Day 5: Llandudno

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day with views from our tent over the Irish Sea including a sea of wind turbines. Having packed our bags, we made our way via taxi to the beautiful seaside resort of Llandudno. Being a bank holiday weekend, there were two festivals on in town including a huge car show and the Victorian Extravaganza. This meant that there were thousands of people everywhere. I have never seen a town brimming with so many people before. And not only people…all these people seem to be unable to travel without their pet dogs! Phenomenal. It was like the modern-day accessory. We counted eight dogs sitting outside one restaurant with their owners!

Waiting for our taxi at the entrance to our campsite

After ‘second breakfast’ we made our way to the Great Orme Tramway to experience how people have been travelling for over 100 years. The tramway is Britain’s only cable-hauled tramway that travels on public roads. We got off the tram at the halfway point to go and visit Great Orme Bronze Mine, the largest prehistoric mine in the World. This bronze age mine includes over 4000-year old passages and an awesome underground cavern.

Great Orme Tramway

Inside one of the passages in the bronze age mine

Bronze age copper mine - open cast

View from Great Orme with Anglesey in the background

View of Llandudno from Great Orme

Once the crowds had thinned out we went for a stroll along Llandudno Pier which was first opened in 1878. The pier is a Grade II listed building and at 700 m is the longest pier in Wales.

While today was a rest day from the Wales Coast Path we still managed to get in a bit of walking. Not that this is necessarily a good thing as I have a number of blisters, including blisters on top of blisters, which is making walking very painful and taking the enjoyment out of it somewhat. I have been living on painkillers for about three days now, so we will have to think about what we are going to do over the next few days as my feet need a chance to recover.

Llandudno Pier looking towards Grand Hotel

  

Building on Llandudno Pier

Enjoying a cold one on the pier

P.S. For all those naysayers who forecast doom and gloom in terms of the weather, we have had three glorious days of sunshine. So much so that we are sunburned and have had to buy sunblock!