Finding a Footing in Llandudno
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The first year of a pandemic might sound a strange time to develop a craving for a coastal outing. However, that is what befell me in 2020. My mother much enjoyed coastal excursions, but it was never a preoccupation for me. Quite possibly, it was all the restrictions that triggered this and put me thinking that there may be just one occasion when I got to do that during that year, which was how things turned out after all.
Thus, I thought of heading to Llandudno at the start of September. Maybe I should have checked if schools had returned before doing so because I fancied the place with fewer people about it. That was not exactly what I got, even if there was some space for social distancing. The challenge mainly posed itself on the promenade near the end of my time there, and on the train from Llandudno Junction to Chester; copious train capacity and Wales appear not to go together.
Nevertheless, that was not such a concern for much of the trip, at least not that I can recall while writing these words. While I reckon that the original idea was to get to Llandudno by train, I instead opted for a walk that started from Llandudno Junction. That section of the Wales Coast Path granted me ample westbound views along the Welsh coast once I got as far as Conwy Sands, having passed Deganwy.
The Great Orme lay ahead of me, granted more scenic eye candy as I continued on my way. If I was focused on reaching Llandudno, I could have done so without going around Great Orme's Head. There also was the option to go uphill to reach the summit of Great Orme. My being clad in trail shoes may have caused me to pass up, on this option as well. Instead, I continued along Marine Drive.
While cloud cover was increasing and blocking the sun from lighting up some parts, there was enough lighting to delight the eye. Mercifully, the lane was quiet, and I wondered at that. It was only later that I realised that this is a tolled one-way driving route, in any event, especially when I saw an old coach going that way. Before all that, the scenic delights of cliff scenery and the freshness of sea air were my lot. There was a good deal of that to occupy my time as I shortened the journey to Llandudno.
My final descent took me towards and onto the promenade, which I walked in its entirety before continuing to the train station. It was then that I really realised that the school year may not have started as soon as I might have hoped. Nevertheless, views were savoured, and social distancing observed, even if there were enough people to encourage me to commence my journey home. That did nothing to spoil the day, though. Every getaway was precious in those times.
It took until the autumn of 2023 before I returned to Llandudno. One encounter was in August and another in September. Both were during weekend visits to Wales during what became a pivotal autumn for me that changed things for the better. It also proved to be a time when there were other weekend trips to the principality, making for a brace of them until the weather called time on such ventures.
The first visit was a serendipitous affair after a previous day when I halted an attempt to reach the top of Carnedd Gwenllian¸ because of wind and rain, instead continuing to Bangor by way of the Wales Coast Path. After overnighting in an autumnal Caernarfon and attending to a matter in Bangor, I got to Llandudno by bus. This time, I mounted the Great Orme and frequented its busy country park before descending to a quieter Marine Drive to reprise my return to the centre of Llandudno. The tram may have been going, but I stuck with walking instead to enjoy whatever sunshine was available until I started my journey home.
A few weeks later, I did get to the summit of Carnedd Gwenllian in better weather, even if fog beset the top itself. Nevertheless, it did not limit visibility so much as distance views and took nothing from the day. It was the same with an insect sting on the way down to Bethesda. Provisions bought in Bangor addressed that mishap before I continued to Llandudno by train for an overnight stay. The next morning, I walked to Llandudno Junction using the Wales Coast Path. It was an easier stroll after the gradients encountered the day before. In some ways, it was a reversed reprise of where I had gone around three years earlier. The views were a reminder of what I enjoyed then, during a challenging year.
