Llandudno Promenade

Two miles of seafront that curves around Llandudno Bay like someone drew it with a ruler - all Victorian lampposts, neat gardens, and that particular shade of grey-blue sea that says North Wales. The promenade stretches from the pier at one end to the base of Great Orme at the other, and it's the sort of place where you can walk for hours without quite realising it.

The Victorian pier itself is the main draw if you fancy paying to go on it - rides, amusements, fish and chips, the works. But the promenade proper is free, and frankly you don't need the pier to make a morning or afternoon of it. The seafront gardens are well-maintained without being fussy, and there's a proper sandy beach that works for families with young kids. The walk towards Great Orme gets progressively more interesting, with rockpools, wild patches, and eventually you're climbing up towards the headland itself.

It suits almost anyone, though families with toddlers might find the length a bit much on a tired day. Walkers will want to push on to Great Orme. Older visitors seem to spend contented hours simply sitting on the benches watching the sea.

Stay at Hafan y Gogarth, just under a mile away, or Aberconwy Resort & Spa two miles off - both put you within easy reach. Go on a decent weather day; wind and rain make the grey buildings look properly miserable. A couple of hours minimum, but you could happily do a full morning here.