Last month we went on holiday to North Wales staying in the small seaside town of Llandudno. Like the rest of the U.K. Wales was in lockdown for much of last year. This meant hotels, bars, shops and restaurants were closed and tourists stayed away. A local graffiti artist was able to celebrate the effect this had on some of the wildlife by painting murals on one of the seafront shelters. I have been trying to spot lockdown art and was pleased to photograph these two murals.
Llandudno is nestled between two hills, the Great Orme and Little Orme. It is normally a sleepy town, famous for its Victorian architecture, its pier, its mining heritage and its long beach. A cable car and a cliff railway take visitors to the top of the Great Orme. But during lockdown it hit the headlines in an unusual way.
Kashmiri goats have long backward pointing horns and long beards. They were originally imported from Kashmir for their wool. Queen Victoria loved cashmere shawls and kept a small herd at Windsor Park. When she stayed near Llandudno on holiday she heard of the town’s problem keeping the vegetation on the Great Orme in check and she suggested using Kashmiri goats. She even gave some to a local landlord. The goats thrived and the herd has increased over the years. They enjoy interacting with visitors especially when food is involved.
During lockdown they clearly missed the visitors and the goats were seen roaming the local streets and even eating people’s hedges. Now the town is busy again they have retreated up the Great Orme and we had to ride the cable car to see them. The local and national press had fun inventing puns “ghost town to goat town” “call goat busters” “nanny state” “the kids are out of control” You can read more of the story and see a video here.
Lockdown also had an effect on sea life. There were less boat trips and no cruise liners. One suprising visitor to North Wales was Wally the Walrus who became a popular local tourist attraction. He was thought to have swum down from the seas around northern Norway. Wildlife experts tried moving him with polar bear scent from a local zoo without much success.
This post has been added to photographing public art challenge 11 and Sunday Stills photographing murals challenge. Click the links to see what other bloggers have found.
The South West Rambler 
I’m glad you got in a little holiday last month, Anne! I think, think being the operative word, that we went to Llandudno when I was a kid, but it was a quick nip in by car and straight back home because we went there just to pick up our new puppy, Robbie. This was when I was a kid. I always wished I had the chance to actually see the place. I didn’t know there was a cable car there until your blog. I’ve never ridden in one of those either. I need to get out more 😉
It’s eye opening to think of all the ways lockdown has impacted life, and not just human life either. I love the art! There are some very talented artists out there.
Caz xx
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One of our cats came from near Llandudno. My daughter was at university in Bangor like me and bought a kitten. The cable car is newish but fun. I do hope you get about more.
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Hi Anne, I love your post. The goat and all the play on words made me smile. It was fun visiting a goat town. These are great works of public art. Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
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What marvelous murals for this week’s entry. I’m so happy you played along. 😀
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I love the idea of your challenge. We are going into autumn and flower of the day is difficult.
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I am glad you are taking advantage of travelling, Anne. I recall seeing the wandering goats on media sites. You are right how sea life around the world has been affected by the lockdown. Thank you for sharing a fun and interesting post. I appreciate the photos.
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Llandudno – what a fabulous name! I had to google it and have it pronounced for me. I know Welsh words are not always intuitive to pronounce, but I would never have guessed this one!
I can almost imagine the goats wandering on the streets …
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Congratulations! I featured your post on PPAC for the week.
I hope you have a terrific weekend.
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Thanks very much.
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I love the goat and the walrus murals, and how the artist has created something fun and colourful during a lockdown. Thank you, Anne, for sharing these with #SundayStills.
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I liked the stories behind the pictures.
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Awesome use of lockdown. I remember going to the store to try to get paint and finding the aisles so very empty. It was so depressing… So, I ventured into another area and I’ve found I’m rather enjoying it.
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Those were great and I enjoyed the stories behind them
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Great find – this art is so well
Done
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This is cool, I love a bit of street art to brighten up an area.
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