time I visited Llandudno I had only had my phone camera as both my cameras had broken, but in the meantime I had dug out my video camera, which also takes stills, and decided to brush the dust off it and make some use of it!

I started off by taking some videos of the windfarm off Llandudno Bay as the turbines were sharply visible on the horizon and could be seen turning in the strong offshore winds. I took some photos, and then, in a reverse of my last visit, set off on an evening walk over the Great Orme from the North Shore to the West shore (last time I had done it the other way round in equally lovely weather!).

I walked through the toll gate and began my ascent, and before long I spotted one of the Great Orme’s Kashmiri goats, who always cross my path when I visit Llandudno and wander over the Orme! I got some great shots of them, including a video of one of them leaping over a dry stone wall when a car approached! I was passed by some girls with scouse accents who asked me if I had seen the seals, I said I hadn’t as I had been focused on the goats, they said they had seen dolphins in the waters the night before. They jogged on and I passed a pair of climbers, one of whom was getting quite cross with his climb and swore at his equipment, the chap holding his rope below apologised but I just smiled and wandered on.

The walk across the Great Orme is very deceptive and I realised I was less than half way when the sun was beginning to get low in the sky. This presented a great opportunity to see the skies darken, and witness a beautiful Llandudno sunset, so I took plenty of shots as well as just enjoying the view, as the sun began to go down, and watched as it spectacularly lit up the clouds, setting fire to the sky and burnishing the heavens with a beautiful glow.


As the skies darkened further, I passed millionaire’s row on the Great Orme and was able to capture some landscape photos with out buildings providng relief, as well as the natural contours and shapes of the Orme itself. I kept snapping until my camera could barely get enough light to function, but I ended up with some rather magnificent shots of the Llandudno skies filled with fire as the sun backlit the clouds and I feasted on some beautiful views of the slowly dying day against the backdrop the the Great Orme, a place where I always find myself totally at peace with myself and everything around me.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of red Llandudno skies taken from the Great Orme. Do comment if you like them, and thanks for reading. I hope to update with some more pictures and videos of Llandudno soon!

First Trip to Llandudno in 2 Years!

It’s been a long time! Had a lot of stuff going on for me, last year I ended up in a long distance relationship so ended up spending most of my summer hopping back and forth to the south coast of England near Brighton, but that is over now, and having also come to the end of a university course, it was time for a trip to my beloved Llandudno!

I felt a frisson of excitement as I began to see familiar sites from the train, and when I stepped off it was like a homecoming. Very little seemed to have changed, although the Alice In Wonderland sculptures caught my eye immediately as interesting new additions.

I was staying at the lovely Westdale, just away from the main tourist bustle of the promenade hotel area, and really enjoyed the experience there as the owner is very kind. I had several daytrips during my stay, taking advantage of the Red Rover bus ticket, and visited Bangor and Caernarfon, as well as a wild mystery tour of Anglesey where I ended up in Holyhead. Unlike with Llandudno, the minute I stepped foot there I wanted to leave, although this might have been as much to do with the fact I had a 2.5 hour bus ride back, as the fact that I didn’t really warm to the place. But I did spot some places to explore on a future trip, and enjoyed passing over the Menai Bridge and going through llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch! Maybe I will stop there next time.

In the meantime I got back to Llandudno for 2 lovely evening walks along the west shore, probably my favourite place in the whole world, where I enjoyed some beautiful Llandudno sunsets and also spotted some unusual cloud formations. Both my cameras recently broke, so I was making do with a rather poor quality basic camera phone, but the pictures didn’t turn out all that bad, really!

My first trip of 2010 – Wet, Chilly and Misty!

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been to Wales and enjoyed all things Llandudno, and a while since I’ve visited this Llandudno blog, but I did visit last year, and have some photos I’m going to catch up on. For now, I shall record my first day in Llandudno in a bit of a cold and wet May!

