portland7spudnic

Hello! My husband and I are taking a 20th anniversary trip this summer to Wales and Scotland. One if our stops in Wales is Llandudno. We will be there for several days and are hoping to see the train station with the longest place name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch. My son loves languages and would be so tickled if we came back with a picture of it. I know its a trivial, touristy thing, but we really hope it can be done. My question is, has anyone taken the train there and back from Llandudno? I know there is not a station attendant or ticket booth there, so I'm a bit worried about how easy/ difficult it is to switch directions and go back to Llandudno after our photo op. I looked at the rail website and was still unsure. Any thoughts or experience with this? Thanks so much!

thursdaysd

Not sure what your problem is. Llanfair is a request stop (as is Conwy). Make sure the conductor knows you want to get off there. When returning, flag down (wave at) the oncoming train.

Be careful about which trains, looks like mostly you'll be stuck for an hour, but there is one pair that gives you just ten minutes which should be long enough for a photo.

flanneruk

There's no direct train from Llandudno to Llanfair: you need to get to the separate Llandudno Junction station, about 5 miles from the town centre, and catch the relatively major trains from bigger cities to Holyhead. Most of the time the timetable shows for the Llandudno-Llanfair journey is spent getting the train from the town centre station to Llandudno Junction and then waiting for the Holyhead train. It might be handier and quicker to drive this bit (if you're in a car) or get a bus or taxi from the centre.

Buy day return tickets at Llandudno/ Llandudno Junction. Once on the train to Holyhead, just tell the conductor you want to get off at Llanfair. At Llanfair, simply take the footbridge to the opposite platform for the train back. To see the station layout google Llanfair PG then select "images".

Apart from the tedium of waiting for the return train (and there is a pub/restaurant a few yards away), it's hard to see what could go wrong.

hetismij2

Or hire a car, drive over the bridge, see the station (which is a total non event) then go explore some of Anglesey. Enjoy Beaumaris and if you lucky with the weather the views back across the Menai stait to Snowdonia. Anglesey is very different to mainland North Wales. Full of history, burial mounds, copper mines, ancient chapels, castles, great walking, wonderful bays and beaches and often much better weather than across the water.

LancasterLad

Shearings Coaches Holidays have two central hotels in Llandudno, the Marine Hotel and the County Hotel.

Every week they run a coach trip to Llanfair. I doubt whether any coach is fully subscribed, so as an alternative to hanging around for trains why not pop to either hotel, and ask if you can pay for a day out on one of their trips. I've seen that happens on other Shearings Holidays, so worth a try.

There isn't a right lot to grab your attention in Llanfair, so having another couple of stops on a coach trip will make for a fuller more interesting day. The coach drivers are also usually very knowledgeable, and will give an interesting commentary along the way.

portland7spudnic

Thank you, thursdayd, this is the info I was looking for! I am mostly concerned about how to get off and on the train- flagging it down, regular stops vs. hopping off, etc. I hoped it was like a city bus where you let the driver know when you want off or on. I am guessing we'll need 2 tickets, one for each way.

I'll check out other transportation options as well, since I want to do it as cheaply and quickly as possible.

Thanks to all for your suggestions about what else to see and do in the vicinity. We are going to Conwy that day as well and so will work it all together, but maybe fitting in another stop would work.

Thanks again, everyone here is so helpful! 😀

thursdaysd

Note that Conwy is also a request stop. Shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure the conductor (ticket collector on the train) knows you need the stop, and get ready to get off when you see the preceding station.