28/07/19 - The Great Orme and Llandudno's Oldest Pub

Distance - 5 Miles
Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine, July 2019, Walk 22
Geocaches - 1
Pub - The King's Head, Llandudno



This is one of those routes that we will have to repeat.

Weather conspired against us, with a sea mist coming in and obliterating the fine views over Snowdonia.   We couldn't even see the tops of the cable cars, which of course were not running and it was very nearly the first walk abandoned through the taking of a tram.

Pray for better conditions should you come to do it.

We start from our AirBnB in the town and head up to the west coast path of Great Orme.  This headland is very nearly an island and in a time of uncertain weather conditions, where last week, the UK recorded it's highest ever temperature, it may well be soon.    That would be the end of Llandudno.

At this point, the views are nearly there and we can see the sweep of West Beach and the blue cafe, where we took advantage of their "Full Welsh" only a couple of hours before.

Good Paths

The West Beach of Llandudno

The path turns into a military road and then eventually a sheep track.   The rain comes in.  We shelter in a gun emplacement that had a roof but no bench.   Its not going to lift, so onto exposed cliffs and a careful ascent between a gully to reach the road at the top.

Normally, Snowdonia

Path gets a little hairy, as we climb up a gully between the cliffs.

From this point, I have to paint pictures with words.   We are walking through sea mist and there's no point taking photos.

There's a limestone pavement, similar to Malham Cove, picnic areas (Ha!), sheepfolds and somewhere on the top at the Cable Car Station, with a pub.   We do no find it.   Mrs M proclaims we need to "have a rethink and get down as soon as possible".

Hope is provided at the Tramway Half Way Station - but only when you understand how it works.  Punters disembark one tram here and join another to take them to the pub summit.   We ask the one man working there if we can buy a ticket to town.   The answer is no - you can only buy at the top, or the bottom.   After careful negotiation - won more by the pity he takes in Mrs M's dodgy PacAMac, he says he will let us on if there is room. 

There is no room.

It's a vertiginous drop along the roadway and just as we reach the terminus, we see what we could have won.

At least its all down hill

No Room for a very damp Mrs Mappiman

Soaked to the skin, I'm surprised Mrs M wants to take refreshment but the lure of Llandudno's oldest pub is too strong.   Who knows, there may be a roaring fire to dry off next to.   Even in July.

Cask Marque and Oldest - We shunted with care

Right at the Tram Terminus

It's all very standard.   The beer was mainly Greene King but there was an aptly named Sea Fury from Sharps, the home of doom bar.    It ranged from quiet to packed solid, when the tram had just arrived and this fluctuation in customer numbers may have explained their fierce protection of lavatory access.

Who knows what previous crimes had been committed.

We did the walk.   We missed the views and there, deep in the sea mist, is a pub waiting to be ticked.

One to be repeated.