Llandudno & Conwy

Whilst we were having breakfast it rained quite heavily and did so on and off for about an hour or so.

By the time we headed off for Llandudno it had brightened up and although there were the odd black cloud looming on and off during the day it didn't rain again, in fact for the most part it was a nice, warm and sunny day.

We parked up and headed for the Great Orme Tramway. Open from late March to late October, it takes over 200,000 passengers each year from Llandudno Victoria Station to just below the summit of the Great Orme headland.

It is Great Britain's only remaining cable-operated street tramway, and one of only a few surviving in the world, and it is owned by Conwy County Borough Council. The line comprises two sections, where each section is an independent funicular and passengers change cars at the halfway station. Whilst the upper section runs on its own right of way and is very similar to many other funicular lines, the lower section is an unusual street-running funicular.

Whilst the street running section resembles the better-known San Francisco cable cars, its operation is quite different in that it adheres to the funicular principle where the cars are permanently fixed to the cable and are stopped and started by stopping and starting the cable, unlike San Francisco where cars attach to, and detach from, a continuously running cable.

When we got to the top we went for a coffee and pasty in the Summit Complex. Then we spent some time in the visitor centre before heading back to the half way station so we could have a look at the Bronze age mines.

Then we caught the tram back to the bottom and headed off to the walled town of Conwy.

We parked up and then had a walk to Aberconwy House, a medieval merchant's house and

one of the oldest, datable, houses in Wales. Constructed in the 15th century it is, along with Plas Mawr, one of the two surviving merchants houses within the town. Its historical and architectural importance is reflected in its status as a Grade I listed building. The house is administered by the National Trust.

We walked down to the quayside and had some prawns, followed by a lovely ice cream, before walking the city walls in an anti-clockwise direction.

We then headed down to the castle to have a look at Thomas Telford's suspension bridge

but unfortunately it was closed so we could only look over the wall.

 We then headed off to Colwyn Bay to The Picture House, a beautiful old cinema, refurbished into a J D Wetherspoon pub, where we had Fish and Chips. On the way back to the caravan we stopped off at Tesco's to fill up the car ready for getting off home next day