# Llandudno, north Wales - photos, chat and things to do



## Biddlybee (Nov 9, 2007)

Tell me about it. What's it like?

Thank you


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## mwgdrwg (Nov 9, 2007)

Victorian


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## co-op (Nov 9, 2007)

Hi BB.

I did my driving test there in about 1992. Everyone drove like they were supposed to and stopped at zebra crossings and things liked that. It was like actually being inside the Highway Code.


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## Biddlybee (Nov 9, 2007)

Toying with the idea of a week up there at Christmas.


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## llantwit (Nov 9, 2007)

I know a peurile dirty joke about Llandudno.


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## Structaural (Nov 9, 2007)

Nicer in summer (I spent a week there with my school years ago)


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## mwgdrwg (Nov 9, 2007)

What exactly do you want to know?

I live half an hour away and usually go to Llandudno for the cinema, shopping, walks and ice cream along the front etc.

The Victorian front really is a gorgeous place for a romantic walk, or to go throw pebbles in the sea.


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## Biddlybee (Nov 9, 2007)

mwgdrwg said:
			
		

> What exactly do you want to know?


Whether it's a nice place to visit? Things to do on freezing days - nice walks? Nice pubs around? 

Not too sure tbh - just want to find out what the place is like really.

Been offered a self-catering cottage to run away to for a week at christmas... not sure if it's a bit close to all my family in Birkenhead though - looks it on the map


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## mwgdrwg (Nov 9, 2007)

I don't know about pubs over there, haven't been drinking there in donkey's years.

If you're looking for somewhere with nice walks then you are in the right place. You have the entire North Wales coast, and Snowndonia, on your doorstep.

There's lots of old people in Llandudno though...that's not to say it's not a nice place. But it's not the liveliest.


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## Biddlybee (Nov 9, 2007)

Ah ok - sounds like an option then - cheers.

Not really after lively, just somewhere to get away from work, London, chill with a bit of food and drink


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## niclas (Nov 9, 2007)

Great Orme is, er, great... tram up to the top is on a ridiculous gradient. Wild goats up on the top. The prom is lovely, if you don't mind a blue-rinse overdose.... great architecture.
 Also North Wales Theatre has some good stuff on, although Xmas will probably be panto time.
 Llandudno is still owned in large part by the local landed gentry (aka Mostyn Estates) and hasn't, as a consequence, become one of those anonymous plastic town centres. Thank heavens for feudalism, eh?

PS Llantwit - does that joke involve a tattoo and Ludo...


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## llantwit (Nov 9, 2007)

niclas said:
			
		

> PS Llantwit - does that joke involve a tattoo and Ludo...


You got me.
 
My first schoolboy dirty joke, that was.


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## citygirl (Nov 9, 2007)

went there during my honeymoon about 6 years ago...we stayed in rhyll, but llandudno was close by, and, if ya get the chance to go up the great orme, DO it...specially the copper mine up there


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## mtbskalover (Nov 16, 2007)

a mate told me that on a train from bangor into englandshire the train stop was introduced as:

"lladudno junction, centre of the universe"


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## Addy (Nov 16, 2007)

Its quite nice.
We have a static caravan in Towyn, nr Rhyll and we often drive up to Colwyn bay or Rhos on sea and walk along the shore to Llandudno.
I suspect its quite quiet around christmas.... albeit for the pensioners


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## Biddlybee (Aug 17, 2009)

erm... never did go in the end, but still thinking about it for next year 

Is it quite flat or hilly? Not got  a car, so thinking of taking the bikes and wondered if it'd be easy getting about?


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## derf (Aug 17, 2009)

I've been several times and enjoyed the place.


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## mattie (Aug 17, 2009)

One of the episodes of Coast currently on the BBC iPlayer visits Landudno.....


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## Biddlybee (Aug 17, 2009)

Cool, I'll have a look, cheers mattie.


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## Biddlybee (Aug 17, 2009)

so you say it clandudno?


