Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

1 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

IN LOVELY WALES.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

IN LOVELY WALES. I.-LLANDUDNO. AMONG the many popular sumnler resorts on the northern coast of lovely Wales, Llan- dudno claims, and perhaps justly, a pre-eminent position. The inhabitants of the town call it the queen of Welsh watering-places," and if the crown is to be awarded to the town patronised by the greatest number of visitors, no other place, not on the northern coast only, but in the whole of Wales, stands a chance in the com- petition for it. Attractions. A few years ago, speaking comparatively, Llandudno was a small village. To-day it has a LLANDUDNO-TOWN AND BAY. THE BEACH AND PAVILION. resident population of seven or eight thousand, and in Summer the number is increased fourfold without taking account of day-excursionists. The chief attractions are a beautiful bay with its ^urving shore two miles in length, the Great rrne's Head, the many places of interest within 1 1 easy reach either by coach or rail, the magnificent views of sea and mountain that are to be obtained rom the slopes of the Orme, and above all, the ^lubrity of its climate. It is claimed for Llan- udno that the air is singularly dry, in this aspect excelling the watering places in the south °. England whilst as to temperature the average lnter minimum is no lower, and the average aUtn™er maximum is not so high as such places Torquay or Brighton. Being almost sur- ounded by the sea, the atmosphere of the town very rarely becomes oppressive, and the breezes that blow upon it from the north are tempered by the genial warmth of the Gulf Stream. Llandudno can boast that it possesses one of the finest asphalted promenades in the United Kingdom. It is ninety feet wide and two miles in length, and the contour is most pleasing to the eye. A tale is told that, when plans were being prepared with a view to making Llandudno a health resort, the then Lord Mostyn demurred to so much land being wasted for the purpose of a promenade, but that the surveyor, imbibed with the idea that the town was destined to become the Queen of the West," steadfastly refused to make any alterations in his plans. Out of the promenade a pier, over 800 yards in length, projects into the sea; and in the upper part of the parade, under the shelter of the Great Orme, stands a pavilion with seating accommodation for 4,000 people. The Great Orme. Next to its climate and its bay, Llandudno's chief attraction is undoubtedly the Great Orme rising to a height of 678 feet, and on the slopes of which the town is partly built. This familiar promontory is two miles across from east to west and a little over six miles in circumference, its forrq being roughly triangular. On its eastern slope is a delightful shelving glade known as the Happy Valley, and higher up stands the ancient Church of St. Tudno, so ancient that the date of the foundation thereof is lost in the mists of the past. The late John Bright used to worship often in the little church, and one of his children was buried in the churchyard attached thereto. Round the Great Orme runs a marine drive, constructed at a cost of ^14,000. It mostly passes along the edge of perpendicular cliffs, giving superb views of the breakers which crash on the iron-bound coast on the one hand, and of precipices, crags, and crevices in the car- boniferous limestone rocks on the other. Some very interesting caves may also be found in various parts of the mountain. The Environs. In addition to the natural attractions of Llandudno itself there are quite a number of most interesting places from an archaeo- logical and historical point of view to 'be found within a few miles of the "Cambrian Naples." In one direction-towards the west- are the Gogarth ruins, supposed to be those either of an old palace of the Bishops of Bangor,, or of a monastery belonging to the Abbots of Conway. A little further, almost opposite the ancient town of Conway, is Deganwy, which was one of the strongholds of the Cymry in the olden times. In an easterly direction, within less than two miles of the town lie Gloddaeth, one of the old Mostyn residences, and Eglwys y Rhos, a very ancient little church, said to have been in its glory in the time of Maelgwn Gwynedd. A curious tradition is associated with this little church. Maelgwn Gwynedd, a Welsh chieftain