Miss Mostyn rides the Llandudno Cable Car, weather permitting and dignity cautiously retained.
The Llandudno Cable Car runs from Happy Valley towards the Great Orme summit and gives one of the town’s most memorable views, provided the weather has not taken against the whole arrangement.
The cable car opened in 1969 and has operated seasonally since, giving visitors an alternative to the tramway for reaching the Orme heights. It runs in a single continuous run from Happy Valley, close to the pier end of the promenade, to the summit area, covering a vertical rise of some 180 metres in a few minutes.
On a clear day, the ride opens up the bay, pier, promenade and headland in a way that makes even the most talkative companion pause. Briefly, one forgives them.
The gondolas are small (typically four-passenger) which gives the experience an intimacy that the tramway, with its open carriages and neighbourly seating, does not. Whether this is preferable depends on the companion.
It is seasonal in feeling and weather dependent in practice. Wind, low cloud and queues can all interfere, as can people who discover too late that dangling above a town was not their deepest wish.
The route passes over the limestone grassland and cliff terrain of the lower Orme slope, giving a perspective on the headland’s character that neither road nor path fully provides. The town below diminishes steadily and the sea expands to the north, which is the correct order of things.
There is charm in the slight vulnerability of it. One is carried above Llandudno with just enough exposure to sharpen the manners and discourage unnecessary movement.
Peak season queues can be significant, particularly on summer weekends and during the Victorian Extravaganza. Visiting mid-week or early in the day generally avoids the worst of it.
The cable car works best as part of a wider Orme visit. Ride up and walk down, or use it to turn a simple seafront day into something with height and consequence.
It is not essential, but when conditions are right, it is a classic pleasure. I confess there are worse ways to be suspended in public.