It’s been a busy time for me, and I was recently released from some responsibilities that were tying me to Manchester a little bit – so what better way to relax than get away to the coast for a few days? I set off from a busy station, and after finally rendesvousing with the hotel landlady (The Astonwood – highly recommended!), I went off to do a bit of limited exploring. Limited, because I have a busted knee from running, and was not up to much walking.


In any case, Llandudno on this day was cold, and very wet. At least the rain did stop, but it was very dark and grey and both Ormes were shrouded in mist! Check out the pics!

From Goats of The Orme To Ghosts – Visiting The Cromlech

Last time I took a look at the Great Orme goats, and the Great Orme really is a place teeming with life of all kinds. However, it is also a place where we may expect to find marks of the dead (indeed the entire being of the Orme, limestone, owes its existence to the millions of sea creatures which eventually turned into the stone of which it is comprised!). The Orme was an ideal, defensible place for ancient tribes, and the remains of stone circles, settlements, wells, and burial sites can be found from Stone Age times. Perhaps most impressive among these is the Great Orme Cromlech, the remains of a neolithic burial chamber.

I had been wanting to see this Cromlech since I had visited Wales’s largest burial site, Tinkinswood in South Wales, earlier that summer. I’ve never been one for maps – I prefer to just explore, so on my first trip to Llandudno and the Orme, I had failed to find the Cromlech! However, on my second trip, in October 2006, I was to strike lucky.

The day I arrived I had witnessed a very lovely sunset on the West Shore, and the weather was incredibly mild and pleasant for mid October. In fact the next day, the 13th, was like a perfect midsummer’s day, so warm I had to remove my coat as I hopped off the tram at the half way station, and set off for more exploration. I first wandered over to St Tudno’s Church and the graveyard, my camera in hand before I realised the graveyard was fully functioning – as evidenced by recent flowers and a pair of gravediggers! In any case, I had a look around, and saw one of the great Orme wardens unloading stuff from one of the vans I see roaming over the Orme. He was a very pleasant Kenyan chap, and when I asked him where the Cromlech was, he told me, then kindly offered to give me a lift as he was going over that way. So off we went, and I found out he was a student from Kenya on work experience for his conservation degree – wherever he is now, I wish him well! Anyway, he dropped me off at the end of Cromlech Road (that would be the one!) and I walked down, climbed over the wall, and beheld the Cromlech at last!

cromlech neolithic burial chamber great orme llandudno

Here are some of my
pictures of the Great Orme Cromlech and I was also inspired to write a poem about my experience there, for it was a quiet, summer’s day, insects were buzzing, and I sat down and quietly reflected about the people who had built the tomb, and what there lives and deaths may have been like. It’s here at my poetry blog, but depends if you have a taste for poetry or not (although there are a few more poems about Llandudno there too, which I will mention in due course) 🙂

Rounding Off My First Day In Llandudno

I had arrived mid-afternoon on my first day, so by the time I had enjoyed my walk up Llandudno’s Little Orme, and after a little wandering around Llandudno and making a few mental notes and plans for the next day (including where to get the Great Orme Tram!) it was time to check out the local eating places for some sustenance! I’m not a great one for eating out, a Subway will do me fine (so was pleased to note a Subway branch on Mostyn Street!) – however, I was in an adventurous mood, so after locating the Asda and other stores on the new retail park, I wandered a little and saw a nice little Italian restaurant called Mamma Rosa on the quiet Mostyn Avenue, a little outside the main town centre. It looked quite busy, and this being a Bank Holiday, I wasn’t convinced I would be able to get a seat, but I braved the entrance and asked a friendly woman if they had a table for one! They were able to accommodate me, and I enjoyed some gnocchi, with a beer, followed by ice cream. There was some kind of birthday party going on opposite me, and the atmosphere and food were most pleasant!

On the way back to my hotel (the Kensington) I spent some more time walking along the Llandudno promenade and taking in the sea air. The beer had given me a taste for some more alchohol (I rarely drink, but for some reason I often enjoy a drink when spending time in a new place). The hotel bar was quiet, albeit populated by some friendly Scottish folk who appeared to be visiting Llandudno as a coach party. I had a few pints and then had a few whiskies, and watched people coming into the hotel and the darkness falling.

