The Great Orme, Llandudno - Access and Visitor Attractions
EducationThe Great Orme, Llandudno - Access and Visitor Attractions
The Great Orme is a prominent, 679 ft high ( 207m ) limestone headland situated on the north shore of Wales' largest holiday resort, Llandudno.
Historians have discovered that people have lived on the Great Orme for over 8,000 years, which is no small wonder with the headland commanding some of the finest views of the town of Llandudno, the Irish Sea, Puffin Island, the Isle of Anglesey, the Snowdonia Mountains and both Llandudno's north and west shores.
As well as the marvellous views seen from the Great Orme's SSSI Country Park, the Great Orme also sports a selection of other attractions to tempt both the first time visitor and returning guests, including a summit complex housed in a beautiful Art Deco building, an aerial cable car, a ski and snowboard centre, Bronze Age copper mines, St Tudno's church and Britain's only cable operated street tramway.
The name Great Orme comes from the old Norse for sea serpent.
The Great Orme is known as Pen Y Gogarth in Welsh.
ACCESS.
The Great Orme is accessed by four ways, cable car, toll road, minor road and tramway.
It's 4 mile long toll road, Marine Drive, situated just past the Grand Hotel on Llandudno's north shore, travels the Great Orme's coastal perimeter and it's £2.50 toll includes parking fees at it's summit car park, as well as enabling visitors to drive around it's small network of roadways.
Image courtesy of Noel Walley, wikimedia commons.
MARINE DRIVE.
The Great Orme's aerial cable car is situated in the Happy Valley Garden, situated behind Llandudno Pier on the north shore.
The cable car's one mile, 18 minute ride, will take you up to the Great Orme's summit where you will see stunning, panoramic views of the Conway estuary and beyond, before reaching the cable car station 679 feet above.
The cable car runs from 19th of March until the 31st of October and is open from 10.00 until 17.00 every day.
Return ticket prices are;
£6.50 adults.
£4.50 children.
£17.00 family ticket.
Single tickets are also available.
image courtesy of Alan Fleming, wikimedia commons.
VICTORIA TRAMWAY STATION.
The Great Orme Tramway is Britain's only cable operated street tramway, and as well as a unique way of reaching the summit, it is also a tourist attraction in it's own right.
From it's Edwardian station, built in 1902, on Church Walks, one can take the tramway up to the summit or alight at it's halfway station house, which houses an exhibition of the workings of the tram.
The tram leaves Victoria Station every 20 minutes.
Tramway return ticket prices.
£6.50 adults.
£4.50 children.
£17.00 family ticket.
There are also one way tickets available.
Image courtesy of Noel Walley, wikimedia commons.
The minor access road up to the Great Orme summit is situated running alongside the Victoria Tramway station on Church Walks.
This is a steep, narrow road, with residents cars parked along it, so do bear this in mind if you are driving.There are car parking charges once at the summit.
For the fitter ones amongst us, this is a great access road for hikers and cyclists.
ATTRACTIONS
GREAT ORME SUMMIT COMPLEX.
Housed in a beautiful Art Deco building, this one time hotel and telegraph station between Holyhead and Liverpool, now houses a gift shop, restaurant, fully licensed bar, Victorian picture house, an amusement arcade and memorabilia to the boxer Randolph Turpin, a middleweight champion boxer of the 1940's and 1950's who once owned the bar at the former Telegraph Hotel from 1952 until 1961.
Image courtesy of Imcall, wikimedia commons.
Outside there are seating areas where one can enjoy the stunning views with a coffee or a beer, or watch your children play safely at the centre's children's playground or adventure golf.
The complex is open daily from Easter until early November and just at the weekends from November to Easter.
ST TUDNO'S CHURCH.
The beautiful church of St Tudno with it's picturesque graveyard, looking out over the Irish Sea, is an 18th century Anglican church dedicated to the 6th century monk who gave Llandudno it's name, although there has been a church sited here since the 12th century which was the town of Llandudno's original house of worship in what was the original village of Llandudno..
image courtesy of Noel Walley, wikimedia commons.
Sunday services, held outdoors in fine weather, are held every Sunday morning and visitors can take a taxi service from Holy Trinity Church, situated on the junction of Mostyn Street and Trinity Square, up to the services, at 10.30 returning at 12.00.
For more information on other services and taxi reservations, please ring the rector on 01492 876624, or visit this website www.llandudno-parish.org.uk/sttudno
SKI AND SNOWBOARD CENTRE.
This Alpine centre situated at Wyddfyd Road ( LL30 2QL ), 415 ft above sea level on the Great Orme, is a haven for lovers of Winter sports, made all the better by the fact that the centre is open 7 days a week all year round.
It's Perma - Snow surface enables visitors to indulge in ski - ing, snowboarding, tobogganing, snowblading and snowbobbing.
If this appeals to you and you have never tried it out before, no worries, there are also comprehensive tutorial classes on offer.
The centre asks that you first ring them before travelling for a day with them, so to avoid disappointment, their number is 01492 874707.
For prices of the centre's attractions and lessons, please see the centre's informative website.jnlllandudno.co.uk/
COPPER MINES.
These Bronze age copper mines are the oldest metal mines open to the public, in the world.
These prehistoric caverns have been mined for 4,000 years and this unique attraction gives visitors the chance to explore the passages, view introductory films and speak to expert, onsite archeologists.
Also available is a visitor centre, gift shop, coffee shop and second hand book shop.
The centre is open from 10.00 - 17.00 every day from mid March until the end of October and admission fees are £6.50 for adults and £4.50 for children..
GREAT ORME COUNTRY PARK.
All the above attractions are set in and around the aforementioned country park, which, due to it's history, geology and wildlife has been designated a site of special scientific interest.
image courtesy of Black Stripe, wikimedia commons.
The Great Orme can be accessed by way of a small road network or simply by walking it's rugged landscape, where one can view it's colonies of seabirds, rare butterfly species and it's feral herd of Kashmiri goats, who roam the area freely.
The park's visitor centre, situated next to the tramway's half way station, offers visitors informative and interactive displays, a gift shop, wild life publications and advice on the park's many historical and nature trails.
The centre is free to visit and is open daily from Easter until the end of October from 09.00 - 17.30.
Image courtesy of C.J Slade.
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