We was lucky to get one or two holidays a year. Our father working on the railways and was given free passes to travel on trains anywhere in the country.
Children were lucky if they got one holiday a year .
That would be in factory fortnight, when all the factories closed down and every one went away the very next day.
Mostly by coach or train. people didnt have cars of their own in 1950`s.
LLandudno has not changed much in the town centre and sea front. work has been done on the beaches and breakwater to stop the sea flooding the town. a new shopping centre and entertainment theatre has been built.
Our holidays had been to Llandudno North Wales and to Aberdovery Mid Wales. Isle of Wight, Morecambe. From our holidays at Llandudno we was able to visit many parts of wales, including Blaenau Ffestiniog .Prestatyn. Colwyn Bay. Betws-y-coed,Bala Lake, Llanrwst and near by Trefiw Woolen Mills, Llanfairechan, Bangor,Rhyl. Llanberis pass. Bodnant Gardens , Swallow Falls, Caernarfon Castle
We travelled up on the tram to the top of the Great Orme. We also walked up to the top and down again when we had no money to afford the ride with small children in tow.
In the 1980`s after i had been taken ill and was in hospital for three weeks while they did tests and scans on me. I needed a break . The railway at that time had a few convalescent homes around the country. My family worked for British Rail and i was entitled to a week at a Railway Home. I could take a family member with me. I chose my mother as i knew she loved Llandudno as much as i did. We travelled by train with the whole family, they wanted to see where we was staying for the week. We were under the care of the matron and had meals arranged as she thought correct for each of us. our room was at the back of the house. looking out of the window was a steep cliff of the Great Orme where the Kashmiri goats, a present from Queen Victoria to Major General Sir Savage Mostyn roamed and came near the home daily. My mother loved to see them outside the bedroom window.
Llandudno is one town by the sea where i feel at home. i know all the streets and my way around. unable to walk far i now have to travel by taxi from the rail station to the sea front. The town is still under the Mostyn family control and kept up in the victorian style.
The home closed on St Davids day 2005 and was sold to A.W Charitable Trust .Manchester.
As 1960`s began ,people wanted to go abroad.We was no different. The railway employees set up a holiday group.We was to visit. South of France, Italy and Spain.
Llandudno Railway rest home overlooking Snowdon mountains
Train at Llandudno Station
DONKEYS on North Shore. LLandudno owned by the same family for many years.
North Shore hotels. Llandudno we visited one of the hotels there for afternoon tea and sat watching the people going to the beach.
Mostyn Street Llandudno. a street full of shops.
North shore prom and beach. Llandudno
Marine Drive. near Happy Valley Llandudno
In the 1950`s our family holiday nearly ended badly. My sister had been playing on the grass slope in happy valley.
She slipped and i told my father he ran after her and caught her and saved her life.
It can be seen in the centre of the photo.
There was a whole class of children from a Manchester school looking at how different Llandudno is to Manchester.
The weather was cold and wet and windy most of the day, September 12th 2012
2016 (C)copyright. Susan Clarke Photo taken July 2008. The house. Penmorfa, where ALICE spent her holidays.
We also spent out holidays on the West Shore of LLandudno
2012 . May 4th. 160 years since Alice Liddel was born. She was the girl who Lewis Carroll wrote the Alice in Wonderland books about. Llandudno are having a ALICE DAY to celebrate her life.Alice and her family spent 9 years holidays in Llandudno. I was lucky enough in 2011 to be able to purchase a piece of the wooden parque floor of the Penmorfa. The house may have gone but the memory and a piece of floor live on.
Alice Liddel father was Dean of Christchurch Oxford.
Alice Statue near Railway station Llandudno
Rabbit statue. Mostyn Street Llandudno North Wales
View from DEGANWY CASTLE NORTH WALES.
Photo flickr, Karen Fisher
LLandudno .Including statue of Alice in Wonderland rabbit on the West Shore.
A poem written by Dr Isaac Watts was used by Lewis Carroll for his book Alice Adventures in Wonderland.
1950`s we visited Menai Bridge [Porthaethwy] in Welsh,and surrounding area via boat from Llandudno Pier Head.
As of June 28th 2012[ BBC News] .There are plans to reinstate this service and bring the ships back to Llandudno Pier , to take people to Isle of Man , Anglesey, Puffin Island. This can only help the town.As a child i would play on the beach and watch the ships come on from all these three places. Our treat one year was to be taken on the ship at the end of Llandudno pier to Anglesey near the Menai Bridge and back.http://www.llandudno.com
This was our first visit to see the Menai Suspension Bridge that Thomas Telford built in 1826.
