A Weekend in Llandudno

Llandudno Seafront at Sunset Today

This weekend the Waverley paddle steamer visits Llandudno, cruising there from Liverpool. I did the cruise two years ago with John; it was very enjoyable (though I got badly sunburnt). This year I’m spending this weekend in Llandudno, hoping to get some photographs of it arriving and departing from the town’s pier.

I also want to have a poke around the area, visiting Rhos-on-Sea, Colwyn Bay and Conwy, as well as Llandudno. Taking photos and visiting some of the Good Beer Guide pubs in the area.

Getting There

Not being a fan of driving, I went by train via Manchester and Chester.

Sitting on the right of the train, I watched the River Dee and the North Wales coast as we sped along. I was also reading James Rebanks’ book, The Shepherd. Reading and looking out of a train window is much more fun than driving. And no car to worry about when I got there.

Unfortunately, the train arrived at Llandudno Junction ten minutes late, so we all missed the connection to Llandudno. It left two minutes before we arrived; they would not hold it for three or four minutes, bastards. I arrived in Llandudno around 45 minutes late. The station staff got some serious stick.

As usual, it was cheaper to travel on a split ticket. I saved a tenner by buying a return from Marsden to Manchester and another return from Manchester to Llandudno! Stupid.

Staying There

I stayed three nights at the Ashdale Guest House.

It’s a pleasant enough place, though they allow dogs in the breakfast room, which is not good. I had a small room, sold as a single but with a double bed. It cost me £58 a night with a decent cooked breakfast. The room was ensuite, but the bathroom was very small, just a toilet and shower. The washbowl was in the bedroom. It took me ages to suss out the electric shower. It was in a quiet area (which I like), a five-minute walk from the town centre.

I booked through booking.com, which does not mention dogs at all. However, writing this, I found their website. It mentions that the guest house is dog friendly. I think they need to change their booking.com description.

I would have preferred to stay in Conwy or Colwyn Bay, but accommodation in these towns seems to be a lot more expensive. I guess it’s cheaper in Llandudno because there’s so much of it.

I often stay at a Travelodge but couldn’t this time because it was expensive. It was a good job because it’s on a main road, right next to the main bus stops.

Getting Around

Arriva runs most buses in the area; their website has timetables and a map. Unfortunately, there are very few timetables at bus stops, which is not very good.

They sell day tickets for £6.80 (only available on their buses), or £4.30 if you have an English senior’s concessionary pass (you need to show it). On one of the days, I had just sat down when I overheard two people complaining about the English getting cheaper travel in Wales with our oldies passes. But not for the Welsh in England. Fair enough. It would be nice if we could use our passes in any of the British countries. Andy Burnam, please note.

There’s another day ticket available; it’s called a 1BWS Ticket. It costs £7.50 and can be used on virtually any bus in North Wales. Apparently, there’s a discounted price of £5 for people with an English concessionary pass. When I asked the driver about the ticket, I said BWS as three letters, which caused some confusion. He eventually realised what I was asking about; I simply didn’t know that the three letters were Welsh for bus!

Buses during the day are fairly frequent, but they get less frequent at night and on Sundays. There are very few timetables at bus stops, but I guess the Arriva app would prove useful.

Visiting Colwyn Bay

The Waverley was in town today, but the weather was cloudy with rain. I decided not to go and see it, as it was also in town on Saturday and Sunday and the weather for these days looked hot and sunny.

I decided to visit Colwyn Bay to have a look around the town and try out three of the Good Beer Guide micropubs there. I’ve covered this in a separate post.

Colwyn Bay is a pleasant enough place, but unfortunately, some eejit planners decided to mess things up by building a major road (the A55) along the seafront between the town and the shore. Because of this road, I never made it to the beach. Maybe next time I’m here.

Returning to Llandudno, the bus drove along the Llandudno Sea Front for a bit. The sun was now shining. It was low in the sky, just above the Great Orme. So, I jumped off the bus to get some photos, including the ones at the top and bottom of this page. You can see how low the sun was from the shadows.

Nearby, there’s a Good Beer Guide micropub called the Cask and Apple. I decided to give it a visit, but it was expensive for what it was. A pint (under 4%) cost me £4.80, one of the most expensive pints of the trip. There are very few micropubs that I dislike; this is one of them. I had a quick pint, and because I was tired, I then went back to the guest house for an early night.

The Little Orme