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## Gavin Bl (Aug 17, 2009)

BiddlyBee said:


> so you say it clandudno?



no, we say it llandudno, but we might let you off with clandudno.


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## Biddlybee (Aug 17, 2009)

But the ll is kind of cl, but got that sound that scouse and russian have, and I've forgotten the name of  guttural?


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## paolo (Aug 17, 2009)

BiddlyBee said:


> erm... never did go in the end, but still thinking about it for next year
> 
> Is it quite flat or hilly? Not got  a car, so thinking of taking the bikes and wondered if it'd be easy getting about?



Ranges from a bit hilly, to very very hilly indeed. 

Lovely place I thought. Real old school victorian sea side resort that has somehow resisted tack & tat.

(Avoid being near the drinking barn boozers though, like the whetherspoons, at chucking out time though. A bit leary.)


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## Relahni (Aug 18, 2009)

Lovely place.

Rollem and I went when she was up the duff (first time).  If you want to relax it's great.

The only moment of stress I had was being attacked by a seagul.   A wing in the face was quite funny tbh.  

The great orme is worth seeing.  There's a tram that goes up there or the cable cars (which will never be running due to the weather).  

It's a nice town imo.  Think Bournmouth without the international students and add 10 years to the average age.  

Good old fashioned pier and sea side.


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## Biddlybee (Aug 18, 2009)

I reckon I'm convinced  

Won't be until next year, maybe Spring, but something to look forward to 

Yay!


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## Relahni (Aug 18, 2009)




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## ddraig (Aug 18, 2009)

BiddlyBee said:


> But the ll is kind of cl, but got that sound that scouse and russian have, and I've forgotten the name of  guttural?



no it isn't!


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## ddraig (Aug 18, 2009)

http://www.annwfn.co.uk/pronunciation.php
http://www.data-wales.co.uk/accent.htm  < with wav files
http://www.linguata.com/welsh/welsh-pronunciation.html


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## Gavin Bl (Aug 18, 2009)

BiddlyBee said:


> But the ll is kind of cl, but got that sound that scouse and russian have, and I've forgotten the name of  guttural?



more like 'L' with a 'TH' breathed through it, than 'CL'

my wife's from south London, and she can manage it - so its not beyond the wit of 'your people' 

(I am just kidding you BB, Llandudno is nice, the fact that its fully of older people is a plus in my book - and Snowdonia is great)


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## Biddlybee (Aug 18, 2009)

Gavin Bl said:


> my wife's from south London, and she can manage it - so its not beyond the wit of '*your people*'


my people would mostly be scouse


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## mwgdrwg (Aug 18, 2009)

BiddlyBee said:


> my people would mostly be scouse



Well you should be able to manage it then. You've already integrated the Welsh CH into your accent, so LL should be no problem


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## editor (Aug 18, 2009)

I'd love to visit Llandudno (although I may have gone when I was three or something, but that doesn't count). 

We could do a walk there! It's only 3hr 25mins direct from London on the train.


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## Biddlybee (Aug 18, 2009)

Once I've heard it a few times I'll be ok  won't need to say it when I'm there


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## Biddlybee (Aug 18, 2009)

editor said:


> We could do a walk there! It's only 3hr 25mins direct from London on the train.




Suggest it on the thread... gwan


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## Rollem (Aug 18, 2009)

i love llandudno. one of my fav places in the uk. haven't been since madge was about 2 or 3, think we are due another visit!

i did not like the cable car though


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 19, 2009)

Llandudno is currently on Coast on BBC1


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## chainsaw cat (Aug 19, 2009)

BiddlyBee said:


> erm... never did go in the end, but still thinking about it for next year
> 
> Is it quite flat or hilly? Not got  a car, so thinking of taking the bikes and wondered if it'd be easy getting about?




I was there. oooh. nasty.


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## chainsaw cat (Aug 19, 2009)

editor said:


> I'd love to visit Llandudno (although I may have gone when I was three or something, but that doesn't count).
> 
> We could do a walk there! It's only 3hr 25mins direct from London on the train.



