God's Work at it's Very Best! (The Great Orme (Llandudno))

Member Name: SusanLesley

Product:	The Great Orme (Llandudno)
Date:	06/01/05 (2120 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Views, wildlife, walks, mines, trams, cable cars!

Disadvantages: None - it's lovely!

Now I am happily living in Llandudno I thought that I would write an opinion about our famous Great Orme but where do I start? There is such a lot to tell and even though I intend to write seperate opinions about the Bronze Age Mines, which are situated on the Orme and the Tramway which takes you to the top, I think this might still turn out to be quite a long opinion!

Ok, get yourself settled with a cup of tea, coffee, glass of wine, whatever and I will take you on a virtual tour.

Just to give you a bit of background before we start The Great Orme is a headland 2 miles long, 1 mile wide and which rises to 207 metres above sea level at its highest point.

It was formed 300 million years ago on a tropical seabed and is made from Carboniferous Limestone, which was subject to later volcanic activity causing it to rise and crack forming the headland that we see today.

The Great Orme lies at the north end of Llandudno in North Wales with the North Shore and main part of the town to it's right and the quieter more residential West Shore to it's left, viewed looking from land out to sea.

We live on the West Shore side of the town in a house built from Great Orme rock and from our back garden and many of our windows we can see the Orme quite clearly. It never looks the same two days running. Sometimes it's silhouetted against a clear blue sky and you can see hang gliders catching the air currents that sweep up the side of the cliffs. Sometimes the cloud is so low that you can see the top of the Orme above it, and sometimes it's so misty that the Orme looks like a monster partly hidden waiting to pounce. It is easy to see why the name Orme is thought to be a derivation of the Norse word for worm or sea serpent.

Sorry, I'm getting carried away there aren't I? But if you know the area at all you will know that it is very beautiful and it is easy to wax lyrical about it.

The Great Orme has been designated a Special Area of Conservation, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Heritage Coast, and it is managed as a Country Park and Local Nature Reserve by Conwy Countryside Service. It now also flies the prestigious Green Flag.

The Orme is home to a herd of feral Kashmir goats, which are a pure breed dating back to the 1890's. Recently some of the goats have been moved to other carefully selected locations in order to protect the purity of the breed should disease ever destroy the herd on the Orme. I understand that there are about 400 of these goats currently living on the Orme, and they are breeding rapidly so the council have introduced a contraceptive programme for them! I do hope it involves injections, I can't see goats managing condoms somehow and they'd never remember to take the pill!

As you drive around the Orme you often see groups of these goats feeding or scrambling up the rocky outcrops. Incidentally the Great Orme Goat is also the mascot of the Welsh Fusiliers.

The Great Orme provides some wonderful walks for walkers of all ages and abilities. There are gardens on the landward facing slopes, the main one being Happy Valley, which is clearly visible from the beach and the pier, with its huge white LLANDUDNO etched out in the grass. It used to be written in flowers but now I understand it is in limestone.

Happy Valley is an area of grass ideal for picnics and as a play area for the children. Slightly further up the slope are gardens, which have recently been landscaped and as such need a while to settle and develop. The area is nice enough but when the new plants are better developed we hope to see the return of the small bird population, as the blue tits will come and feed from your hand.

Further round the landward face of the Orme are Haulfre Gardens complete with tearooms and these gardens form the first part of Invalids Walk. This is so called because it is a gentle sloping path across the face the Orme from the gardens down to the West Shore and can easily be negotiated by almost anyone. There are also plenty of benches along the way where you can sit and look at the magnificent views of West Shore beach with Conwy Castle and Anglesey in the background.

For the more active walkers amongst you there are numerous paths, which lead right up to the summit of the Orme. The Summit Path starts from Happy Valley and goes in an arc past the 13th century church of St Tudno's, where there are open air services every Sunday during the summer, and the Zig Zag Summit Path starts from either Haulfre Gardens or from part way along the Invalids Walk and follows a zig zag path to the top - obviously this one would be a gentler climb but would be a longer walk.

