Thursday 29 September 2011

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside.............................................. Llandudno

We are having a mini heatwave in the UK and the skies are cloudless... it's wonderful.
It has been announced that today is the hottest September day since 1895.
 It's just been on the news spring flowers are blooming while the trees turn to Autumn gold... freaky!
So it was back to North Wales and a visit to Llandudno.

Llandudno is the the largest seaside resort in Wales and is only 65 miles from my home.
I was amazed how busy it was and just managed to park my car at the far end of the promenade.

 A walk to the pier was just short of a mile away.
For most of the length of Llandudno's North Shore there is a wide curving Victorian promenade separated from the roadway by a strip of garden.
The road, collectively known as The Parade, has a different name for each block and it is on these parades and crescents that many of Llandudno's hotels are built.
 I should have worn a hat!..... the top of my head is a bit sore this morning.

Having your lunch on the promenade attracts many spectators.

A scrap thrown brings chaos to the proceedings.


 The gulls are very bold in Llandudno... I got some lovely close ups.
I will share them soon.

As I reached the pier I spotted this lovely little train.
 I asked the owner what vehicle it was based on.

He was delighted I asked and showed me all around it......
It's a Land Rover chassis with the Tdi engine with added air brakes...I would never have guessed.

A day out at the seaside isn't complete without a stroll along the pier.

I decided to have a trip up the Great Orme which rises just under 700ft above the town.
 There is a cable car... I chose the lovely tram.

 The Great Orme Tramway.

The view over Llandudno as the tram climbed to the top of the Great Orme.

The trams pass at this point.... the brakes apply if speeds  reach 6.5mph.
The Great Orme Tramway has been delighting visitors since it opened on July 31st 1902.
 An engineering marvel of it's still the only cable-hauled tramway still operating on British public roads.

 The summit of the Great Orme has entertainment and refreshments.
It is also a nature reserve and some of our rarest plants exist here.
It's also a good place to see migrating birds.

The cable car runs alongside the trams at this point.

 Ha ha!...here's the little train again.....I got a Toot! and a wave from the driver.

The tide was receding as I returned to my car...
I had a lovely view across the bay to the Little Orme.


What would a day out at the seaside be like without chips for lunch a cooling ice cream...
... plus all the fun of the pier.

As I said earlier today was the hottest day in the UK since 1895.
Snow has been forecast in a couple of weeks... I will make the most of the next few days.

28 comments:

Liz said...

Wonderful photos. Happy sky watching.

Storm Surge
Full Moon

ADRIAN said...

Andrew, a superb report..........it's lovely. Glad you took the pictures. I enjoyed them but would not have stopped long enough to take them.

Unknown said...

Great tour!! Andrew!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

TexWisGirl said...

glad you're having a good week off. lots of folks at that pier, for sure.

Sylvia K said...

Looks like a great place and a beautiful day to enjoy the outdoors! Lovely skies! And it looks as though you're enjoying a great week off! Thanks for sharing with us! Have more fun this weekend!!

Sylvia

Bob Bushell said...

A beautiful place to go and visit.

Anna said...

I love your report Andrew!
Have a Happy SWF and greeting from Holland,
Anna

Steffi said...

Great report and photos ,Andrew!Very very beautiful place to visiting!Thank you for sharing and have a nice weekend!

grammie g said...

Hi Andrew..I am so glad you are having such a great time especially after your last vacation..

I enjoyed this post so much, it is always fun to occasionally be like the other tourist...lol!!
You wouldn't have got me on that Tramway or the cable cars...I don't like heights!! : }}

Grace

Adam Tilt said...

Really been enjoying this set of posts Andrew as I am very familiar with all the locations. I would never have guessed that was a Land Rover under there!

eileeninmd said...

A day at the beach sounds wonderful. So happy you are having nice weather too. Maybe we have some of your rain over here, would you like it back? Wonderful photos, I enjoyed your post.

Horst in Edmonton said...

Great images Andrew, glad you had a wonderful day.

PJ said...

What a fabulous day you had, and what beautiful skies!

Arija said...

What a lovely day out for you Andrew but next time do take a hat, or better still, always have one in the car with you. We see far too much skin cancer here and it is not worth the risk.
A charming town and wonderful tram ride. I look forward to more of those gulls in your bird post.

Ebie said...

I will have to polish my parallel parking! A pretty beach town!

Anonymous said...

Finally - a heatwave - and in September. How gorgeous. And what a lovely seaside you have there.

Chubskulit Rose said...

Beautiful photos!
Skywatch at my page. Have a nice weekend.

Wobbly Dog said...

Wish I was there!

Jackie said...

I have only been to Llandudno once, way back in 1955 on a one day excursion by boat from Liverpool, and I never got to ride the tram. Love that little train. It certainly looks a very busy resort, I don't remember it being such a big place. Lots of lovely photo's, look forward to seeing the close-ups of the greedy gulls.

The Herald said...

Great post Andrew, it brought back many memories of the fabulous holidays I've had in and close to Llandudno. The weather makes all the difference tho'!!....[;o)

Red Nomad OZ said...

Haha! You AND everyone else visited by the look of it!! Such amazing sights - SO different to the beaches of OZ!!

Unknown said...

Great post, Andrew! Do you know there's a Llandudno Beach in the Cape Peninsula, South Africa? It's totally different from 'yours', but also beautiful with its big boulders (and White Shark! LOL!).

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

What a drastic difference from what a visit to the seaside here would be unless that is unless we were at San Francisco. We're home now and thank you for following along with us with the few blog posts I was able to make. I'll be posting more in the weeks to come and hopefully will help get you through those upcoming snowy days.

Reena said...

It was fun seeing the beach town through your eyes. Loved that shot from high above. And yep, ice cream to cool things off. What is up with all our weird weather!!! Keep cool!

Tatjana Parkacheva said...

Very nice post and photos.

Regards and best wishes

Haddock said...

Down memory lane.
Lovely.
Like the way those "spectators" are patiently waiting for some morsel.
Nice photographs ......

Pantherka said...

Hi, very nice shots! You have enjoyed a wonderful and warmest day after so many years.

DawnTreader said...

Ah, this brings back memories for me :) I visited Llandudno back in the 1970s (either 1971 or 1974). Also went up on the Great Orme with that tramway. And traveled by the Festiniog Railway. My father (who died in June this year) was a railway and steam engine enthusiast and in my teens we made four trips to Britain, from the south coast up to Scotland.