Enough to get drunk.


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## meurig (Aug 19, 2009)

mtbskalover said:


> a mate told me that on a train from bangor into englandshire the train stop was introduced as:
> 
> "lladudno junction, centre of the universe"



So there really is a black hole at the centre of the universe?


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## gareth taylor (Feb 3, 2015)

would folk say its rough ?


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## Greebo (Feb 3, 2015)

gareth taylor said:


> would folk say its rough ?


Why do you ask?


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## ddraig (Feb 3, 2015)

not been there for long but don't like it much meself
seaside town init


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## Hocus Eye. (Feb 3, 2015)

I remember going there for a long weekend many years ago. I was interested to see that the shops in the main town had a continuous covered veranda that meant that you could walk along the street and be protected from rain. The veranda was probably Edwardian if not Victorian. It may not be there nowadays though. Its existence speaks of the local climate I expect. If you like seaside towns you will like it. It is on a peninsula with a hill behind it called The Great Orme. There is a pier and all the usual features of an old seaside town.


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## Nancy_Winks (Feb 3, 2015)

Hocus Eye. said:


> I remember going there for a long weekend many years ago. I was interested to see that the shops in the main town had a continuous covered veranda that meant that you could walk along the street and be protected from rain. The veranda was probably Edwardian if not Victorian. It may not be there nowadays though. Its existence speaks of the local climate I expect. If you like seaside towns you will like it. It is on a peninsula with a hill behind it called The Great Orme. There is a pier and all the usual features of an old seaside town.


I love places like that. I'd like to go.


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## ddraig (Feb 3, 2015)

still there last year the veranda bits


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## ddraig (Feb 3, 2015)

Nancy_Winks said:


> I love places like that. I'd like to go.


loads of places to stay, b+b's to massive hotels


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## StoneRoad (Feb 4, 2015)

Llandudno isn't that bad, it has some good and fewer bad bits - like most places, but I would say Rhyl is more run-down / kissmekwik style.


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## gareth taylor (Feb 4, 2015)

Greebo said:


> Why do you ask?


 have mate who lives near there and he says drugs are huge problem around there, plus town is hell hole on Saturday nights for fighting, thought it used to be dead posh,


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## Greebo (Feb 4, 2015)

gareth taylor said:


> have mate who lives near there and he says drugs are huge problem around there, plus town is hell hole on Saturday nights for fighting, thought it used to be dead posh,


Never knew phildwyer was your mate. 

Anyway, both the descriptions of the place as rough now and  extremely posh once could be right.  After all, Brixton was dead posh once upon a time, but it's been pretty rundown (apart from gentrified patches) for the last 50 years or so.


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## friedaweed (Feb 4, 2015)

I take the kids to Dudno quite a lot. It's still got what same attraction Rhyll and Prestatyn had when we were kids. We go and do the toboggan run at the ski place on the Orme and then hit the pier with our 2p's and then fish and chips, quick skim on the beach, Larden always ends up in the sea in his undies (Even in November), and then home.

It's changed a lot in recent times but in a lot of ways it's remained the same. None of the things you say make it rough or are they new mind. The North Wales coast has had a drug culture since the 80's heroine explosion, most North Wales High Streets have a barney on them at closing time (Compered to nearby Bangor or Caernafon it's positively chilled and it's not really been dead posh since Victorian times 

It's just like the rest of the North, nothing special.


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## ddraig (Feb 4, 2015)

might be getting a cat cafe!
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/one-tea-two-coffees-tabby-8574498


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## gareth taylor (Feb 4, 2015)

friedaweed said:


> I take the kids to Dudno quite a lot. It's still got what same attraction Rhyll and Prestatyn had when we were kids. We go and do the toboggan run at the sky place on the Orme and then hit the pier with our 2p's and then fish and chips, quick skim on the beach, Larden always ends up in the sea in his undies (Even in November), and then home.
> 
> It's changed a lot in recent times but in a lot of ways it's remained the same. None of the things you say make it rough or are they new mind. The North Wales coast has had a drug culture since the 80's heroine explosion, most North Wales High Streets have a barney on them at closing time (Compered to nearby Bangor or Caernafon it's positively chilled and it's not really been dead posh since Victorian times
> 
> It's just like the rest of the North, nothing special.


 rhyl saddens me as a town as say many have written it off, government, locals other towns it wasn't always a rough house place !


