In 2013, we bought our house in Llandudno. It was February half term. On the Monday afternoon, we viewed the house. Not only was it perfect, it was in the road we had chosen as the one where we would like to live. We arranged to go back and look at it again the following morning. Early on Tuesday, we stood at the corner of the cricket ground, discussing what to do. Move here? Seriously? Pack in our jobs and our old lives and just move here? Yes, living in Llandudno had been a life-long dream for me, but even so.... |
h Well, it's no secret. We took the chance and moved here. Best thing we ever did. My husband likes to say we went on holiday and bought a house as a souvenir. |  |
| | h | | Precision reversing! The RNLI lifeboat is backed into the old boathouse on Lloyd Street. A new boathouse has been built on North Shore. |  | | | |
| | |  Donkey rides on the beach |  Flower clock on the promenade | | | | | | |
| | |  | When I was a child, this was Happy Valley's outdoor theatre, where a show was presented every afternoon throughout the holiday season. The part under the verandah had a stage. Where the play area is now used to be where the audience's seats were. This photo was taken from Aberdeen Hill - where an unofficial audience used to watch without paying! | | | |
| Twice a week from May to the end of August, the Town Silver Band plays an evening concert on the promenade. |  | | | | | * * * * | | |
 | Llandudno has close links with the Alice in Wonderland Story. Gorgeous wooden statues was placed around the town. Follow the Alice Trail! | | h | |
 | I have just looked back through my photos and most of them show North Shore, so I thought I'd better redress the balance and put in some of West Shore. Here is the old toll house at one end of Marine Drive, the road that runs around the Great Orme. You can walk round in either direction, but if you drive, you start at the other end and finish here. |
| This is the same view from further away. I wanted to share this one because of that amazingly calm sea - not a ripple to be seen. It's surprising how often we get a sea like that here. |  |
There are those same calm waters, looking out across the Conwy Estuary. |
| I had to include this picture, as I love daffodils. Public spaces in Llandudno are in bloom all year round, but the daffs are my favourites. |  |
 | This photo was taken from Haulfre Gardens on the side of the Great Orme, looking towards North Shore. You can see the Little Orme in the distance. And talking of the Little Orme.... |
The Little Orme is said to look like an elephant lying in the sea. Can you see it? |
| Here are some Great Orme pictures. |
| Actually, this first one is really of the view across to Puffin Island and Anglesey from the Great Orme on a glorious clear day. |  |
 | This is the Great Orme Berry. The Great Orme is the only place where this grows. |
This is a photo of the little bay beside the pier. This featured in a couple of the photos of the storm, up above. This is what is is meant to look like at high tide. |
Throughout the holiday season, weather permitting, the cable car is open for business, ferrying passengers from the foot of the Great Orme up to the top. the jounrey is just short of 20 minutes each way. This is the view from the cable car as it leaves Happy Valley behind. You can see the Little Orme in the distance on the far side of the bay. |  |
 | Here, again from the cable car, you can see across the Great Orme and Llandudno to the Conwy Estuary. |
| If you go up the Great Orme on the tram, you get off halfway up and get onto a second tram to take you the rest of the way. |  |
 | St Tudno's Church. |
After all those Great Orme pictures, it's time for a change of theme; so here are some photos showing North Shore. The first one was taken from on the Great Orme, not far from the Cable Car station. |
* * * * * Llandudno Pier was opened in 1877. At 2,295 feet (700 m), it is the longest pier in Wales. This is its total length, including the part that runs alongside the Grand Hotel. The part that stretches out into the sea is 1234 feet long. |
The pier is unusual in that it has two separate entrances. The original entrance is on Happy Valley Road and the other, which is probably thought of today as the main entrance, is from North Parade. The Grand Hotel stands in between the two entrances. |
I sat on these rocks early one cool May morning as I wrote the first draft of the chase-through-the-fog scene in The Deserter's Daughter. |
* * * * An annual event in Llandudno is the Victorian Extravaganza, which takes place over the bank holiday weekend at the beginning of May. For a long weekend, Llandudno is filled with Victorian-themed entertainment, both on stage and on the street. Each day there is a parade, complete with marching bands, vintage vehicles and people in Victorian costume. |
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Beautifully dressed Victorians! As well as the locals and visitors dressing up, the shops do too and certificates are awarded for the best Victorian-themed window displays in various categories. |  |
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Mostyn Street is turned into a giant funfair for the weekend.... |
| The next year, the helter skelter was positioned outside the NatWest Bank. Shouldn't every bank have one of these outside! |  |
Each day there is a grand parade through the town, including marching bands and vintage vehicles. |
Every year, Newfoundlands and Bernese Mountain Dogs attend the Extravaganza. Here is one of them getting ready for the parade. |  |
* * * * * * * * * * The next set of photos is of Happy Valley on the side of the Great Orme. These photos were taken in April - hence all the daffodils. |
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Alice-themed details on the bandstand. |  | | | | |
The cable car runs from Aberdeen Hill, which is next to Happy Valley. 
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View of the pier from Happy Valley. 
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* * * * Here are some photos of the views from the pier. |
Here is the local pleasure boat on the jetty when the tide is out. 
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