Kensington Hotel

Ancient Culture

by lomi

Stone Age Longbarrows

Unfortunately, some of the oldest evidence of Llandudno's ancient history was destroyed in the mid 19th century, when the town was being developed. In 1858 two ancient Longbarrows were demolished. One, to link up Vaughn Street with the new Railway Station and the other, (where 3 adult remains of Neolithic age were found), was destroyed in the construction of Marine Drive.

Sacred Wells of the Orme

There are a number of sacred wells on the Great Orme, their Welsh names are :

Ffynon Powell
Ffynon Pen-y-mynydd
Ffynon Gogarth
Ffynon Wen
Ffynon Llety Fadog
Ffynon Gowloth
Ffynon y Dorban
Ffynon Tudno
Ffynon Galchog
Ffynon Rufeiniog
Ffynon Llygaid

The curative properties of these wells explains a sanctity no longer appreciated.
Llygaid means ‘eye’, and in earlier times people made a pilgrimage to Ffynon Lygaid to use the water to cure eye problems and infections.

Pre-Roman and Roman Coins

There is evidence that the Romans occupied Llandudno to work the Great Orme copper mines. When Mostyn Broadway was being extended in 1907 several gold Roman coins were found. A further search revealed 100 more, (minted in 287-293) found near St John’s church.

In 1925 British gold coins of 100 BC, were discovered at Pen-y-Dinas

Marine drive

by sourbugger

The road around the perimeter of the Giant Orme (the hill that overlooks Llandudno) is a private road, and you will charged two-pounds 50p for the right to use this four miles of tarmacadam.

I have always thought this is a bit mean, and have never used the road itself. The road is certainly impressive as it clings to the cliffside high above the crashing waves, but this corner of the world is not exactly short of astonishing scenery.

The toll does include car parking, and there are a number of bits and pieces to visit.

Walking of cycling is a much better & healthier option.

Mr Punch

by davesut

I think that the Punch and Judy show is an absolute must see. You must make the effort to see this performance at least once. Punch and Judy is monitored by a group of people calling themselves professors and this is the only place that I know where a professor still plies his trade on a sea front. A traditional children's story of violence, ghosts, scary crocodiles, leaving children home alone and hanging, "That's the way to do it."

Beautiful Seaside Small City

by rexvaughan

Llandudno has been a popular resort for a long time; not surprising as it sits on Llandudno Bay and has beaches along the promenade as well as a great pier and of course the Great Orme. I don’t know how many permanent residents there are but would guess that much of the time they are outnumbered by the tourists. I have never seen so many little hotels in such a small place. The promenade is lined with dozens of them. It is a small and somewhat quaint little place but bustling with activity, at least until about 9:00 p.m. Maybe this is because the clientele of the resort is an early to bed crowd. We got caught after a choral concert having not had dinner. It was almost 10:00 p.m. and there was absolutely nothing open. We ended up going back to our B & B and finding only Pringles chips and wine. Not our best meal in Llandudno.

We found it a charming town and used it for a base as we explored a little: Bodnant Gardens, Snowdonia, Harlech and Conway castles as well as a venture west to the east to Caerwys which was the boyhood home of one of our dearest friends.

Maybe the most common characteristic of Wales is that there seems always to be a castle within a stone’s throw of wherever you find yourself. Another great thing is that there are singing groups all over. We found the local Methodist Church in Llandudno featured Welsh singing groups 2 nights a week from May to September. We attended 2 performances and found them very enjoyable.

My wife and I wondered a long time what the term ORME means and could only find one reference which suggests it is a term left by the Vikings meaning serpent. The photo here is not mine but is in the public domain and illustrates pretty well how one could come up with that name for it.

(You will have to click the picture to get the full panorama and see the head)