High on a hill lived a mountain goat herd
Cable cars, trams, UFOs and goat spotting in Llandudno
Hello dear readers. How has your week been? Here we’re back in the swing of spelling tests and remembering PE kits, as well as having a party for my youngest, who has just turned six.
Cue buying ludicrous amounts of Haribo (so she can give a bag to seemingly everyone she’s ever met) and an Encanto-themed birthday party at home. My eldest (who’s nine) turned party DJ and proceeded to call out ‘Come on people make some NOISE!’ to the eight kids bopping to Gangnam Style in our conservatory, while throwing Maoam sweets into the excited crowd. It was a vibe.
This week I thought I’d share with you our quest to find mountain goats in Llandudno while on holiday in North Wales a couple of weeks ago (note: actually feels like a about a year ago).
We were there for a week, but it would be a great and do-able day out, as Llandudno is about a 1hr 45min drive from our home in Bolton.
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This weeks’ adventure… Mountain goat safari in Llandudno
Since I read that the mountain goats of Llandudno had come down into the town during lockdown and were seen trotting around the streets and feasting on hanging baskets, I’d wanted to see these creatures for myself.
Originally gifted to Queen Victoria by the landowner Lord Mostyn, these Kashmiri mountain goats are now wild and live on the Great Orme, a rocky hill above the seaside town of Llandudno.
When I informed the girls that we might be able to see them while on holiday they were both super excited, and so our quest began.
There are numerous ways of getting up and down the Orme. My husband reliably informs me that former Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall used to run up and down there as part of his fitness regime, but unless you’re crazy I wouldn’t recommend that.
We took the Victorian tramway up there, as it’s suitable for dogs and we were with my parents and Domino, their Labradoodle (aka the love of my life).
It was a fantastic journey as the tram, a smart navy blue and sparkling in the late summer sunshine, pulled us up though narrow streets with glimpses of the glimmering ocean, before getting into the Orme country park.
The views are stunning from the summit and we were lucky enough to have glorious weather. There’s a nice cafe where we had coffee and cake, a cute (and not too expensive) gift shop and a kids playground where getting to the top of the climbing frame feels like they are on top of the world.
There are plenty of trails to walk around and admire the views, but watch out for UFOs. According to a display inside the cafe it’s one of the top spots in the UK for spotting alien spacecrafts. One family even lost five hours of their day after a suspected abduction up there, apparently.
Thankfully we didn’t have any supernatural encounters, although we didn’t find any goats either. We decided to descend via the cable car (mum and dad took Domino back down on the tram) and it was epic. The views were spectacular, the cable car was like something from a 1960s Alpine postcard and my 6yo waved at everyone coming past us on the way up, calling out ‘hello there’. Almost everyone waved and hello’d back; ‘Mummy I feel like a celebrity!’ she declared.
Getting up and down the Orme in this fashion wasn’t cheap (£12 each for one cable car ride, although it’s £12.50 for a return), and the queues build throughout the day. But we got there in the morning while it was quiet-ish and we were on our holidays, and it was one of the most memorable things I think we’ll do this year. So well worth it.
However, we hadn’t seen any goats. Sad face from my 9yo. So a couple of days later, we decided to give it another try, this time via a driving tour. There’s a one-way toll road called the Marine Drive that costs £3.90 per car that allows you to drive round the Orme, taking in the beautiful scenery, and, we hoped, goats.
Readers, it was a success! About ten minutes into the drive my 6yo called out ‘Mummy, goats!’ in glee, and there was a mini herd of seven of them just up the side of the hill. We pulled over and scrambled up to take a closer look. They were skipping around the rocks and chattering to each other in a kind of yodelling bleat. It was brilliant. The girls were thrilled, mission accomplished, mic drop.
So, if you’re in the market for a day out with epic views, Victorian tramways, ice cream, cable cars and mountain goats - and you’re willing to take on the small risk of an alien abduction - I would thoroughly recommend the Great Orme in Llandudno.
That’s it for this week folks. Did you get this far? Then of course you’re my favourite readers.
See you next week,
Jenna