Llandudno Promenade

Llandudno’s promenade is approximately two miles long and is a great place for a walk with historic buildings and hotels on one side and the sea and the sands on the other. I’d walked part of the promenade along the North Shore nearest the Pier on a previous trip but this time I also walked to near the end of the promenade as I went to visit a farm nearby (more of which next time).

The promenade is pedestrian only which makes it a lovely place for a gentle stroll for all ages. You can get great views no matter where you are of the sea and shore (there are better beaches elsewhere in Llandudno which you’ll read about later, here it’s a bit more rocky than sandy).

Many of the buildings that line the shore have an interesting history, like that of The Imperial Hotel. As well as host to royalty – both Prince Leopold, son of Queen Victoria, and Queen Rambai Barni of Siam (Thailand) stayed there – but during the Second World War, along with over 400 other hotels and residences it became HQ to the Inland Revenue Services and its over 4,000 civil servants who had been evacuated from London.

One of the fun things I discovered this time round was the artwork decorating these seating areas, some of which had a COVID theme (I think they were produced during various lockdowns) – spot the mask wearing tram driver and one of Llandudno’s famous goats – I went on to have several encounters with the real thing before the week was out.

Another important feature of the promenade is the bandstand. The Llandudno Town Band was created in 1910 and because the nearby hotel owners inevitably complained about a noisy band right outside their entrance the council bought a mobile bandstand on wheels that could be moved by horses – I definitely would have enjoyed watching that! However, this present more permanent bandstand was erected in 1926 and is still in use today.

At the end of the promenade is a paddling pool (not in use when I was there, very much off season) and the RNLI Llandudno Lifeboat station. It’s here too that you get some stunning views of the area.

A lovely place to wander.