September 7

Shrewsbury to Llandudno

Not a good night's sleep. Must be train lag. I re-packed, wore shorts as it looked sunny outside and had breakfast. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. That should keep me going until lunchtime.

	I checked out, discovered that it really was warm outside and that shorts were definitely a good idea, and set off towards the town centre. With plenty of time to spare, I walked slowly up Wyle Cop, quite a gradient, taking photos as I went. I even stopped at the castle, a building I have never visited, which is quite effectively screened from view by the trees in the beautiful garden. The entrance is rather fine however.
Up The Cop in the sunshine	Shrewsbury Castle - only the entrance

At the station, I wandered along the platform, looking at the old style signal boxes at either end, the old stone features and the slightly overgrown bits.

The train arrived on time. It was both full and scruffy. Arriva certainly don't waste money on the comfort of their passengers.

The guard announced that the replacement train, presumably a smarter one than the one we were on, to which we were to be transferred at Chester, had broken down so we were to remain on the existing one all the way to Holyhead. At least lots of people disembarked at Chester so we were no longer as crowded. We even reversed out so that I was now facing in the direction of travel.

Through the countryside	Along the coast
Past some grubby resorts	Back to the coast again

For a fair distance we followed the coast, passed lots of grubby seaside resorts and lots of fields.

Most of the stations were undistinguished although Penmaenmawr had some excellent wrought iron.

	Anglesey and Puffin Island
Penmaenmawr wrought iron	Nice name. Shame about the reflections

We stopped at Bangor and I saw that the platform was full of young people with back packs. As I was intending to stop there for lunch on the return journey, this could be significant.

Anglesey came into view, along with Puffin Island. My parents took me to the latter when I was very small but I don't remember seeing any puffins.

We crossed over to Anglesey, passed lots of fields, through Llanfair PG with its famous station sign, and alongside a huge airbase. I saw lots of fighter jets but trees and bushes leapt out in front of my lens when I tried to photograph them.

An airfield but no planes	Holyhead on a wet day

As we approached Holyhead the cloud dropped and the cars on the road alongside the track had their lights and wipers on. I donned my fleece and left the train - briefly.

A quick look at the town beyond the confines of the station convinced me that Holyhead was not a place in which I wanted to spend a couple of hours, particularly on a wet day.

This tallied with the advice that I had been given before I left home so I re-boarded the train. It was busy but I found a seat and we departed on time. I took bad photos of the scenery in the rapidly improving weather. The rain seemed to have settled on Holyhead and ignored the rest of the island. Once we had crossed the Menai Strait, it was a lovely sunny day. I managed a couple of shots of the road bridge but nothing of the rail bridge, because I was on it.
	The train looked a better bet
Interesting housing	Thomas Telford's bridge

When I arrived in Bangor, the platform was still full of people with back packs, as was the pub adjacent to the station where I had intended to have lunch.

Later research showed that the back packers were returning from a rock festival somewhere close by.

Bangor Station was busy ...	... and so was the pub

As a result, I ignored the nearest pub and tried to walk into the centre of town. My first attempt took me to a dead end in a car park. The second attempt located the High Street, not an exciting place but with several pubs.

I got lost in a car park ...
... then found the High Street	Clogwynn Gold from Conwy Brewery

The Feral Cat café and bar looked full but that was only the window seats. There was plenty of room further back. I had a very good Welsh pale ale in a John Smith's glass and a sandwich. The interior was old and full of "stuff", the atmosphere pleasant and the staff friendly.

The sandwich was large and it took a while to appear so I had to bolt it down at speed and return to the station in similar fashion.

When I got there, it was still as chaotic as when I had left. The train I planned to catch was a Virgin one going all the way to London so most of the festival goers were also intending to catch it.

Still busy at Bangor	But a very smart train to take me away

Luckily, Mr Branson had had the foresight to add lots of extra coaches so we all piled aboard and there was still space to be had.

I was only aboard for about 15 minutes before alighting at Llandudno Junction.

There I waited with a few others, including a seagull, for the local train to Llandudno.

The end of the line, about another 15 minutes away, is a large station - or "was" a large station. All that remains are long platforms and a small station building at one end.

A very long platform ...	... for a small station building
Pretty pubs
The town is a busy holiday resort and lots of people obviously still arrive here by train. The weather was glorious and I found my way along pretty and tree-lined streets, past some interesting looking pubs, to the hotel, something over a ten minute walk. There, I was welcomed and I found my room and abandoned my bag. Right: Leafy streets
	The hotel was close to the sea
The Lynton House Hotel	A busy promenade

The sea was at least three minutes walk from the hotel. I ventured onto the pier, the first real British pier that I had visited for years.

It was busy and contained a mix of cafes, amusement arcades and the like. I bought some postcards, looked at the view and watched the people. It reminded me of "Benidorm" on the TV but not as warm.
The pier goes on and on	Some rust around its bottom
Places to eat ...	... and places to play

From there, I walked along the promenade into the town centre. The main tourist office was closed so my main research would have to be delayed until the morning.

There are lots of elegant buildings and, on a sunny day, Llandudno does look good.

	Lots of flowers
Colour on the beach	Excellent sand

Opposite the hotel is a pub, the Queen Victoria, so I sat outside in the sun and had a shandy before returning to the hotel for a much needed lie down.

Dinner proved problematic. The fish restaurant, 30 yards up the road was closed. The Italian restaurant, just down the road, was full. I finally plumped for a Turkish, just round the corner, and hoped it would be OK. The food was acceptable, just, but the service was excellent. I would return for the latter but not the former. A reasonable bottle of rioja helped and I made a quick visit to the promenade before returning to the hotel.
The evening lights	Quite an elegant table