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## lazythursday (Feb 4, 2015)

I love Llandudno. When I was a child I loved climbing the Ormes and going on the funicular railway and playing in the park (Happy Valley). I visited again as an adult a few years ago expecting the worst and to be honest it's still quite genteel for the north wales coast, though very much faded glamour. I wouldn't particularly think of it as 'rough' - still way a cut above places like Rhyll. 

Rhyl is very sad, again was a favourite childhood place, the Sun Centre etc... but I've always wondered if that was the naivety of childhood and actually it was always a bit skanky.


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## gareth taylor (Feb 4, 2015)

lazythursday said:


> I love Llandudno. When I was a child I loved climbing the Ormes and going on the funicular railway and playing in the park (Happy Valley). I visited again as an adult a few years ago expecting the worst and to be honest it's still quite genteel for the north wales coast, though very much faded glamour. I wouldn't particularly think of it as 'rough' - still way a cut above places like Rhyll.
> 
> Rhyl is very sad, again was a favourite childhood place, the Sun Centre etc... but I've always wondered if that was the naivety of childhood and actually it was always a bit skanky.


 the town I live near holywell is not much better, lots of folk out of work, drugs, crime, place is dirty,

but it does have its highlights 2 good pubs !!


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## chilango (Feb 4, 2015)

Lived in Llandudno for a bit as a kid. S'alright. Nice views of the sea and the mountains. Used to be a decent record shop there.

Better than Rhyl. Big drugs problem there.

Where do you live gareth taylor ? I know the area well.


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## friedaweed (Feb 4, 2015)

gareth taylor said:


> the town I live near holywell is not much better, lots of folk out of work, drugs, crime, place is dirty,
> 
> but it does have its highlights 2 good pubs !!


I lived in Greenfield for a wee while whilst growing up. Shit hole for a teenager from Liverpool to be dragged to by his wonderful parents I loved the fact that you could quite easily drink underage in the pub then though


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## chilango (Feb 4, 2015)

Greenfield, urgh! Nice ruined abbey though


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## friedaweed (Feb 4, 2015)

chilango said:


> Greenfield, urgh! Nice ruined abbey though


It always smells of dogshit around the abbey and lakes running down from Winnies well.  I used to love the coed maw (Sp?, the Sunday market) though


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## gareth taylor (Feb 4, 2015)

chilango said:


> Lived in Llandudno for a bit as a kid. S'alright. Nice views of the sea and the mountains. Used to be a decent record shop there.
> 
> Better than Rhyl. Big drugs problem there.
> 
> Where do you live gareth taylor ? I know the area well.


 whitford a village around 2 miles from holywell, I have lot of mates from the town but some folk I cross the street to avoid !


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## gareth taylor (Feb 4, 2015)

chilango said:


> Lived in Llandudno for a bit as a kid. S'alright. Nice views of the sea and the mountains. Used to be a decent record shop there.
> 
> Better than Rhyl. Big drugs problem there.
> 
> Where do you live gareth taylor ? I know the area well.


 Wrexham has drug problem, I skip drinking in wetherpoons in Wrexham is full of life's losers


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## mwgdrwg (Feb 4, 2015)

gareth taylor said:


> have mate who lives near there and he says drugs are huge problem around there, plus town is hell hole on Saturday nights for fighting, thought it used to be dead posh,



It's always been like that. The sea front and shops are nice, the rest has always been rough.


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## gareth taylor (Feb 5, 2015)

mwgdrwg said:


> It's always been like that. The sea front and shops are nice, the rest has always been rough.


 what do think of colwyn bay ?