After a good few drinks, I felt like revisiting the sea, and asked an astonished porter to let me out! I enjoyed a stroll to look at the waves in the dark, I think it was the first time I had been on a beach at night since my Swansea student days, and the experience brought back a lot of memories.

My evening was slightly tarnished when, on the beach, I decided to eat the after dinner sweet I had been given in Mamma Rosa – and I was promptly chewing not only the sweet, but a disintegrated filling! The tooth itself was quite jagged which would make it uncomfortable for the next few days, but nothing could dent my spirits as I headed back to the Kensington, and got to my room for some sleep (cut short by the unaccustomed sea gulls crying from 4am onwards!!)

Down Memory Lane – My First Day In Llandudno

It was Monday, August 28th, 2006 – a Bank Holiday – that I first set foot in Llandudno. I had not been away anywhere for some time, and decided I needed a change of scenery from the urban jungle of Manchester – so after some research, I discovered this North Wales resort was more or less on my doorstep, which eventually led to my stepping off the train into dripping sunshine that August day, with my trusty wheeled rucksack in tow behind me.

At first I wandered, getting my bearings, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine, the fresh cries of the plaintive gulls, the bustle of the people on Mostyn Street and environs. I remember asking a traffic warden for directions to the Kensington Hotel, where I had a reservation, and then I made my way to the promenade, heard the strains of Flanagan and Allen’s “Underneath the Arches” played by a band, and saw the two headlands of the Great and Little Ormes, an expanse of beautiful blue sea, and fell in love with the place…

I have always felt the sea calling me (I did my undergraduate degree in Swansea, and have fond memories of beach walks and parties from those days!) – and now I felt at home for the first time in years, and my first walk was unplanned, sporadic, spontaneous – exactly how I have always liked it! I strode off along the pebbly beach, swift to find some balance, with sunglasses and my Lancashire cricket hat to keep off the sun (I remember a boy cried after me that he recognised the crest, and that he knew I was from the same place as him), and off I went walking, and walking, inhaling the scent of the sea air, filling my lungs and mind with the freshness and beauty of this new experience, observing the people, enjoying the steady, gentle warmth of the sun.

the little orme from north shore llandudno

In the distance was the little orme – I decided I was going to scale that beast! I only had a small amount of water with me, but noted a pub for emergency use as I made my way up Colwyn Road, looking for a pathway up this Little Orme! And for sure I found it, as I navigated a gateway and saw a sign pronouncing Rhiwledyn and off I trekked up steep paths and clambered over rocks and through brambles, until I stood more or less on the top of the Little Orme. The wind up there was incredible, and I feared for my hat (and my life!) as I tried to stay steady enough to take a few snapshots. I could just about make out the windmills of the offshore windfarm through the heat haze!

offshore windfarm llandudno from little orme

And so I gazed out and saw the beautiful sea and the sunshine, and the larger Orme out over the bay, and I could hear some commotion up above me, and wondered if it might be some sheep or goats but it was a couple with their dogs! Parched by now from my climb (and general lack of fitness!) I rested on a rock meditatively on the way down, and greeted the couple and their dogs as they passed. All in all my first few hours spent in Llandudno were a splendid awakening, with such glorious weather, such novelty – and I knew that a piece of my heart would remain here forever! I walked back to my hotel for a drink with a light heart and a thirst to drink in more of what this wonderful place, Llandudno, had to offer 🙂

Click here for more photos of my first LLandudno walk, the first of many beautiful walks North Wales would offer me!

To be continued…

Hello world!

I love Llandudno – hence this blog! The twist is that due to my current circumstances, I am more or less prevented from visiting my favourite place, so I decided to start this blog about Llandudno to revisit some memories of the place, and hopefully share some of the joy this little Welsh resort has given me in the couple of years since I discovered it!