o n d u d Llan Exploring
Steve Goodier visits Llandudno – the seaside town that is affectionately known as the Queen of Welsh Resorts…
It’s a funny thing, but I can’t recall a time when I haven’t visited Llandudno at least once a year! From very early childhood my parents took my sister and I there for summers days out when we would stroll along the front, eat ice cream and spend time on the pier. In later years my wife and I would often drive to the summit of The Great Orme to eat fish and chips on our way back from a day on the Snowdonia Mountains. And once our children were born we took them there too and the process repeated itself. There is something relaxing and very romantic about following the curve of the bay and promenade towards The Great Orme and the pier and imagining you were back in Victorian times as you visualise what it must have looked like with the ladies in long flowing dresses holding sun parasols and the men dressed in their best suits. Often forgotten by visitors is The West Shore which has a And it is really down to both The Victorians and The
much quieter beach on the lovely estuary of the River Conwy.
Edwardians that Llandudno gained its reputation as a premier
Modern day Llandudno is a bustling and thriving town that
seaside resort. Much of the elegant seafront architecture that
has a good selection of shops, cafés, pubs, restaurants and
graces the promenade today dates from those times and during
takeaways that are located along Mostyn Street (which runs
this fast development period the town became known as ‘The
behind the promenade), with some on Mostyn Broadway and
Queen of Welsh Resorts’. Author the late Ivor Wynne Jones
Mostyn Avenue. For shoppers there is plenty of scope and many
chose this title and pre-fixed it with ‘Llandudno’ for his superb
are the family that leave dad and the kids on the beach while
1973 book which was completely revised in 2002.
mum goes off for a bit of ‘retail therapy’ nearby.
Although it looks older, most of what you see today on and
In 1994 The North Wales Theatre, Arena and Conference
around the promenade was conceived, designed and purpose
Centre was built. It is located near the centre of the promenade
built from 1846 onwards by surveyors, architects and planners
on Penrhyn Crescent and hosts ballets, concerts, theatre
working for Lord Mostyn and his successors.
productions, circuses, ice shows and pantomimes. It was extended in 2006 and re-named ‘Venue Cymru’.
And there is still much of The Victorian era about modern day Llandudno. It is not your typical seaside resort but falls in to the
In recent years a ‘Town Trail’ has been developed which
category of much more ‘traditional’ and ‘elegant’.
starts at the library. The walk has been carefully planned to
Llandudno Bay forms the backdrop to the sweeping Victorian
give people the chance to look at Llandudno from a historic
Promenade and a beach of sand, but mostly shingle and rock,
perspective. Fifteen information boards have been placed
runs for just on two miles between the headlands of The Great
in strategic locations and each has a circular map on it and
Orme and The Little Orme. The road that follows the bay is
detailed information on nearby places of interest.
collectively known as ‘The Parade’ but there is a different name for each block on it, and it is on and around these ‘parades’ and
The modern town of Llandudno encompasses several nearby
‘crescents’ that many of Llandudno’s hotels are built.
villages and towns including Craig-y-Don, Llanrhos, Penhryn
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