The year started off quietly. We had some good weather but only a few special events. The 12th annual Wirral to Llandudno Mini Run, pictured left, appeared on the promenade on the 15th. The rally stopped in Rhos-on-Sea before travelling up the Great Orme and then down to the prom.

A cloudless West Shore, 16th January 2012

January

The annual Nick Beer 10k Road Race came to town on the 12th, pictured right. The race is organised by North Wales Road Runners Club and includes a run around the Great Orme. On the 28th Caffe Nero officially opened, after a soft opening with free coffee on the 27th.

Ariel view of Llandudno, 7th February 2012

February

Along came Spring, and so did the baby wild goats such as the kids on the left, photographed on Marine Drive on the 16th.

March

Blue sky and bunting, taken outside our shop on Llandudno Pier, 29th March 2012

Llandudno got its first Sainsbury’s on the 21st, when the Mostyn Street branch opened its doors.

The new Llandudno Daffodil Capital of Wales Campaign received a boost when the springtime daffodils appeared. The Campaign has spent the year raising funds and planting bulbs, so we can expect an even bigger display in 2013.

April

Cotton Traders clothing opened a Llandudno branch on the 6th. The promenade saw some activity this month, with the Disability Snowsport Easter Race on the 7th and a Porsche rally on the 22nd, pictured above.

Easter daffodils in the Happy Valley, 8th April 2012

The annual Victorian Extravaganza, pictured left on its final day, arrived on the first Bank Holiday of the month.

May

Amongst excited scenes, the Olympic torch came to town. Signs were spotted at the Tram Station, celebrating 110 years of service, and the beach became busy as we enjoyed some hot weather.

The Olympic Torch reaches Llandudno, 29th May 2012

There was plenty of sporting endeavour this month. The Llandudno 10 Mile Road Race took place on the 17th, pictured, followed by the Triathlon on the 23rd. Characters Tea House opened this month on Llewelyn Avenue. We quickly found out that they make an excellent pot of tea.

June

The new story-telling place in the Happy Valley, 12th June 2012

The new Alice in Wonderland trail was launched, with wooden sculptures appearing around the town. According to a poll on our Facebook page, at the time the Red Queen and the White Rabbit were the most popular. Pictures of all the new statues can be seen on the next page.

The Alice in

Wonderland

sculptures

The White Rabbit The Red Queen

The Mad Hatter Alice

The Red Arrows flew past on their way to the Rhyl Air Show, the annual Headstock music event started at the King’s Head, and the Cath Kidston tour bus (pictured left) rolled into town, much to the delight of retro floral accessory lovers everywhere.

July

An aeroplane ’landed’ on the prom as part of the Adain Avion art space. It was accompanied by retro-styled stewardesses and hosted a range of art events over seven days.

Adain Avion mobile art space, Llandudno promenade, 12th July 2012

Local businesses Parisella's and Baravelli's jointly launched a new Welsh cake-themed ice cream by giving out samples on the prom. The sign went up for a new independent shop on Mostyn Street, Little Poppets & Co, which sells nursery products. And the weather? Not great!

August

A floral clock, pictured right, was a new addition to the promenade, although there have been some issues with its timekeeping.

Early morning on the West Shore, 3 August 2012

A cycling event, the Great Orme Road Race, took place in a downpour on the 30th. Starlight Express, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, came to Venue Cymru, and the Gold Mine, a jewellery and antiques shop, relocated further up Mostyn Street.

September

The town experienced a lot of rain this month, as can be seen in the picture below of a torrent of water pouring off Marine Drive.

View down Mostyn Street, 2nd September 2012

The 2012 Cambrian Rally, pictured right, drove into town. The 21st saw a Family Fun Day in the Happy Valley, organised on behalf of Marie Curie Cancer Care and the Llandudno Daffodil Capital of Wales Campaign.

M&S began a refit of their Mostyn Street store and Harvey’s New York Bar & Grill opened.

October

Golden sunrise on the North Shore, 9th October 2012

The sun shone on Remembrance Sunday, pictured left, but the month also saw rain and storms, resulting in a felled tree on Church Walks and sand blown onto the promenade. The Llandudno Christmas Fayre took place on Madoc Street over four days, while an Alice in Wonderland

themed Santa’s Grotto opened in the Victoria Centre. Sporting events continued with the Conwy Half Marathon on the19th.

November

Firework display on Llandudno Pier, 5th November 2012

Snow appeared on the mountains, and some of the damper parts of the Great Orme turned to ice. Despite the cold weather, Santa Claus appeared on the prom for the Santa Fun Run on the 16th, and again on Boxing Day for the annual dash into the sea.

The shops were all decked out in Christmas decorations, Peter Pan was this year’s pantomime hero, and a new clothes shop, Susan French, opened on Upper Mostyn Street.

December

A breezy day on the beach, 5th December 2012

This guide was written by the team at North Shore, a family-run business which sells pictures of North Wales and Northern England, online and from our shop on Llandudno Pier. Browse our pictures of Llandudno on our website: North Shore. Our portfolio includes prints of Llandudno, Conwy, Snowdonia, Anglesey and further afield, along with unique local greetings cards.

And there’s

more...

All the pictures in this review are from our blog, Llandudno Daily Pictures, which gives a daily glimpse of the town and its goings-on. We hope you enjoyed it! Don’t forget to visit our website to download a free copy of our ‘Llandudno Facts, Legends & Myths’ guide. You can also download our free printable Llandudno 2013 calendar. Just visit the Freebies page.

The North Shore picture shop on Llandudno Pier. It’s the smallest gallery in Wales.