There are numerous other paths including a nature trail, an historical trail and the Monk's Path, which it is said remains green and fertile even when the weather is very dry!

OK so you don't feel like walking up to the top, can you get there by any other means?

You can drive up to the top of the Great Orme by one of two routes; either directly from the town via a road next to the lower tram station or by taking the Marine Drive around the base of the Orme and bearing left about halfway round. This takes you a less direct route past St Tudno's Church.

I will just say that if you use the Marine Drive around the base, which is a one-way road from the North Shore all the way round to the West Shore it is a toll road and will cost you £2. The cost does however cover parking at the car park next to the Summit Complex. As locals we have been able to buy an annual pass for £10 and whenever we go out we always come back round the Orme and we never get fed up with the views!

Half way round the Marine Drive is the Rest and Be Thankful Café. I can assure you that when you walk the four and a half miles around Marine Drive you do 'rest and be thankful' when you get there!

Another place of interest along the Marine Drive is the Lighthouse Hotel. This used to be a working lighthouse and has been preserved in its original state and been converted into a hotel. It has three suites each of which has an en suite bedroom and a lounge and one of the lounges is the old lamp room affording 200-degree views. The lamp is now situated in the Visitor Centre at the top of the Orme and you can even switch it on to see how bright it is! Dave tried to book a night there as a treat for me but they were all booked up! If you want to take a look the website can be found at http://www.lighthouse-llandudno.co.uk

There is a local bus service, which runs from the town up to St Tudno's church and a scenic tour bus, which is an old single decked boneshaker doing tours around the Marine drive.

Another way to get to the top of the Orme is by using the Victorian Tramway, which travels from a stop in town up to the summit in two separate stretches - you change trams halfway up. These open sided trams provide an amazing ride at an incredibly steep angle, and are well worth an opinion in their own right so I won't go into great detail here.

The final way to reach the top of the Great Orme is by catching the cable car in Happy Valley, which takes you to a point next to the Summit Complex at the top. The cars carry four people at a time and are the open sided sort so they do only run when the weather is appropriate, but they are well worth a try. I am scared of heights, but decided to be brave for my Goddaughter when she visited us and I was so glad that I did, the views are truly amazing and it is so quiet up there too!

At the top of the Orme there is a pay and display car park and a Summit Complex, which consists of a visitor centre, café/restaurant where you can get all sorts of snacks and meals, a small shop, a pub and a small amusement arcade. There is also a Crazy Golf course and a good play area for the children with climbing frames, slides, swings etc., all set in a fenced off area to keep the children safe.

From the summit you can see the Hill of Names, which is a slope on the Orme where people over the years have used stones to spell out their names around a huge cross also made using white stones.

Apart from the goats that I have already mentioned The Great Orme is home to wide range of wildlife including guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills, ravens and little owls, as well as butterflies by the 'cloud' and numerous rare species of plants.

The other main attraction on the Great Orme is the Bronze Age Copper Mines, which are located next to the Halfway Tram station. You can purchase an inclusive ticket, which will give you the tram ride up to the mines together with your admission. I won't go into great detail about the mines here as I intned to write a full opinion about them and this opinion is rapidly becoming a rival to War and Peace in size!

All over the Orme there are relics of the past inhabitants from stone circles to fossils and hill forts to previously inhabited caves, all ready to explore providing you take care both with the countryside itself and your own safety on the paths and climbs.

Well, I hope that I have given you some insight into the main attraction of my new hometown and I can only say that words cannot express the beauty, splendour and majesty of the Great Orme so you'll have to come and see this wonderful example of God's work for yourself.

One final comment, if you are visiting, do remember that being a seaside town all things are seasonal and the attractions on the Orme are mainly open from Easter until October each year.

Summary: A wonderful place to live