A Headland Like No Other
The Great Orme — Pen y Gogarth in Welsh — is one of the most extraordinary pieces of geography in Wales. This massive limestone promontory pushes out from the northern coast into the Irish Sea, forming the western boundary of Llandudno's sweeping bay. From the town below, it dominates the skyline like a sleeping giant. From the summit, on a clear day, you can see across to Snowdonia, over to Anglesey, and on exceptional days as far as the Isle of Man.
The headland covers roughly 2,000 acres and rises to 207 metres above sea level. Its limestone geology supports a rare and specialised flora, including the Great Orme berry — a cotoneaster found nowhere else in the wild world — and spring and summer wildflower displays that turn the grassland vivid with colour. The whole area is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Country Park and a Local Nature Reserve, reflecting both its ecological significance and its value for quiet recreation.
Getting to the summit is itself part of the experience. The Great Orme Tramway has been carrying passengers up the hillside since 1902, making it one of the oldest cable-hauled street tramways still operating in the world. The cable car offers a more aerial perspective, lifting visitors in gondolas across Happy Valley and up towards the summit plateau. Or simply walk: the paths are well-maintained and the gradual ascent reveals new views at every turn.
History Written in Stone
The Great Orme has been inhabited and used by humans for at least 4,000 years. The Bronze Age copper mines beneath the headland are among the largest ever discovered anywhere in the world, with tunnels stretching for several miles underground. The copper extracted here fuelled the Bronze Age economy across much of Europe, making the Great Orme a site of genuine global historical significance.
At the summit, St Tudno's Church preserves an even longer history of human presence on the headland. The church's origins go back to the 6th century, when the Celtic monk Tudno is said to have established a hermitage here. The current building dates largely from the 12th century, making it one of the oldest churches in Wales still in regular use. Open-air services are held in the churchyard in summer, and even outside service times the church is usually open for quiet reflection.
The Marine Drive offers a spectacular alternative way to experience the headland: a four-mile toll road cut from the limestone cliffs in 1878, hugging the coastline all the way around the base of the Orme with vertiginous drops to the sea on one side and the cliff face rising on the other. It is open to both vehicles and walkers.
The Kashmiri Goats
The Great Orme is home to a herd of wild Kashmiri goats that roam freely across the headland. The herd is descended from animals gifted to Queen Victoria by the Shah of Persia in 1837, and has lived on the Orme largely wild ever since. Today the herd numbers around 200 animals, and encountering them on the upper slopes is one of the distinctive pleasures of walking the headland.
The goats became an unlikely global news story during the Covid lockdown of spring 2020, when the absence of tourists from Llandudno allowed the animals to wander down from the Orme and into the empty streets of the town. Images of the goats strolling along the promenade, eating garden hedges and peering through shop windows were shared around the world, a moment of unexpected joy in a difficult period. The goats returned to the Orme once life resumed, but their brief urban adventure gave them a fame they had not previously enjoyed.
If you are walking the Great Orme, you are almost certain to encounter the herd. They are accustomed to humans and generally unbothered by walkers, though you should not feed them and should keep dogs under close control. The large males, in particular, carry impressive curved horns and are best admired from a respectful distance.
At the Summit
The top of the Great Orme is 207 metres (679 feet) above the sea, and on a clear day the views are some of the best in Wales: the mountains of Eryri to the south, Anglesey and Puffin Island to the west, the whole sweep of Llandudno Bay below, and on exceptional days the Isle of Man out to sea. The trig point marking the highest ground is a short stroll from the buildings.
Both the tramway and the cable car finish close to the summit, and there is also a summit car park reached by road. The Summit complex, once the home of world middleweight boxing champion Randolph Turpin, now offers food, drinks and a gift shop, and the Great Orme Country Park visitor centre nearby has displays on the headland's wildlife, geology and history. It is cooler and windier up here than in town, so bring a layer, and check the Llandudno weather forecast before you go.
Practical Information
The Great Orme is freely accessible on foot at all times. There is a visitor centre near the summit with a cafe and information displays. The tramway runs from mid-March to early November, with adult return tickets at £11.25 (Mar–Jun and Sep–Oct) and £12.30 (Jul–Aug); children aged 3–16 pay £8.05 or £9.30 respectively. The cable car operates Easter to late October and is cash only, unable to run in high winds. The Great Orme Copper Mines are open mid-March to end October, with adult admission at £13.75.
The Great Orme is the centrepiece of any visit to Llandudno, and most visitors will want to spend at least half a day exploring it. A full day allows time for the tramway up, a walk around the summit plateau, a visit to the copper mines, and the cable car down — or any combination of these. The walking route around the headland is one of the finest coastal walks in North Wales and rewards those willing to cover the ground on foot.
