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Jamie Owen walks the length of the Wales coastal path as his series continues on Radio Wales (Saturdays at 1 PM, repeated Sundays 5 PM). In his blogs he shares his experiences along the way - in the last programme in this series he's reached the north Wales coast.

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It’s probably not the most promising start to a walk on the Wales Coast Path to simply sit down and watch the world go by, but when your starting point is Deganwy you would be making a mistake to rush off rather than to savour some of the most spectacular scenery Wales has to offer. Besides, sitting down to contemplate the world, getting your map out and planning the day is all part of the journey.Ìý So my walk begins sitting on the wooden jetty near Deganwy marina, map spread out beside me, dangling my feet in the water.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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You’d have to go along way in the world to find anywhere quite as show-stopping as the view across the Conwy river from Deganwy looking towards Conwy Castle, its battlements this morning watching over the early departure of a flotilla of sailing boats plodding along slowly for now under engine power, but readying their mainsails for the lethargic breeze awaiting them on one of the hottest days of the year.

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On another day I would have spent hours exploring Conwy’s stronghold across the water from here, but my plan is to walk the Wales Coast Path from Deganwy marina to the pier at Llandudno. My route following the water’s edge will take me along Penmorfa West Shore, over the Great Orme, to St Tudno’s Church then the final stretch to Llandudno. By the time I’ve stopped and chatted to everyone I meet along the way - I guess it’ll be the best part of a day’s walk. I’ll be in good company, following in the footsteps of Bismarck, Napoleon III, Disraeli and Gladstone - none of them walked the coast as far as I know but they were all visitors to Llandudno.

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It was mussels and pearls that once occupied the fishermen here, busy supplying the tables and jewellers with the finest that the Conwy Estuary could offer up. The mussels are still big business in this neck of the woods but on this particular morning, I didn’t see any pearl fishers leaping for joy. The real treasure for me is this Wales Coast Path and the people that it attracts from all over the world. Despite the early hour, it’s already busy with dog walkers, horse riders, beach goers and tourists.

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Perhaps the most famous visitor to Llandudno was Alice Liddell, the little girl who was said to be the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland. Alice’s father Dean Liddell had a house near the dunes at Penmorfa, which was perfectly placed to observe rabbits diving into holes. A memorial by F. W. Forrester portraying the White Rabbit was unveiled by Lloyd George in 1933.

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Four legs would certainly be preferable to two for the steep climb up the Great Orme. Half way up the road I meet a couple pausing to look over the stone wall to Marine Drive - the row of mansions that runs beneath the road beside the water. They’re trying to identify the property that Cliff Richard is said to have bought for his mother. They heard it on the commentary on the vintage bus tour around the Orme. I leave them with their binoculars searching for clues. The mansions’ uninterrupted views towards Anglesey and the mainland are clear as a bell on a blue-sky day.

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Walkers who reach half way around the Great Orme, stumble with gratitude upon the aptly named and exquisitely located, Rest and Be Thankful café which awaits offering food and drink to the gasping rambler. The picnic benches outside are a good place to sit and chew your sandwich and pick out the Isle of Man and Blackpool Tower in the far distance. The café is too remote for the mains supply so takes its water from a spring, which ran dry a few days ago. The sign of a hot dry summer and it’s still only July.

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Before tourism, it was the Celtic monk, Tudno who made the Orme a destination for the faithful. A little further round the coastline from the café, St Tudno’s little church, a modest affair, a squat stone and slate building hugs the cliff top. I’m visiting on a Saturday but on Sunday they’re planning an open-air service in the churchyard. It's a powerful place for worship. Sitting under the trees on the stone and wood benches grouped around the pulpit you could almost taste the spray from where the land touches the sea. The ancient church door opens an oasis of cool air in a dark space, welcome relief from the sun on a boiling afternoon. The whiff of damp hymn books and candle wax is entrancing. Two ancient coffin lids hanging on the wall dominate the entrance. The names of the deceased are not known - but given their ornate decoration, they must have been the final resting place of wealthy people. The church was destroyed by a great storm in 1839, worship was abandoned until the church was restored in 1855. The font had to be retrieved from a nearby farm where it had been used as a water trough.

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Before St Tudno, prehistoric man was in evidence on the Great Orme. There’s a burial chamber here, then the Roman’s came for the copper buried in the mountain. These days, Llandudno makes its money from leisure and pleasure. The Mostyn family, the local landowners saw the potential of a place by the seaside in close proximity to the growing industrial northern cities of England. The health giving benefits of sea bathing was all the rage. The sprouting of the railway network and paid holidays built the foundations of the grand resort that curves around the bay.

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From a half a mile away, you can hear the shrieks of the children in cable cars and trams clanking up and down the Great Orme. The longest cable car ride in Britain holds a few surprises for passengers sitting with their back to the direction of travel. With each bump through one of the supporting pylons a cry of surprise emanates from the distance.

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The last few miles towards Llandudno, the Wales Coast Path clings to the shoreline beneath grey cliffs. Saturday is a good day to walk here, the limestone is alive with a dozen climbers spread-eagled, holding on to cracks and crevices while suspended above the traffic on ropes. One of the climbers tells me the birds don’t always like sharing their homes with passing humans. On his slow ascent of the cliff face, he’d been spat at by seagulls and vomited over by Fulmars, but had not been put off his stride.Ìý

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There’s a nostalgic delight to be found on Llandudno Pier; it’s how we used to do seaside holidays. Fortune tellers, amusement arcades, slot machines and ice cream kiosks seem from another more innocent time before video games and package holidays to the Med. It’s packed to the gunnels this afternoon. Today it is hotter here than it is in the Med and Llandudno has got a spring in its step.