Weatherman Walking

Deganwy to TO LLANDUDNO AROUND THE

REST AND BE THANKFUL

HAPPY VALLEY ST ’S PARK HORNBY 6 SHIPWRECK 8 5 7

COAST ARTILLERY SCHOOL 4 ENTRANCE 9

WEST SHORE SEAFRONT 3

1 Points of interest

Start DEGANWY THE VARDRE SIGNAL BOX

1 2 Finish

Route

The Weatherman Walking maps are intended as a guide The BBC takes no responsibility for any accident or injury Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf to help you walk the route. We recommend using an that may occur while following the route. Always wear of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2009. OS map of the area in conjunction with this guide. appropriate clothing and footwear and check weather All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number APPROXIMATE DISTANCE: Routes and conditions may have changed since this conditions before heading out. 100019855. guide was written. 7 MILES PIER ENTRANCE

For this walk we’ve included OS grid references should you wish to use them.

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This walk follows the Coast Path from the shore at the western end of Deganwy; through West Shore, around the Great Orme, and drops down into the beautiful seaside town of Llandudno. It’s a distance of about 7 miles depending on where you finish and what you stop to see along the way. From West Shore to Llandudno, around the Great Orme, Great Orme is wheelchair and pushchair-friendly.

Start: Distance: Parking: Travel information: Further information: Deganwy Approx. 7 miles There is public parking at Deganwy, There are regular buses between Visit Wales Coast Path website for more Station Road (with charge) and a number Deganwy Station and . information and path diversions Starting Ref: Grade: of car parks and meter parking in Check local timetables or www. www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/plan-your-visit SH 77855 79121 Easy Llandudno (with charge). arrivabus.co.uk/ for details.

Walk time: 3 hours

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Directions Exit the car park at the far western end, and then it’s a Castle short walk across the railway lines and onto the path which runs next to the shoreline. There are public toilets next to the railway line and an old signal box.

Signal box

DEGANWY In front of Deganwy signal box (SH 77787 79121) SIGNAL BOX We’re starting this walk on the waterfront over-looking the estuary where the 1 flows into and the . Across the water here, you can see Conwy with its impressive 13th-century castle, built by Edward 1.

Deganwy became a popular destination in Victorian times with the expansion of railways Deganwy and holidays. The small town was the gateway to the Vale of Conwy, one of ’ most popular destinations.

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Directions Head north-west along Marine Crescent, and the path The Vardre will become pedestrianised after a few hundred yards. Pass the beachfront shelter, which is a restored version of the original Edwardian shelter, built in 1904. You will be sandwiched between the sea and the railway line and overlooked by a large hill called the Vardre.

THE VARDRE The Vardre (SH 78220 79450) This rocky hill was the site of a number of both English and Welsh castles. The earliest king 2 known to have had a castle there was Maelgwn , one of the most powerful Kings of Britain in the 6th-century. The visible ruins on the site today are those of the great castle and surroundings, built by Henry III in 1245 to 1250, that was beleaguered for seven years before being destroyed by in 1263. Beach shelterTHE VARDRE The castle was excavated in 1961 to 1966, when evidence was found of a prehistoric style fortress on the western peak, along with Roman remains.

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Directions A short distance on, there is a high hedge with signs Dunes near West Shore warning of the dangers of flying golf balls from the North Wales Golf Course to the right. Passing the golf course, the route cuts through dunes, which in places have taken over the path before you arrive at West Shore. There is car parking, refreshments, and a miniature railway operated by the North Wales Model Engineering Society. Continue Dunes near West Shore along the seafront.

WEST SHORE (SH 77293 81728) SEAFRONT West Shore Seafront West Shore is a quieter and less commercial suburb of Llandudno. The sandy beach facing 3 Conwy Bay is popular with holidaymakers. At low tide, there is a large expanse of sand, Warning Sign which is great for kite-flyers and kite-surfers. It’s also renowned for its spectacular sunsets.

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Directions Continue straight ahead to Marine Drive and the start of the Great Orme circular road. The whole route is on a pavement next to the road. Passing the Old Toll House, which looks like a miniature castle with turrets, the road begins to climb gently up the Orme. The road is a one-way system after the junction with LLys Helyg Drive, about a quarter of a mile up on the left, Toll House so any traffic will be coming towards you. After passing a Start of climb line of smart houses below, the geography below reveals a former military site.

COAST Coast Artillery School (SH 75180 83390) ARTILLERY SCHOOL Looking over the wall is the site of the former Royal Artillery, Coast Artillery School. 4 The school relocated from Shoeburyness, Essex, in September 1940 and was occupied until the end of the Second World War when it was abandoned.

Buildings were made to look like cottages and a chapel with a cross on its roof but were actually gun emplacements and ammunition stores. Soldiers were trained to operate searchlights, wirelesses and to fire at floating targets. At any one time, approx. 700 personnel were based here.

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Great Orme Goats Great Orme Goats

Great Orme Goats Derek says, “The soldiers weren’t the only military personnel on the Great Orme. Roaming free are Kashmiri goats, descended from a pair originally given to in 1837, and let loose on the Great Orme in the 1880s. They’re famous for their white cashmere coats and were chosen as the mascot of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

During the 2020 lockdown, they hit the headlines worldwide when they took over the empty streets of Llandudno. They look a bit daunting with their horns, but they keep their distance and are used to walkers, luckily!”