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## mwgdrwg (Feb 5, 2015)

gareth taylor said:


> what do think of colwyn bay ?



I like the zoo.


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## chilango (Feb 6, 2015)

Anybody go to high school up there? friedaweed ?


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## gareth taylor (Feb 6, 2015)

mwgdrwg said:


> I like the zoo.


 I find that town ok


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## davesgcr (Feb 9, 2015)

I think (says he , who has never been there) , it is a civilised enclave on a run down coast line - (Conwy is lovely for a walk around and has some great pubs - going there again soon ) - one shudders at the thought of Rhyl  - at any time)  

That coast road knocked a lot of life out of a good number of places...


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## friedaweed (Feb 10, 2015)

chilango said:


> Anybody go to high school up there? friedaweed ?


I did a short stint in Holywell High. Fucking horrible place, horrible staff and horrible kids


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## chilango (Feb 10, 2015)

friedaweed said:


> I did a short stint in Holywell High. Fucking horrible place, horrible staff and horrible kids



 Me too.


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## davesgcr (Feb 10, 2015)

Apparently - "Talacre" is he ultimate place to avoid along that there coast ...


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## Kesher (Feb 10, 2015)

Llandudno great views;  good restaurants;  love the Great Orme. Can be very cold in winter because it's so windy at times. 10 times better than Rhyl.


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## friedaweed (Feb 10, 2015)

chilango said:


> Me too.


Did you go and see the Alarm at Mountford Hall in Liverpool with me in me Ma's car in 1983/4?


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## friedaweed (Feb 10, 2015)

davesgcr said:


> Apparently - "Talacre" is he ultimate place to avoid along that there coast ...


 

We love a run out to Talacre us. Granted we only go for an evening stroll and some chips and bemusments but it's a lovely beach. Very strong tides and sinking sands Great for getting rid of your kids


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## agricola (Feb 11, 2015)

davesgcr said:


> Apparently - "Talacre" is he ultimate place to avoid along that there coast ...



Talacre must be the coldest place in the entire country, its certainly the only place in Wales that I have ever been where a beach froze.  

Also there is that abandoned ship.

As for the rest of the coastal towns, I was always of the opinion that they were less rough the further west one went along the A55 (with Prestatyn worst).


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## chilango (Feb 11, 2015)

friedaweed said:


> Did you go and see the Alarm at Mountford Hall in Liverpool with me in me Ma's car in 1983/4?



Hell no.


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## chilango (Feb 11, 2015)

the "funship"


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## chilango (Feb 11, 2015)




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## chilango (Feb 11, 2015)




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## gareth taylor (Feb 15, 2015)

chilango said:


>


 north wales have lots of nice places but also some right hell holes, seems the coast of north wales is where hell holes are !


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## Kesher (Feb 15, 2015)

gareth taylor said:


> north wales have lots of nice places but also some right hell holes, seems the coast of north wales is where hell holes are !




Like the South Wales Coast, EG: Port Talbot vs Tenby. Except compared to Port Talbot, Rhyl is St Tropez


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## editor (Aug 6, 2018)

I'm going this week. I want cable cars and I want trams.
 I've already looked up Llandudno's one and only nightclub and who can't be tempted by "UK NEON RAVE".
MASSIVE.


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## kebabking (Aug 7, 2018)

I really like Llandudno, the town is nice enough - lots of open space, and places to eat and watch the world go by - and the Orme is great: we spent most of a day up there just exploring, watching ships, getting fleeced at the kiosks....

And it's next to Conwy Castle,which is spectacular.


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## High Voltage (Aug 7, 2018)

chilango said:


>





chilango said:


>



It. It. It. It. looks a LOT nicer in the drawing


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## Chilli.s (Aug 7, 2018)

editor said:


> I'm going this week. I want cable cars and I want trams.
> I've already looked up Llandudno's one and only nightclub and who can't be tempted by "UK NEON RAVE".
> MASSIVE.


One thing I remember from my last visit years ago is the bronze age/iron age hut circles on Great Orm Head.


