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A massive
limestone peninsula extending into the Irish Sea, the Great
Orme is an extraordinary place, encapsulating over 4000
years of history.
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| Managed
as a country park, nature trail and heritage centre, the Great
Orme peninsula has exhibits which highlight the natural history
and wildlife of the area, this includes unusual species of
butterflies and many species of birds. The grasslands above
the cliffs support a wide variety of wildflowers. At its summit
stands its famous Bronze Age mine complex and visitor centre. |
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The Wildlife of the Orme |
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Country Park is much visited by naturalists, and is the habitat
of several endangered species of butterflies including the
Silky Wave, the Grayling and the Silver-studded Blue.
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cliffs play host to colonies of seabirds (such as Guillemots,
Kittiwakes and Razorbills as well as Gulls) and also to Ravens
and Little Owls. The Great Orme is also home to over 100 resident
and migrant birds including Peregrine Falcons.
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over 100 years the Orme has been home to a constantly growing
herd of over 150 Kashmiri Goats. |
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are many species of wild flowers and shrubs on the Orme and
the rarest is probably the ‘cotoneaster integerrimus’
which is unique to the Great Orme and grows only in its more
remote corners |
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The Great Orme Mines |
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Great Orme Prehistoric Copper Mine site forms one of
the United Kingdom’s most important archaeological
sites and is the largest Bronze Age mine in the world.
On a tour, your group will be taken around the mines
by one of their expert guides, who will be with you
for the duration of your visit. After explaining the
mines' history and showing a short film, your group
will be taken underground to see the labyrinth of tunnels
which were part of a vast industrial complex 4,000 years
ago. |
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Although
the tunnels you walk through are large enough to stand
in, many tunnels leading off are so small that they
could only have been mined by children, as young as
5 or 6 years. During the tour the group are encouraged
to imagine what life would have been like for people
living in the Bronze Age. One of the highlights is the
Great Cavern, this chamber (pictured right) was excavated
3 ,500 years ago by miners using stone and bone tools,
such as those pictured (left). |
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The Llandudno Tramway |
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Great Orme is home to Britain’s only remaining cable
operated street tramway, and one of only three surviving in
the world. Operation of the Great Orme tramway differs from
the famous and unique San Francisco system in that, like the
Lisbon lines, it is a funicular, where the cars are stopped
and started by activating the cable. |
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line starts at the Victoria Station in Church Road, Llandudno,
and is in two sections, passengers changing cars at the Halfway
Station. The lower section climbs the very steep Old Road
and then via Black Gate and Ty Gwyn Road to the Halfway Station
and has a maximum grade of 1 in 4. The line climbs 400 feet
in about half-a-mile. It was opened for passengers on July
31st 1902. The upper section, opened in 1903, is less steep
and climbs 150 feet in about the same distance.
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Discover
the Real Great Orme with a Guide!
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Postal Address: Cambrian Tour Guides
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Phone: (+44)01248 470 655 |
| Pandy
Parc, Llandyfrydog. Llanerchymedd. Anglesey. LL71 8AR |
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Mobile: (+44) 07790 511893 |
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e-mail: mail@cambriantourguides.co.uk |
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