| Issue 10 | |
December 2001 |
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Does anyone go hostelling in late November, a time of short days with Christmas fast approaching? Judging by the scarcity of open hostels the answer would seem to be no, at least during the week. A scan through the guide for hostels in North Wales revealed only one, Llangollen, open Monday to Thursday. Things are a little better at the weekend with a choice of Bangor, Capel Curig, Conwy, Corris, Idwal Cottage, Llanberis and Snowdon Ranger. We chose Conwy for a short weekend, Saturday night only.
Arriving in Conwy mid-day we dined in one of the traditional British eating establishments which are a feature of the town. Whether you fancy roast beef and two veg, fish and chips, or tea and cakes, you'll find them here. If your taste runs to McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut you'll find these in the new commercial area just across the water by Llandudno junction station.
Having eaten we drove the short distance to Llandudno West Shore and walked along the promenade towards Haulfre Gardens on the flanks of Great Orme. We watched three hardy souls indulging in a sport new to me, kite-surfing. This involves being towed along on a surfboard by a huge kite. They seemed to fall in less than surf-boarders and reached quite a speed, but if they did let the kite drop in the water it was quite a job to get going again.
In Haulfre Gardens a number of flowers were still in bloom, a testament to the mild climate of the area generally, and the sheltered aspect of the gardens. Not being an Alan Titchmarsh the only ones I could name were nasturtiums. We finished our short visit to Llandudno with a walk on the pier, very pleasant in the November sunshine.
Returning to Conwy we parked the car at the hostel and walked back down the hill into town. There are many small craft and gift shops here and a relaxed pace for a different style of Christmas shopping to the usual large city or shopping mall experience.
Our plans for the Sunday were thwarted by a heavy prolonged downpour, leaving no alternative to an early return home. Things we would have done would have been selected from the list below.
Walk up Conwy Mountain.
Not a mountain but a hill, the summit can be reached directly by footpath from the hostel. It only takes around 1/2 hour to reach the top and is well worth the effort for the superb views.
Walk around the town's medieval walls
-see the town from roof-top level, quite exciting in parts
Visit the RSPB bird reserve at Llandudno Junction
Other attractions in Conwy/Llandudno for the winter visitor:
Conwy Castle - one of the finest of Edward I's castles in Wales.
Royal Cambrian Academy of Art - exhibition of paintings by contemporary Welsh artists.
Walk up Great Orme, a limestone hill with impressive cliffs, overlooking Llandudno.
Try a toboggan ride at Ski Llandudno.
Conwy hostel is a relatively recent addition to the network and is of the highest standard. We had a comfortable 2 bedded room, wood panelled and with en-suite shower.
The building was constructed in the 60's as a trade union guest house. It has a typical architechtural style of that time, with simple uncluttered lines and large windows. The best room to my mind is the dining room. This is situated on the first floor with views on one side to the Conwy estuary and on the other to the peaks of Snowdonia. An unusual feature of the room is the clusters of globular light bulbs suspended from the ceiling. Part of the room is occupied by a lounge area with a bookshelf containing some surprising titles - I can't remember coming across the collected speeches of Mikhail Gorbachev in a hostel before. The wall in this area displays an interesting collection of leaflets from overseas youth hostel associations which may give you some ideas for future travels; many of these leaflets are available in the hostel. Downstairs there is a games room, a room for tv watchers and a useful day-access room.
Road
The A55 Expressway is a dual carriageway route from the motorway system to Conwy. The town benefitted immensely when the A55 route was diverted away from Conwy town centre on a new stretch of road built to cross the Conwy estuary in a tunnel.
Rail
Eight trains per day leave Crewe for Conwy (Winter 2002/3 timetable). An alternative to give more choice of times is to change at Llandudno Junction for a local train or bus to Conwy. Or if the weather is good it is a pleasant walk from Llandudno Junction to Conwy.
This page updated 4/02/03.