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Directions The path gently bends around the large curve of the Orme, still looking over Conwy Bay, where for centuries mussel fishermen have harvested the precious mussles using the ancient method of scraping the seabed with a long rake. Having passed a small shelter and viewing bench, the view below becomes more mountainous with sheep grazing on the top and rugged rocks below. Grazing sheep Point of Hornby Next to a small break in the wall, with access for those shipwreck hikers wanting a more rugged route, is a point on the Great Orme Audio Trail with details about the Hornby Shipwreck. HORNBY Hornby Shipwreck Information Board (SH 75494 84146) SHIPWRECK The Great Orme was always considered a hazard for seafarers, with a number of ships being 5 wrecked. The most famous was The Hornby, a cargo shipwrecked on her way to Rio de Janerio in 1824. She was carrying dry goods, things like sugar and coffee, worth more than £600,000, a fortune at the time.

There was a crew of 13 onboard and two passengers when the Hornby hit the rocks. One sailor survived by leaping onto the cliffs; the others all perished in the wild waters.

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Derek and his abseiling instructor Matt Jones

Abseiling on the Great Orme Derek says, “The Great Orme rises to 679ft above sea level and is a popular location for not only hikers but those who like a bit of a high-rise challenge. I was lucky enough to have an abseiling lesson from mountain sports expert Matt Jones.

We made our way out onto a ledge which was a bit nail-biting (even though I was securely fastened with ropes), and then Matt talked me through, taking the plunge and feeding the rope through so I gently descended a length of the Great Orme. It was a really breezy day, and the waves were crashing on the rocks below so it did feel a bit hairy, but I knew I was in safe hands and was pleased I did it.”

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Directions A few hundred yards on, on the left hand side, is a car park, café and viewing spot.

Rest and Be Thankful Cafe

REST AND BE Rest and Be Thankful (SH 75642 84367) THANKFUL The Rest and Be Thankful Café is a welcome stop-off spot for walkers and sightseers, perched 6 on the end of Great Orme Head, looking out to sea.

Those who want to extend their walk can take one of the hiking routes up to the summit or take the cable car from Llandudno.

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Directions A few hundred yards further on the left is a small service road leading to the former lighthouse, now holiday accommodation. The coast path continues to curve around, now heading south-east with a number of small coves below where seals and seal pups can be spotted.

A mile on is a small turning on the left, which is St Tudno’s Road and worth a detour if you can add an hour to your A Great Orme seal walk. The road leads to St Tudno’s .

ST TUDNO’S St Tudno’s (SH 76970 83833) St. Tudno’s Church on the Great Orme has been a site of Christian worship since the 7 6th-century. It’s a place of pilgrimage and prayer and active worship, despite its remote location. During summer, there are weekly open-air services and monthly services in winter.

The church was named after a Celtic missionary called Tudno, who established a cell on the Great Orme sometime during the reign of , known as the King of Gwynedd (490-549). Some walls of the existing church have been dated to the 12th-century, while the others are mostly from the 15th-century.

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Directions Continuing along the Wales Coast Path, the route passes over Pigeon’s Cave (Ogof Colomennod) and a final section of jutting headland before dropping down past the toll house and on to Happy Valley Road. Happy Valley park with stone circle White rabbit

HAPPY VALLEY Happy Valley Park (SH 78225 83066) PARK The Happy Valley is a sheltered hollow on the eastern side of the Great Orme. It is a 8 listed public park and was dedicated to the town in 1887 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The park includes a drinking fountain and stone circle erected to mark the National of 1962. Attractions also include a restored camera obscura built in 1890 and the cable car line to the summit of the Great Orme, built in 1969. At over one mile between the two stations, this is the longest gondola lift in Britain. Each cabin seats four passengers. There are also landscaped gardens with specimen trees and access to the Great Orme landscape Llandudno ski centre and toboggan run.

The park has also become one of the focal points in the town’s obsession with Alice in Wonderland, including a bandstand decked with playing cards and characters.

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Alice Bandstand

Great Orme landscape

Alice Derek says, “The Alice from the books was based on Alice Liddell, a real little girl whose family built a holiday home in the Llandudno and regularly visited from when Alice was eight. Lewis Carroll was a family friend of the Liddell’s and based the character on Alice. It is believed that he may well have visited the family at Llandudno and set his Alice Through the Looking Glass story in the town.

Some local landmarks seem to crop up in the books, including local rocks known as the Walrus and the Carpenter and a zig-zag path leading up the Great Orme. It’s great that Llandudno has set up an ‘Alice Trail’ which goes all around the town. Each year a new Alice is crowned and there is a jam tart eating completion. I think I’d be in with a chance of winning that one!”

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Directions From the park continue along Alex Munro Way, named after Llandudno Pier one of Llandudno’s most well-known characters of the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

The RAF veteran became manager of the Happy Valley open-air theatre and for 30 years would stage family shows, although his troupe were often forced to perform in the town hall because of poor weather. The path Alex Munro Way goes behind the Grand Hotel and passes the entrance to Llandudno Pier and the famous promenade beyond.

PIER Pier Entrance (SH 78177 82708) ENTRANCE Llandudno claims to be the largest in Wales. The promenade stretches for two 9 miles and the town is a Mecca for Welsh political conferences.

At the start of the vast seafront is the famous pier, which stretching 0.43 of a mile, is the longest in Wales and the fifth longest in Britain. Building began on it in 1876 and was completed two years later. The pier is known for its splendid Victorian and Edwardian elegance, reaching out into the Irish Sea.

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End of Walk

End of the Walk Derek says, “This is an easy, and pleasant walk with spectacular views, particularly when the sun is shining. If you are doing it purely for exercise, you can go at a cracking pace, and it will feel like a good workout, but if you can, take your time as there is lots to see along the way and plenty of opportunities to just sit and be inspired and in awe of the power of nature. I won’t be forgetting my abseil down the cliffs in a hurry!”

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