September 8

Llandudno

Another glorious day. I seem to have hit lucky with the weather. I started off at the Tourist Office and collected some brochures about the walk to Conwy via the Great Orme.

Another lovely morning	They were taking the easy route

From there, I set off in the direction of the Orme, passing the bottom terminal of the tram en route. By 09.30 there was already a long queue so I passed by feeling virtuous. The road was steep and I stopped at frequent intervals. For appearances sake, I took lots of photos but I mainly needed the chance to catch my breath.

	The Great Orme Tram
The road was steep	We emerged onto the hillside

At one of the stops, I met an elderly couple who were following me up the hill. They were re-living their honeymoon of 40 years before. I then discovered that he was only 64 and,  therefore, was no more elderly than I am!

After what seemed an age but was, in fact, only about ten minutes, the road emerged onto the open hillside.

From there, the path levelled out at the half way point and then continued to the summit, which is only just over 200 metres.

I reached it about half an hour after I started my walk. I stopped for a cold drink at a rather tacky café and took lots of scenic photos. At this point, the old tram had been joined by a modern cable car as a means of reached the top without effort.

The fastest way up	I wasn't the first to the summit

It was already quite busy up there so I soon headed down again, pointing myself in what appeared to be the right direction down a very steep path.

I passed a few people coming up and they assured me that there was a path leading to the beach. It was probably a good path for a sheep but I found to extremely scary as one slip could have sent me over the edge with a drop of a couple of hundred feet to look forward to.

When I reached the path on the beach it was busy. Lots of people, lots of dogs and lots of mobility scooters - the standard method of transport in Llandudno. I don't think I have commented that by the standards of most people in the town, I was young, fit and anorexic. There were also tea shops, paddling pools and all the usual accoutrements of a seaside resort.

The path ran along the edge of the beach and then into the dunes. It soon left the developed part of Llandudno and the views became increasingly beautiful.

After a few kilometres I reached Deganwy and, as it was lunchtime, I started to look for a pub. This wasn't in evidence but I eventually spotted it when there were two wire fences and the railway line in the way.

Deganwy - lots of shops
But the pub was inaccessible	A station on the beach

I decided to continue for another couple of kilometres to Llandudno Junction, where I knew there was a pub as I remember seeing it from the train.

Unfortunately, the path diverted away from Llandudno Junction and crossed the River Conwy so I was in the town before I found a pub.

The walk was good in perfect weather and the views were magnificent. The castle was in darkness for much of the walk but, by the time I reached the bridge the sun had moved round and it looked magnificent.

Conwy across the estuary	The castle looked better ...
... the closer ...	... I got

The footbridge runs alongside the road and a short distance from the rail bridge. I decided to look for a good angle from which to photograph these after I had lunched.

	Conwy
The Conwy Estuary

Once over the estuary, I dropped onto the harbourside and reached the Liverpool Arms, a basic pub with good beer but no food. The Brains SA excellent and the pub was fairly quiet, enabling me to relax after three and a half hours walking.

I entered the main part of the town through an archway, where I found lots of people and lots of cars. The Blue Bell sold me some excellent beer from the local brewery and a huge sandwich. They played excellent rock music and had lots of old rock posters and photos on the walls.

At the end of the road, I spotted a path leading to the end of the old road bridge, designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.

Conwy's 3 bridges
They knocked a lump from the castle when they built the bridge

I crossed it, taking numerous photos and presented myself to the man from the National Trust, who scanned my card and showed me the small museum in the toll keeper's house.

I also had a look round the small garden in which he grew vegetables to sell to passers by.

The centre of Conwy is very pretty and definitely merits a proper investigation on a future occasion when I haven't just completed a long and tiring walk. At the very least, I must visit the castle.

Conwy - a fascinating historic town

Just after 3 pm, I located the bus stop and found a bus to return me to Llandudno by a circuitous route. The driver accepted my train ticket without a murmur and I was back in town in about 25 minutes.

The Queen Victoria offered me a much needed drink and I was able to reserve a table at the fish restaurant which had been closed last night.

	White wine ...
The staff smiled more than the Queen	... and mussels

I needed and had a long rest before leaving the hotel in time to cross the road to the restaurant and claim my table. It was downstairs, dark and comfortable. Fine for eating but less good for photography.

The mussels were excellent - I saw them being landed at Conwy but neglected to take a photo - and the tuna with swordfish and scallops was good. An enjoyable meal.

I returned to the hotel, watched the football on TV and failed to sleep much.