Llandudno Blog » Places

Very well done video of Llandudno

Llandudno Fan — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:24:07 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to get to my favourite resort but am hoping to sometime in 2011. For this reason I’ve not been able to update this blog much with stories of my adventures, but I thought I’d share a view videos of Llandudno that I’ve found in various places – for example this very well done video which shows a lot of the sights of Llandudno on a gorgeous sunny day – just how it’s meant to be experienced (though I’ve experienced every extreme of weather on my travels there!) Enjoy this video and I hope to post more soon!

Some Pictures of Llandudno’s West Beach, from May 2010

Llandudno Fan — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 23:57:13 +0000

I’ve dug out a few more pictures I took on this year’s only trip to Llandudno. These ones are of the West shore – it was a very misty day, but as my walk progressed the sun burned away some of the mist, and it ended up being very clear for a while.

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

Llandudno Fan — Sat, 22 May 2010 17:43:55 +0000

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!

Some pics from last year

Llandudno Fan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:32:42 +0000

This is just a test gallery while I sort something out, but hope you like the pics anyway!

LLandudno Pier & Great Orme From Gorgeous Gussie!

Llandudno Fan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:06:10 +0000

Well, the clocks have gone back and winter is upon us, so what better time than to dig out old videos of Llandudno from one of the nicest days of 2008?! This was the last day I was able to spend in Llandudno this year, back in June, due to a variety of things, but what a packed day it was – shattered rib and all!

This video shows Llandudno Pier receding and then pans over the Great Orme from out at sea, from the pleasure boat Gorgeous Gussie. I love these little boat rides, and this video is a nice little memento I thought I’d share – you can even hear the tour guide begin to give his spiel on the Great Orme before the video cuts off (I had a new little digital camera and wasn’t sure how much video it could hold, or would have taken longer videos!)

Hope you enjoy this video of Llandudno Pier and the Great Orme

[See post to watch Flash video]

A Ride in The Llandudno Cablecar!

Llandudno Fan — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:39:52 +0000

Although I had visited Llandudno a number of times before, it wasn’t until my June 2008 trip that I finally got around to taking a ride on the Cable Car! The little gondolas of different colours had always presented a wonderful sight during my wanderings on the Orme, the little cars gliding in the distance, and the stations at the foot in Happy Valley, and at the top beside the Summit Complex, were full of the whirrings of interesting machinery! Anyway, it was my last Sunday in Llandudno for what could turn out to be a while, so I was packing as much in as possible – a wander around the Orme was in order (complete with a Cappucino at the Captain’s table) but I wanted to get there in time for my coffee – and in style! So I decided to take the cable car. This might not have been such a good idea consdering I had just hurt my ribs so badly jumping into the speedboat (they are still not pain free even now, but are much better than they were!)

It’s a good job I’m not afraid of heights, or I could have been heading for trouble! In any case, I had my little camera ready, so have provided a video of the journey! At the very beginning it was very clanky and noisy as the car was pushed out onto the line, but almost immediately the ride settled into an eery, gliding silence. There was quite a wind up, which meant the camera didn’t capture the silence but a load of wind noise, so I added some music to save my readers’ ears! All in all it was very enjoyable, gliding up above the Orme with fantastic views of Conwy, Llandudno and the Snowdonia Mountains, thankfully it was a clear, bright day! I had fun waving to some children in a gondola which passed, and every time the car passed one of the poles, the sound of the machinery was pretty scary, but I did reach the summit safely, and was glad to get my feet back on terra firma.

I got to the Captain’s table and enjoyed a coffee, before having a wander around the Orme and then making my way back down into Llandudno via Happy Valley. The Llandudno cablecar ride is another memory of the resort which I will treasure – and who knows, next time I may try going down in the Cablecar instead of up. For what goes up…

[See post to watch Flash video]

Pictures from my June Weekend in Llandudno

Llandudno Fan — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:31:49 +0000

As promised, I have had a look through the pictures I took on my recent trip to Llandudno, and chosen a few to make a small gallery. I hope to blog a little bit more about some of the scenes depicted in more detail in coming weeks, as there is lots to write about what was a very enjoyable (but also a bit disastrous!) weekend in my favourite little place on the coast!

It seems a distant memory now – so thanks be to digital cameras, as I have plenty of snapshots to look back on as the memories grow colder, and am delighted to be able to share these images as I know readers are very fond of Llandudno too, and it is nice to share one’s appreciation of a place and its people and attractions

Click here for the Llandudno Pictures Gallery

A Weekend in Sunny Llandudno – and beyond!

Llandudno Fan — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:42:46 +0000

Oops! One thing I have noticed it is very easy to do, is start blogs and websites, and then find that a few months have gone by without adding anything! Mind you, I do run a lot of websites (as part of my business), so I hope fellow Llandudno fans can forgive me for letting this blog lapse a little – despite the fact I visited Llandudno a couple of months ago, and have just got back from the most glorious, sunny weekend there (and in Betws-y-Coed) – which has prompted me to get the dust off my Llandudno blog and start to make some use of the material I have archived, together with fresh material – this weekend I took around 500 photos, and about half an hour’s worth of video clips.

I will begin with this weekend’s visit, although I do have some interesting material from my visit in April, which I will hopefully cover in due course. This trip had something of everything – sun, sunsets, beach walks, boat rides, bus rides, cable car rides, walks, fireworks on the beach and even a set of bruised ribs!

