Marine Drive is a spectacular four mile shelf was cut out of the sheer limestone cliffs in 1878 and is designed for vehicles and walkers alike.
The Great Orme Country Park is very popular with naturalists, and is the habitat of several endangered species of butterflies including the Silky Wave, the Grayling and the Silver-studded Blue. The cliffs are host to colonies of seabirds (such as Guillemots, Kittiwakes and Razorbills as well as Gulls) and also to Ravens and Little Owls. The Great Orme is also home to over 100 resident and migrant birds including Peregrine Falcons. You may even catch sight of the herds of wild Kashmire goats that roam freely over the Great Orme.
The Cable Car from the Happy Valley to the Great Orme Summit is, at over one mile each way, the longest Aerial Cabin Lift in the United Kingdom
Haulfre Gardens is a lovely walk across the face of the Great Orme. It may sound treacherous and dangerous but a safe suitable path has been built using tarmac to ensure a safe journey without any accidents. When viewed from below the Haulfre Gardens path looks very high up, but in actual fact it is only around a quarter of the way up the Great Orme, so it isn’t as high as the Orme’s summit but the walk still gives you the same experience as walking along the summit.
The Great Orme is a Limestone headland on the North Wales Coast 2 miles (3.2 km) long by 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and is an adventure in itself with so many things to do and places to explore.
The Great Orme Tramway has been delighting visitors since it opened on July 31st 1902. An engineering marvel of its age, it’s still the only cable-hauled tramway still operating on British public roads and passes the end of the road. A 300 metre dry Ski Slope and 750 metre Toboggan run where the Artificial Ski Championships are held here each year.
A visit to Great Orme Mines is both an enjoyable and educational experience which can be enjoyed by children and adults of all ages. Walking through tunnels mined out over 3,500 years ago gives visitors a feel for the harsh conditions our prehistoric ancestors faced in their search for copper. The highlight of the tour is the amazing Bronze Age Cavern, dug out over 3,500 years ago by miners using nothing more than stone and bone tools.
The Summit Complex building was originally ‘The Telegraph Inn’ from where messages were relayed between Holyhead and Liverpool advising of the imminent arrival of sailing ships laden with valuable cargo. Today it has a selections of bars, restaurants, cafes, amusements and gift shops all located together with the Aerial Cable Car Station, the Summit Tramway station and the Great Orme Visitor Centre. The views from the Great Orme’s 679ft (207m) summit are breathtaking with a vista that covers Snowdonia, Anglesey and further away across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man, Blackpool and the Lake District.