Beaumaris Castle
Wonderful views from Beaumaris Castle across Menai Straight to the mountains of Snowdon.
www.anglesey-today.com
steam and electric trains.
transport to get to our destination
ISLE OF WIGHT FERRIES .
www.iwight.com
ISLE OF WIGHT. To get to the island travel by Red funnel ferry, Wight Link fast cat passenger and car and passenger .Hover Travel. I have travelled on all three forms of seafaring transport to the island.It is like going abroad only you are just across the sea from mainland Britain.
It is a small island and with a few days break you can manage to visit most of the island.The hotels and bed and breakfast are very good and look after you and serve very good meals. There is a peacefulness on the island of how it was years ago and yet all up to date with everything.you can take your pets with you and no passports needed.
Sandown, Shanklin. Newport , Cowes,Ventnor.East cowes Ryde.The coloured sands at the needles. Carrisbrooke castle, Bembridge, Queen Victoria home , Osbourne house are among places i visited.
The best way to get round is by the local bus and walking if you enjoy being outside or train to some towns.
Seaward Guest house. George Street. Ryde. Isle of Wight
I stayed at the Seaward Guest house for two nights in 2002 and 2003,
while i was researching for my book. Gulliver Travels Again.
www.iwight.com
BEMBRIDGE WIND MILL
I caught a bus from Ryde to Bembridge and back. most of the journey i was the only person on the bus for the whole journey. The driver mentioned famous places as we passed by.
CARRISBROOKE CASTLE.
The family mentioned in
my book GULLIVER TRAVELS AGAIN lived and owned CARRISBROOKE CASTLE.
RYDE
OSBORNE HOUSE
While on holiday at Sandown on the Isle of Wight we visited Osborne house
Queen Victoria had lived and died there.
It is a beautiful house with views overlooking the SOLENT SEA http://OSBORNE HOUSE, QUEEN VICTORIA
QUARR ABBEY
RYDE BEACH
Isle of Wight museum
CORNWALL.
ST MICHAELS MOUNT .
While on a holiday to Cornwall.
We stayed at Penzance e we walked across the beach to St Michaels Mount .
A day out to see St Ives the town where their are many artists wanting to paint the beautiful white beaches and blue seas.
We caught a double decker bus and went to Lands End , to the end of the United Kingdom
ST AUBYN FAMILY live on St Michaels Mount
.http://st aubyns estate walkers crisps
ST IVES. CORNWALL Lots of artists live there as the light is good for painting pictures
LANDS END. CORNWALL
The end of England . lots to do and see.
ABERDOVEY. MID WALES
A seaside village in Mid Wales. A truly relaxing place to visit with a wonderful beach.
We spent a few holidays there. renting a caravan from family friends.
It was a village full of friendly people willing to help out.
From the caravan , it was only a few steps over the sand dunes to the beach.
October 2012 was brought into the news a little girl had been taken while playing with her friends near her home in MACHYNLLETH A man is in custody charged with her murder. It is with great sadness that all the people around the river Dyfi wait for the police to find her. 2013 the court case is ongoing.ABERDOVEY has a large estuary from where the river flows into.She has never been found. A man has been charged with her murder.
ABERDOVEY BEACH. MID WALES
MORECAMBE
Full of friendly people. With a renovated MIDLAND Hotel on the sea front. It is THE ART DECO design and a grade 2 listed building .
A beach known to be unsafe to walk far out as there are sinking sands unless with a professional guide.
On the sea front is a statue of Eric Morecambe.
On the sea front British Rail had a station.
The building is still there but not as a railway station.
In the town was the Winter Gardens Theatre well know among stars. We met Charlie Chester there.
The building is haunted by a ghost.
MIDLAND HOTEL . MORECAMBE
STATUE of ERIC MORECAMBE at MORECAMBE BAY.
.
Morecambe Winter Gardens Theatre.
In the late 1950`s watched a show with Charlie Chester in it and met him afterwards at the stage door. He was a very nice person
From 1960 people earned more money and teenagers were now starting to earn their own money. They wanted to have a good time and wanted to get away to some where warm and not too expensive. Lots of people went to Spain or Majorca. It seemed that every one was going to Spain. I prefered to visit France or Italy
Alcudia.old town Majorca
(C) copyright 2016 susan e clarke http://ALCUDIA MAJORCAAlcudia [ tropical] beach
