The Great Orme, Llandudno

One of the most beautiful part of our visit to Llandudno was the Great Orme. The Great Orme (called Pen-y-Gogarth in Welsh) is a large limestone headland on the north coast of Wales - the Creuddyn Peninsula. There is a similar smaller headland called the Little Orme on the eastern side.

The Great Orme is a large nature reserver with special areas of conservation, a lovely heritage coast and a country park. It has a rich flora and during spring and summer time the cliffs are carpeted with beautiful colorful flowers.

Great Orme is home to several feral Kashmiri goats, though a major part of the land is used for sheep grazing.

You can reach the summit either on foot, by car or take the Cable Cars or the Great Orme Tramway. Whatever way you choose, the journey is filled with spectacular sights.

The Summit Complex on the top has a cafeteria, a play area for kids, visitor's centr and a tourist shop too.

If you believe in Aliens and UFOs - then you will be interested in knowing that The Great Orme holds the 3rd spot in the top 10 UK hotspots where you can be abducted by aliens :) The Great Orme has been the subject of intense extra-terrestrial activity since 1997. There is an area in the Summit complex which houses stuff related to aliens and UFOs. Good way to spend some time ;-)

Just below the summit is the Bishop's Quarry - a semicircular limestone quarry. Though the quarry is not in use anymore, it has extensive fossil deposits. The rock face is limestone which was formed during the Carboniferous period - 300 million years ago even before the time of dinosaurs! At that time much of North wales was under water and many creatures like the pinhead-sized plankton, shellfish and corals lived here which are now said to be preserved as fossils.

The views from the summit of Great Orme are amazing. You can see spectacular views towards the east and north. There is lots to do on the Great Orme, but you can spend away hours just relaxing and taking in the beautiful views.

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Happy Valley Gardens in Llandudno

Nestling at the foot of the Great Orme in Llandudno is the Happy Valley. Formerly a copper mine and then a stone quarry, the valley was landscaped and presented as Happy Valley to Llandudno by Lord Mostyn. This was way back in 1887 while celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. To mark the occassion a drinking fountain with a canopied bust of Queen Victoria was also installed. The druidical stone circle that you see behind the fountain was erected to mark the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1962-1963.

The lower slopes of the valley have a tea pavilion and an entertainment centre. Both offer a place to relax and unwind with beautiful views of the sea. The lower slope also has some informal gardens. its a beautiful place to relax away from the crowded beach.

Just below the Happy Valley is the Marine Drive entrance gateway.

The base station for the Cable Car is also located near the lower slopes of Happy Valley.

As you climb up the valley, you will see beautiful landscaped gardens.

And much higher up is the Llandudno Ski and Snowboard Centre with its artificial ski slope.

How to reach?
Happy Valley is around 10 minutes walk from the Llandudno North Shore promenade.

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Llandudno - The Great Orme Cable Cars

A visit to Llandudno is incomplete I feel, without a ride on the cable car to the Great Orme. The magnificient views that unfold as you travel on the cable car from its starting point at Happy Valley gardens to the Great Orme at 679ft are not to be missed.

The cable car ride is over one mile long each way and is the longest aerial cabin lift in UK at the moment. The journey begins at the starting point car station which is near the slopes of the Happy Vallley gardens. The cars are four seaters and are comfortable for a family of four.

As soon as the journey begins and you look down, you see the well manicured Happy Valley gardens and the Great Orme overlooking the sea.

As you progress up you can see the Llandudno Ski and Snowboard Centre with its "Perma Snow" surface.

Higher up we see the Tyn-y-Coed village and the views of the Llandudno bay are amazing.

As we near the summit we can see the Penmynydd Uchaf - one of the Great Orme Farms. What an amazing place to stay.

The entire journey to the summit is an amazing experience. Beautiful views whereever you look. The journey ends at the car station just behind the Summit Complex.

At the summit there is lot to be seen. More about it in the next post.

You can contact the Cable Car office at the following address

Llandudno Cable Car
Happy Valley Gardesn
Great Orme
Llandudno
Phone - 01492 877205


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Llandudno - North and West Shore, Promenade and Pier

In the first week of July we visited North Wales and stayed at Llandudno - a beautiful seaside resort town. Its one of the best places to stay if you plan to explore and discover the beauty of North Wales.

Both the North and West Shores of Llandudno were awarded the 2011 Seaside award and both are so different from each other.

The North Shore is happening and there is never a dull moment here. If you love enjoying the coast in a beautiful old fashioned way then head here. You will find live music on the bandstand, ice cream stalls on the pier, Punch and Judy shows, animal rides on the sand or just relax on your deckchair looking out at the lovely Llandudno Bay. At the east end of the prom there are lots of stalls selling snacks and other food items.

The Llandudno pier on the North Shore is an award winnig pier at at 2295feet is also the longest pier in Wales. On a clear day you can see the Snowdonia mountains from the end of the pier. The pier includes attractions like amusement arcades, fairground rides for kids, lots of shops selling arts and crafts, a bar, a cafe and many other kiosks.

The West Shore is more quieter than the North one and looks out across the mouth of the Conwy Estuary. The views are amazing and its a place to see some spectacular sunrise/sunsets. I loved the west shore more and it was less crowded and more peaceful.

Alice Liddell (on whom Alice in Wonderland is supposed to be based) used to spend her childhood summer holidays at Pen Morfa on the West Shore. The link that Llandudno shares with Alice can be seen in the wooden sculptures of characters from the book scattered all over the town. I was not aware of this connection earlier. Only after spotting these statues, did I read up and come to know of this Llandudno-Alice connection :)

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