Llandudno

Time off is always precious, and in the UK having time off when the sun shines seems even more precious!

This week we spent a couple of days in Llandudno.  I love Llandudno's genteel Victorian splendour, rugged backdrops and long beaches.  I've never spent more than a day there though and there's never seemed enough time to walk around the Great Orme, which I've wanted to do for a long time.  There's a road which runs right the way around and happily, this time we walked it.  We could not have chosen a better day for it: look at the blue of that sky...

It's four and a half miles right round the Orme, plus a bit more to take you back to your starting point.  We stayed in a room in a fabulous Victorian villa just at the base of the Orme, which was very handy for our walk!  If you fancy stopping in Llandudno, I can throughly recommend The View guest house.  As the name suggests, the view from the hotel is breathtaking...

You'l also find beautifully appointed rooms with lots of little luxurious extras, superb breakfast cooked exactly how you like it (plus a view of the sea, even though it's a basement dining room!) as well as a cold buffet: fruit, yogurts, cereals, toast and crumpets.  My gluten-free vegetarian diet was no problem at all, and I certainly had plenty to choose from (including gluten-free bread served separately).  I was impressed with the print-out they gave me on arrival of all the potential allergens in their foods.

The guests' lounge was a modern twist on an old idea: a well-stocked honesty bar, free tea, coffee and hot chocolate and lots of books, magazines, local information and the use of a computer with free wi-fi.  The free wi-fi extended to our bedroom too (really useful if you are running a small business when even time off has to include answering emails at some point!).

We'll be returning to The View at some point, I'm sure of it.

But walking Marine Drive, the road which wraps itself around the Great Orme, was a real treat.  The views were spectacular.

There were more people walking it than I expected, and there were lots of benches along the way - so if you think it might be too much of a challenge, you will be able to rest and take your time.

There's also a cafe at the halfway point (you may be able to just make it out in the photo above).  Water, toilets and somewhere to sit for a few minutes was enough for us, but I'm sure they'd serve you with food too.  It's aptly named: Rest and be Thankful.

There wasn't much traffic...

... the vintage tour bus makes its way around every couple of hours and there's the odd car and cyclist working hard on the hills.  We've driven it in the past, which was beautiful, but you definitely see and appreciate much more on foot.

The lighthouse on the side of the Great Orme is now decommissioned and has been converted into a B&B.  We'd love to stay there one day, too.

The photo below shows the lighthouse's position...

The views all the way round the Orme are stunning, and especially so on such a beautiful day.

As we rounded a corner on the downhill stretch, the little Orme came into view, then the long stretch of Llandudno's main beach and the pier.  The hill across the sea is the little Orme...

Speaking of the pier, it was really nice to see handmade gifts and artwork being sold from some of the little huts on there - although it's still around, there's a definite and welcome reduction in seaside tat!

Our little Llandudno break was a really, really happy one, so I'm sharing this post in Planet Penny's Happy Friday.  Pop over for a dose of happiness from other bloggers!

P.S. A quick update for regular readers: Quentin is still at the Guide Dogs' centre having his post-op care.  He had some swelling on the site of one of the operation wounds (they had to realign a muscle as well as create a groove in the bone to stop the kneecap dislocating) but he is recovering well.  Then it will be time for his next operation on his other leg.  Poor love.  He must surely be wondering where I've gone.  (Do dogs wonder?)