Last day away

 I didn't set an alarm last night so slept late this morning.  I think all the walking and fresh air finally caught up with me. According to the app on my phone I've walked 87,675 steps since I got here last Friday, way more than I walk in a normal week at home.  

I spent some time this morning packing up things I won't need today and taking them to the car,  I have to be out of the apartment by 10am so It will save me time in the morning, then I headed out for a walk.  I went across the promenade, down onto the pier then up to Happy valley where I stopped for a cuppa and a toasted teacake.  As you can see it was very overcast today and by the time I'd finished my coffee it had started to rain.  I was going to walk a bit further but decided to head back as the rain looked as though it was in for the rest of the day.

Happy Valley, It's much nicer on a sunny day

I've really enjoyed the break away from my normal routine this week, I feel so much better in myself for taking some time out just for me. 

 Thank you for following along with me this week and all your kind comments.  

-X-

Great Orme walking

 The day started with rainy weather but it soon cleared and the rest of the day was bright.  

It was a perfect day for my walk around the Great Orme, not too warm and there was a slight breeze.  I did this walk for the first time last year but you can see more photos on my Driving The Great Orme post from 2021 here

The walk is around 5 miles long, there are a couple of sections with gradual climbs but on the whole it is is fairly level.  You can start the walk at either the North Shore, just behind the pier or at the West Beach.  I chose to start at the North Shore and end at the West Shore.  I did note last year that If you start at the West Shore the incline is longer than starting at the Pier end.

Considering that the weather was perfect for walking there were surprisingly few people around.  I did see some climbers and had an up-close sheep encounter, which made me smile.

I don't think I'd ever tire of these views, I hope you enjoy the photos

A little 360 of a section of my walk

I've a day out planned for tomorrow, a little further afield but somewhere I've wanted to go for a while.

-X-

Alice, and a bit of shopping

 Well what a difference in the weather today, so much cooler and rain on and off all day.

I hadn't planned on going very far today, there were a few shops I wanted to pop into and today was perfect for that.  We don't have  Pavers shoe shop close to where I live, I think the nearest one to me is Worcester, I knew there was one here and I intended to buy a new pair of white trainers, I find Pavers shoes very comfortable and I'm at an age where comfortable footwear wins over fashion.  As it turned out I got a pair of Rieker trainers instead, still a very comfy shoe.  These are leather so will hopefully last.

Next stop was The Wool Shop Llandudno.  I noticed on FB that they had extended and all the yarn now had it's own shop next door to the original.  They only stock commercial yarn and they are still unpacking boxes of yarn but I was nice to have a look.  Bonnie had asked for a hat when I finished Jacobs a while ago, she specified pink and purple.  I bought 2 balls of the James C Brett Carnival again because it knit up so nicely and can be put in the washing machine.

It's a bit brighter than it's showing here, I hope she likes it.

I also popped into M&S.  Our nearest M&S is In the local shopping centre, which I hate going to, so again, I knew there was an M&S I could walk to here.   I needed a couple of new bras and some underwear, so that's another thing ticked of my list.  I also bought some shortbread tea while I was in there, have you tried this?  I hope it's as good as it sounds.

I walked passed Alice on the way so took a snap for Margaret and her sister who are visiting the UK from NZ at the moment.  They were in Llandudno for a few days last week and she mentioned that they didn't find Alice when doing the Alice in Wonderland trial.

So here you are Margaret, she is opposite the railway station.

No eating out today, I've got a Marks and Spencers ding curry for tea later 😉

-X-

Rain didn't stop play

I opened the curtains this morning to find this fella at the window, he came again this afternoon and tapped on the window.  Seagulls are a bit of a menace on the North Shore, they will think nothing of swooping down and taking anything that resembles food.  A couple of years ago I came with Mark and bought an ice cream on the pier, I hadn't even had a lick before it was whipped off me!  It was demolished in seconds and I felt like a right fool.  I've learned my lesson, no ice creams at the pier 🤣

The forecast had been for rain today, but it was fine and bright this morning, I decided to sit and knit a while though before heading out.

The coastal path from Llandudno to Conwy starts at the promenade on West Shore beach and is around 6 miles into Conwy.  The walk gives you stunning views of the West Shore and is fairy flat, majority of the pathway is gravel, but there are some sandy sections through the dunes.

Before you reach Conwy you come to the village of Deganwy with views to the Conwy estuary.

An information board tells us that the house below was the home of Commander Harold Lowe.

This is what it says:

Commander Harold Lowe lived at One, Marine Crescent from 1931.

He served as 5th Officer on board RMS "Titanic".  He assisted in launching sercerval lifeboats before taking charge of No. 14.  After he collected another three lifeboats and formed a raft, he then, with his own lifeboat, returned to the wreckage looking for survivors.  He only found four.  To aid progress he hoisted the mast and sail and headed toward the RMS Carpathia.  On route he spotted another lifeboat in poor shape and took it in tow.  He became a Conwy Borough Councillor in 1932 and in 1937 the extentiosion of the Promenade took place under hes careful eye.  He died in 1944.

From Deganwy to Conwy is just shy of two miles, although that last bit felt much longer, you do get a great view of Conwy Castle, which makes up for it, unfortunately I wasn't able to do justice to the view with my phone camera.

I stopped for lunch as soon as I got into town, today Jacket potato with tuna mayo, I hadn't had breakfast so was more than ready to eat, and this went down a treat.

I did have a stroll around Conwy, but the rain clouds were gathering, I considered hopping on the bus back to Llandudno but changed my mind at the last minute.  

I managed to get over half way back before the rain and thunder came.

I took this little video, not sure you can hear the thunder though, hope it works.

Luckily I'd packed a raincoat so didn't get too wet.

-X-

Another lovely day

I walked down to the West Shore beach this morning, It's much quieter than the North Shore.

Of course I had to dip my toes in the water and I sat for a while enjoying the sunshine and read a few chapters of my book

I decided to take the cliff walk back which leads to Haulfre Gardens, I discovered this walk last year and it's really peaceful with great views.

 

After yesterday's fish and chips I wasn't hungry until late afternoon so stopped at the little cafe before walking back down towards town.  I opted for something lighter today, Welsh Rarebit, which is basically posh cheese on toast with added Worcestershire sauce and mustard, I'm sure if you want to try it out google will come up with the recipe.  It was very tasty

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to change, still on the warm side but with scattered showers, I had planned to walk the coast path but it will depend on what it's like, I do have plenty of project to keep me occupied if it's too wet 😉

-X-