Geology and ancient sites
Image © Stuart Madden - Great Orme, Llandudno
The Great Orme is a place of infinite mystery and the cause of much speculation amongst historians and archaeologists who come to study the area. Even those who know the old rock well, are intrigued by her shadowy beginnings and long to discover her ancient secrets.
It is said that the name 'Orme' is derived from an old Norse word for Worm or Sea Serpent and on a misty day it is easy to see why. The huge headland is composed of Carboniferous limestone, which began forming about 300 million years ago, on a tropical sea bed. Fossil remains of creatures that lived during this period are to be found everywhere, revealing the skeletons of primitive Fishes, Sponges, Corals, Molluscs and other invertebrates.
During the Tertiary period, the British Isles was subject to some of the most violent and dramatic volcanic activity, which gave rise to many mountain ranges. The Orme was sheltered to some degree by the rocks of Snowdonia but slight warping and folding did occur, causing layers of limestone to fracture and produce a fault.
Dinosaurs dominated the world for over 100 million years, finally becoming extinct about 65 million years ago. They were replaced by the more adaptable warm blooded animals, which could withstand the much colder climate.
During the Palaeolithic era, Old Stone Age man would almost certainly have shared the Orme with Mammoth, Lion, Hyaena and Woolly Rhinoceros, but archaeologists have not yet established when Homo sapiens first arrived on the headland.
If the camera had been invented 10 thousand years ago, as the last Ice-Age ended, the Great Orme would have created a dismal and depressing picture. After many thousands of years locked in the grip of a vast ice sheet, the great glaciers slowly retreated and the headland emerged as a barren and near lifeless landscape.
The lime rich soil was a greyish white, having no humus, while in many places the ice had scraped bare the rock leaving no trace of soil or life of any sort.
Yet, out of this wilderness came a strange life form, which slowly encrusted the hard rock surfaces and began the gradual process of colonization. Lichen, a curious plant association between Fungus and Alga, blew in on the wind and brought obvious life and splashes of bright colour to a seemingly dead stone.
Despite the extreme cold and bitter glacial winds, certain plants survived the ice-sheets by growing into shapes which protected them from drying effects, and from the warmer south came many animals to colonise this new terrain.
As the climate became more temperate, the glaciers melted, causing the seas to rise. During the warm 'Atlantic' period nearly 6000 years ago, sea levels rose a further six feet, drowning forests and flooding the land. The Great Orme became a virtual island.
Stone Age man probably came back to the Great Orme towards the end o the last Ice Age, although some believe he never left. These Britons were a hardy race of people, constantly on the edge of survival and braving the cruelest of winters, sheltered in caves around the headland.
Since then, countless generations have lived in the shadow of the huge limestone rock, some reliant upon her for survival, others intrigued by her many facets, all with the certain knowledge that the Great Orme will be here long after we have disappeared forever.
Ancient Sites
Much evidence of ancient settlements is to be found on the Great Orme. The area constitutes a vast, barely tapped, potential for archaeological research. With the exception of the ongoing operation at the Bronze Age mine site, very little investigative work has been undertaken in recent years.
The earliest site is that of the Great Orme Cromlech, Liety'r Filiast, a Neolithic burial chamber. It is to be found at the end of Cromlech Road. An interpretative board gives an account of the monument.
Traces of round huts are to be found at Bryniau Poethion, Hafnant and the halfway car park on the Marine Drive. At Pen y Dinas, hidden in the dense undergrowth are an indeterminate number of stone circles, and the defensive slopes of an ancient British hill fort. Legend suggests that the fortifications were eventually overrun by the Romans.
Almost hidden in the heathland, on the northern side of the Park wall is an avenue of stones, Hwylfa'r Ceirw, the Deer Walk, and a large oblong enclosure, Llety Fadog, Madog's Residence. They are said to belong to post Roman and medieval times.
There are also very many, as yet unexplained, mounds, hollows, bumps and stones which bear witness to man's long tenancy of Llandudno's Mountain.
Reproduced from the booklet
'The Great Orme Llandudno's Mountain' by P. Bardell and T. Parry.
Illustrations by E. Parry
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Great Orme?
The Great Orme is a large limestone headland that juts into the Irish Sea from the western edge of Llandudno. It rises to 207 metres and is a designated Country Park and Nature Reserve, with Bronze Age copper mines, a Victorian tramway, a cable car and ancient churches.
Can you walk up the Great Orme?
Yes. Several footpaths lead to the summit, including the Haulfre Gardens trail and paths from the Happy Valley gardens. The summit is also reachable by the Great Orme Tramway or the cable car.
What animals live on the Great Orme?
A herd of Kashmiri goats roams freely on the Great Orme. The herd is descended from a pair gifted to Queen Victoria in 1837 and became world-famous during the Covid lockdown of 2020 when the goats wandered into the deserted town of Llandudno.
Day trips