Great Orme Lighthouse

The Great Orme is a limestone headland on the north coast of Wales, just north-west of Llandudno. It rises steeply from the sea and stretches two miles long by one mile wide. The Little Orme lies further east across Llandudno Bay. The headland’s name comes from the Old Norse word for sea serpent. In Welsh it is called Y Gogarth or Pen y Gogarth. Parts of it are farmed, mostly for sheep, while other areas are protected nature reserves. The Great Orme holds several important designations, including Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Scientific Interest. It once produced enough copper ore to make about 2,000 tons of bronze in the Bronze Age. Natural wells dot the slopes, supplying water for mining and farming since medieval times. Rare plants grow here, such as the critically endangered wild cotoneaster, of which only six wild plants remain. The headland also shelters unusual butterflies, spiders and a herd of about 200 Kashmir goats. Visitors find maintained walking paths that lead to the summit and along the North Wales Path. Limestone pavements and old mine workings mark the landscape. St Tudno’s Church stands near one of the natural wells, and a cableway and tramway offer easier access. The slopes show signs of occasional subsidence from old mining. Wild thyme and bloody cranesbill bloom in spring, while rare moths feed on white horehound. The views stretch across the bay to the Irish Sea.