Llandudno goes Victorian ....

May bank holiday weekend and I am still without my car which was quite fortuitous as I would never have heard about or made this trip. Browsing Woods Coaches for a suitable day out I came across a coach trip to Llandudno's 'Victorian Extravaganza' weekend. Living in Leicester at the time this is about as far away as you can get and I would never have dreamt of driving there on my own.  Going by coach was cheaper than filling my tank and no hassles finding a parking space on arrival.

Llandudno came to note in Victorian times when ladies and gentlemen took the air by the sea, but, with the coming of the railway, the Bank Holidays Act and 'Wakes Weeks' when the newly industrialised factories closed for maintenance such resorts became destinations of choice for the masses and the English love affair with the seaside began.  Llandudno boasts miles of sandy beaches, a fine example of a Victorian pier which has survived, unchanged, to this day, a fairground and the Great Orm cable tramway which is another engineering feat to rival that of the pier.

To celebrate its roots Llandudno becomes all things Victorian for the extravaganza every May Bank Holiday weekend.  The town centre is closed to traffic to host entertainments and a genuine Victorian style funfair with steam driven rides and accompanying organs.  Parades of traction engines, vintage cars and brass bands watched locals dressed in appropriate Victorian costume (probable some regular visitors too).




Everyone enters into the spirit of the event from conjurers to mime artists whilst down on the promenade the open theatre and helter-skelter vie with donkeys on the beach and, of course, a walk along the pier. Don't forget to promenade along the old pier and take in the lifeboat station.  Sample the wares of the cake and sweet shops in keeping with the age.





A free shuttle bus runs between the town centre and the transport festival on the headland, the largest in Wales.  Off to the other side of the bay Britain's only cable trams run back and forth to the top of Great Orm just as it did over one hundred years ago when it opened in 1902.  I had plenty of time to wander around and take in a cream tea amongst other refreshments before meeting the coach to return to Leicester. It didn't matter how tired I was as I didn't have to drive!

View my 'Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza' photo album...
(unfortunately you can only read the comments using the 'info' button against each photograph now that Google is using 'photos' instead of 'Picasa'.)

My next coach journey would take place in November when I flew to Tenerife and commenced my next great adventure aboard Titsa coaches around the island. My many journeys during my time there are described in tenerifebybus.blogspot.com.