Life has been pretty hectic for me of late (I have trouble remembering when it wasn’t!) so a trip to Llandudno seemed just the remedy. I pulled in to Llandudno train station from Manchester (or Manceinion as the Welsh describe it) at about 2.30 on Friday June 6th, 2008, and the weather was lovely and sunny, so much so I had to buy a baseball cap to keep my head unburned until I could unpack my sun hat! So I checked into the lovely Seaclyffe Hotel, unpacked, and was off – in fact at that point I decided to jump on a bus to venture out to Colwyn bay, as I fancied a walk on the beach there, having seen the beach front and promenade so many times from the train en route and on the way out of Llandudno. The beauty of Llandudno is that there are so many beautiful places within easy reach, as well as the joys of Llandudno itself!

So I got there and found Colwyn Bay beach, and had a lovely walk, looking out to sea and watching the people walking their dogs. Later on, as I waited for the bus, there was a crazy altercation between some locals outside a pub, which thankfully didn’t develop into a full blown fight! Anyway, it was back to Llandudno, where I made my way to the West shore to watch the sunset – and a spectacular and beautiful West shore sunset it was!

Saturday I rose early, and after gathering provisions, I headed off to Betws-y-Coed, a place I always like to visit if I can – the weather looked promising, and I reckoned if I was going to visit again, I had better do it on the Saturday rather than be at the mercy of Sunday trains! In any case, I got there, and because I had started to develop sore feet (due to running a lot lately), I didn’t get as far as I had envisaged, although I did enjoy a meal at the Swallow Falls cafe, and enjoyed an intriguing walk – I thought I was venturing out into the middle of nowhere, after crossing a bridge a few miles down from Swallow Falls, and heading into thick forest, I headed down a hill and came to a nice picnic area, then climbed over a stile and followed a river until I ended up back at the small waterfall down from Swallow falls – a round trip! Later on I started to feel a little unwell, so headed back down into Betws-y-Coed, and had a wander through the little park next to the Pont-y-Pair bridge. I saw a notice nailed to a tree and a stile, which I thought looked quite familar, and was struck with the similarity between it and my earlier surroundings – then it clicked that it was the same place, and somehow my long walk into the wilderness had in fact led me right back into the middle of Betws-y-Coed!

I headed back into Llandudno, where I took a walk along the promenade, and noticed some police tape out on the sand, and also at the edge of the promenade. It became apparent that a fireworks display was in the offing, so I decided to stay out and watch. It grew dark, and I saw the Chap in his boiler suit (with “Celebration Displays” across the back) run into the St George’s Hotel (the first hotel to be built on Llandudno Promenade back in 1854!) and then run back out, and watched as he donned his safety wadding and helmet.

Then I watched as smartly dressed guests filed out of the hotel – so I assumed they were holding a wedding reception, and this was to be their fireworks display! So off we went with fireworks, to end a lovely day, as multicoloured explosions echoed off the pebbles and buildings and lit up the night sky. Whoevers wedding it was, congratulations – I wish you well – and if it was your wedding fireworks display, why not post a comment and let us know!

My second day was so packed full of activities, I hope to post more about each in more details in coming days – but for now offer a summary! What a glorious sunny summer’s day it was – just the kind of day Llandudno was made for. I started with a soya caramel latte in Costa over on the retail park, and ended up watching the sky darken over the great Orme. In between, I enjoyed Codman’s Punch and Judy, the official tour on the bus, rides on Gorgeous Gussie and a speedboat (jumping into which I hit my left ribs with all my weight, and it still hurts…), and then headed up on to the Orme via the Cable Car, which I had never been on before! What an eerily silent experience that was, like floating through the air! Except when the car went past the support poles, which made quite a racket!

In any case, I enjoyed a Coffee in the Captain’s Table, before dozing in the sun for an hour, then headed off around the Orme, returning to town via Happy Valley (not before finding my old friends the Kashmiri goats once again!). Almost exhausted, I spent another couple of hours wandering around the beach, and taking photographs as the sky turned a lovely shade of flushed pink, and those plaintive seagull cries marked the end of my last evening in Llandundo – until the next time.

I’ve interspersed a few photos of Llandudno here in the blog post – have only just got back, so when I’ve done more sorting of the pictures, I will make another gallery with higher resolution photos

The Great Orme Tramway – Video Clip

Llandudno Fan — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:33:25 +0000

I have already recounted my first few hours in Llandudno, where I walked up the Little Orme then enjoyed a nice meal! However, on my first full day, my plan was to venture up the Great Orme, and rest my weary legs by using the Great Orme Tramway! I had read about the Tramway and took a peek the night before, so I found the station easily and bought my ticket, and felt a real sense of adventure and exhilaration as the tram shuddered and began to snake its ascent up some very steep streets (I could only wonder how people might walk up them after a night on the town!) It was great to watch the other tram go past on its way down!

The tramway is split into two sections, and half way up the Orme you have to alight at the halfway station and get on another tram to get up to the summit station and complex (although you can just get a ticket for the half way station if you want, as there is plenty to explore at that level, including the Great Orme Mines. The Great Orme Tramway in Llandudno is Britain’s only remaining cable operated street tramway and one of only three surviving in the world!

For more info on this marvel of engineering, visit the following sites:

http://www.greatormetramway.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Orme_Tramway
http://www.greatorme.org.uk/tramhistory.html

Also hope you enjoy the following little video clip of the Great Orme Trams leaving and arriving at the Great Orme Summit station

[See post to watch Flash video]

From Goats of The Orme To Ghosts – Visiting The Cromlech

Llandudno Fan — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:15:20 +0000

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!

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)