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## mwgdrwg (Aug 7, 2018)

There's some nice art on the Great Orme these days 






'Disgraceful' vandals target Great Orme


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## editor (Aug 9, 2018)

Well, I rather enjoyed my two days there. Great to see semaphore signals (swoon!) still being used at the station. The pier was lovey and the cable car was bloody brilliant. 
Took a train to Blaneau Ffestiniog and then had a ride on the Ffestiniog which was ace, and I loved the dramatic sweep on the seaside promenade. 

Curiously, there seemed to be an awful lot of Hasidic Jews and Asian families seen holidaying around the town.


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## davesgcr (Aug 10, 2018)

editor said:


> Well, I rather enjoyed my two days there. Great to see semaphore signals (swoon!) still being used at the station. The pier was lovey and the cable car was bloody brilliant.
> Took a train to Blaneau Ffestiniog and then had a ride on the Ffestiniog which was ace, and I loved the dramatic sweep on the seaside promenade.
> 
> Curiously, there seemed to be an awful lot of Hasidic Jews and Asian families seen holidaying around the town.



Look forward to some pix then ! - used to be large numbers of Hasidic Jews who used to stay in Aberystwyth en masse at the available student residences up the hill. There was some fall out with the university over use of lit candles etc , so they (from Manchester I believe) , may have changed their allegiances from the "Biarritz of Wales" to the "Queen of the Welsh Resorts"....

Anyway - it is on my "to do" list....


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## doodlelogic (Aug 11, 2018)

went for first time this summer 

was brill, really surprised me

the bronze age copper mine on the orme - amazing, bit sad to think of the kids digging it out by hand tho.

proper punch and judy.  

nice pier, fish and chips, beach, prom, ok pubs (one by tram station)

what’s not to like?


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## editor (Aug 11, 2018)

doodlelogic said:


> went for first time this summer
> 
> was brill, really surprised me
> 
> ...


Did you go on the cable car? It's brilliant!


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## editor (Aug 13, 2018)

Some pics: 






































In photos: a trip on Llandudno’s wonderful cable car to the Great Orme, August 2018


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## editor (Aug 21, 2018)

Photos of the lovely pier:
















Llandudno Pier: a splendid, Grade II listed Victorian pier in north Wales – photos and history


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## StoneRoad (Aug 21, 2018)

Looks like you enjoyed some nice weather editor . And had fun with rail transport ... if you have the cash and time, the "Snowdonian" is a nice way to spend a day on the Ffesti and WH railways.

Bit of Lifeboat trivia.
Llandudno was the last station to be based in the middle of town (so the pulling & sailing boats could go to whichever side of the Great Orme it was needed). This meant that the ALB (the Mersey "Andy Price") had to be "walked" over to the prom and the beach - keeping tourists out of the way was "interesting" ...
Earlier this year the new ALB went "on station" in the new boathouse, which is away down towards the far end of the east side beach.


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## editor (Aug 21, 2018)

StoneRoad said:


> Looks like you enjoyed some nice weather editor . And had fun with rail transport ... if you have the cash and time, the "Snowdonian" is a nice way to spend a day on the Ffesti and WH railways.
> 
> Bit of Lifeboat trivia.
> Llandudno was the last station to be based in the middle of town (so the pulling & sailing boats could go to whichever side of the Great Orme it was needed). This meant that the ALB (the Mersey "Andy Price") had to be "walked" over to the prom and the beach - keeping tourists out of the way was "interesting" ...
> Earlier this year the new ALB went "on station" in the new boathouse, which is away down towards the far end of the east side beach.


I had a great time there - I've got one last set of photos to post up from around the town (including the lively pub!).

It was sad to learn that the Pavilion went the same way as the Brighton West Pier - as soon as its refurbishment was announced, along came the near inevitable mystery arson attack to destroy it forever.


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## editor (Aug 29, 2018)

More Llandudno pics: 






















Llandudno photos – seaside views, street scenes, old theatres, architecture and more


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## Ponyutd (Mar 10, 2019)




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