The Great Orme Tramway

On 4th April we had some shopping to do at a store in Llandudno. Once the purchases had been made we decided to see if we could ride up the Great Orme Tramway. This pleased me because it was my wife's suggestion. I had always wondered what the tram way experience would be like. Once we had parked the car we walked over to Victoria Station, the town terminus of the tramway where a tramcar was almost full of travellers. The fare was a little over £10 for the two of us (no concessions). We went over to the tramcar and found the last available double seat.

The tramcars are blue and open ended with a glazed door between the attendant and the passengers. This is fascinating because the side windows are unglazed! Just before the tram moved forward there was the sound of a telephone. It was fitted to the tram. The attendant answered the phone and spoke to the caller. He replaced the receiver and then the tram began to move.

Slowly we ascended the steep street, closed to other vehicles except those requiring access. We next passed people sitting outside a pub and then crossed over the next street to begin the main climb. As I was sure the tram was electrically powered I was confused at the lack of a motor sound.

Eventually we arrived at the Half Way Station where it was necessary to alight and walk through the station to catch one of the trams that worked the upper section. Once we were all aboard the attendant turned to the front seat passengers and said, "I'll shut the door - it will keep out the draught." Much laughter was the reply to his joke, a reference to the unglazed side windows. Steadily we climbed and, just had happened on the lower section we slowed to move past the descending tramcar.

By this time I had worked out the means of propulsion. At the Halfway Station there was a control centre from where the trams were hauled by steel cables running in a groove below the tramway surface. the telephone call earlier had been to enquire of the attendant how many passengers were travelling. The controllers at Halfway Station would then make the relevant decision as to how much power was needed to haul the vehicle. The interesting side to this is that whilst each controller makes a phone call for the same reason the one dealing with the upper section hauls the car with less power than the one dealing with the lower section. This is because the lower section is the steepest and therefore requires more power to haul the cars.

At the top we were able to take a look at the visitor centre which gave details of the wildlife to be seen on the peninsular and something of the tramway's history. Alternatively we could also have visited the cafe at the summit some yards away. After a visit to the exhibition we took the descending car and made our slow way to the bottom of the hill.

Having returned to the car we found the entrance to the toll road which circumvents the Great Orme and did the tour. As it was out of season no one asked us for a toll. We then drove slowly anticlockwise round the hill. Almost 2 years previously we had sailed on the Balmoral, a preserved pleasure craft, past this spot and noticed a preserved motor coach using this road. As we returned to standard roads we agreed it had all been worthwhile.

Since coming to live in Anglesey we have grown to love our visits to Llandudno. It is a place that really lacks only one thing - sufficient parking spaces. There is a pier, a wide promenade, large hotels, a theatre (Venue Cymru), lots of quality shops and bags of fresh air. A short distance away at Llandudno Junction are many out of town shopping locations covering just about everything people will need. All in all it is a jewel in the North Wales crown.

Aberystwyth

Yesterday we travelled to Aberystwyth. I had previously visited the town but Pauline had not. Therefore we drove there so she could see what she thought of the place.

As far as accessibility is concerned it does not score very well. There is a rail link but it is downgraded to single line working. The train we saw travelling there was a 2 coach 158 which is not ideal for long distance work. I think all trains involve a change. The time is something like 4.5 hours of a journey from Bangor, Gwynedd. The road there has no dual carriageway at all as is the case for the entire A470 which passes north to south along the central spine of the principality. So you can say that many places are inaccessible to a degree. To travel to Cardiff it is probably best to fly from Anglesey Airport (RAF Valley).

On arrival there are considerable parking difficulties unless you have a disabled blue badge. Most of the streets are quite narrow and camels can be seen passing through needles! The promenade is narrow and the beach is uninspiring. It is partly sand and partly shingle. What hotels exist on the sea front looking unwelcoming and poorly maintained. The pier is a short and pretty ugly affair.

One would be wrong to think of the town as a seaside resort as it lacks those sort of facility. There is a lovely funicular railway at the opposite end of the sea front to the pier and this seems very well maintained. The shops are mostly the traditional shops as opposed to the modern shopping estates which is probably a good thing.

The only food outlet I have tried is "Le Figaro" next door to the Cambrian Hotel. I have to admit that when I last ate there it was on the house as I was advising the owner, Mike Fisher, on a business matter. But we ate there yesterday at our own expense and we were delighted with the standard of the food offered. The midday food was good and wholesome and the evening offering looked very good indeed. As for the wine list it took in the whole world and offered a wide variety of different quality of wine. This impressed us greatly for we love wine.

Travelling through Snowdonia is not the greatest experience with such narrow roads. We followed the Welsh Highland railway for quite a distance and there was a works train standing in the station at Rhy Ddu. Once we gained the A487 which strikes south near Dolgellau it was different mountain scenery. The road winds for most of the way and passes through a narrow pass which feels claustrophobic. But some of the vistas were quite delightful. Machynllyth proved to be quite an attractive old market town with a clock tower as a prominent feature there.

At one point we passed a sign directing tourists to the Corris Railway just outside Corris Uchaf. I know nothing of the railway but think it might be worth a visit for the railway enthusiast. There is an attraction called King Arthur's Labyrinth just off the main road but it looks like a contrived affait which would not sit well with some.

On the journey home we chose to travel via Porthmadoc and this proved a good choice. It is probably a slight detour but we thought it well worthwhile as the weight of traffic was less. After passing over the con between Boston Lodge Locomotive Works and Harbour Station on the Ffestiniog Railway we crossed the short street rail section of the Welsh Highland Railway which is due to run into Harbour Station this autumn.

We made good time and felt so much better once we had crossed the Britannia Bridge to our lovely Anglesey. It was good to be home but, despite not giving many marks to Aberystwyth, we had enjoyed the day out.