y w n o C
Exploring
The historic town of Conwy doesn’t really need an introduction. Steve Goodier takes a tour of the jewel in our North Wales crown… The little town of Conwy can get very busy (and a bit
Conwy is a colourful and bright location which is well geared
congested) on sunny summer afternoons, but it’s nothing
up for the tourist trade with a good selection of shops, pubs
compared to the old days prior to 1991!
and restaurants to satisfy their needs. Geographically the town sits near the mouth of the River Conwy and faces Deganwy
In that year the A55 Coastal Expressway by-passed the
across it. The river was originally known as The Cynwy and
narrow one-way streets and continued instead under the
the name Conwy is derived from the old Welsh Words ‘Cyn’
waters of the estuary in the form of a dual carriageway and a
(meaning ‘Chief’) and ‘gwy’ (meaning ‘water’). It has a permanent
tunnel (Britain’s first immersed tube tunnel).
population of just over 4,000 but this number is swollen each summer season as the numerous visitors flood in.
In those days I was travelling North Wales for a timber company and often had to spend time on Anglesey and the
Over the years I have had to produce a number of walks for
Llŷn Peninsula which meant for me the journey home followed
various magazines that start and finish at Conwy, and it never
the coast and passed through Conwy. During the spring and
ceases to amaze me how charming a walk around the streets,
summer months I was always happy to see Conwy’s ancient
the walls and the harbour side really can be.
walls and know I had reached the town because during May, June, July and August the queue to reach the place started
As well as being an immensely pretty location Conwy is also
several miles to the west of it as the traffic slowed to pass
in a very sheltered one. Close by the Carneddau Mountains
through.
of Snowdonia rise to over 3,000 ft/914 metres, and towering directly above the walls and streets of the town the imposing
There was no way round except for those who knew the
slopes of Conwy Mountain (Mynydd Y Dref) form a natural
narrow and steep old mountain road that rose over the
wall. Compared to the much higher mountains of Snowdonia
Sychnant Pass from Penmaenmawr. However, this was often
nearby, Conwy Mountain is only small with its summit rising to
clogged up too as frustrated motorists followed others hoping
801 ft/244 metres. However, on the top there are the remains
they knew a short cut to get around the traffic.
of an Iron Age hill fort and a wonderful view of the town, the
Understandably, I was very pleased to see the turrets of
castle, the sea and the Snowdonian mountains. The ridge
Conwy Castle and cross the bridge by it knowing that the
dropping back to Conwy gives breath-taking panoramas of the
worst of the queuing was now behind me and the way home
estuary and Llandudno’s Great Orme. The walk to the summit
more straightforward. It’s easy to see why the opening of the
is a popular one and not too taxing although it will take you
tunnel was greeted so enthusiastically by motorists!
a good three hours (there and back) from the town and you should be reasonably fit before undertaking it.
Most people look forward to arriving in Conwy and being greeted by the imposing castle towering above the colourful
So let’s take a look at what the town itself has to offer
estuary and harbour which together make a spectacular
the visitor. If you approach the town from the direction of
scene on a sunny spring or summer day. Most visitors are
Llandudno Junction you cross the River Conwy and pass
drawn here by the magnificent castle and the fairly intact
by both the suspension bridge and the railway bridge. The
town walls as well as by the charming narrow streets and the
suspension bridge was designed by famous bridge and road
lovely harbour and estuary.
builder Thomas Telford to replace the old ferry that operated
NWM 2021 Page 29
