Where is this walk?

A walk up the Great Orme

July 30, 2021

Any walk up the Great Orme is packed with interest. It is perched high above the sea with excellent views in all direction. The views stretch from Snowdonia to Anglesey, Llandudno to Conwy Castle.

The Walk

The Great Orme is over 200 metres high. It is a lump of limestone with steep cliffs on all sides except for the more gradual slopes leading to Llandudno. However it is these less steep slopes that make the Great Orme something of a play ground. A cable car and a tramway offer easier access to the summit. The multitude of paths also pass a dry ski slope, a golf course and many houses. The settlements are the remnants of the busy copper mines that provided much employment in years past.

Away from the eastern slopes the Great Orme is reserved for walkers, ornithologists and nature lovers. The paths tend to skirt the edges of the cliffs as the central belt is a private reseve. However that is fine. The views as you walk above the cliffs are excellent, so much better for the fact that you are changing direction as you pass the headland. The best in my opinion are across Conwy Bay.

I have a personal interest in this walk. My grandfather, Cyril, who I never met, used to live in Deganwy. Family still live there and my dad joined the merry band who used to boat, swim and lounge around the beaches of the bay. My grandad swam across Llandudno Bay, family legend saying it was the cold that finished him off!

Recommend

I started the walk from Deganwy for obvious reasons and the coastal walk past the golf course is pleasant. If you have the time it is the best way to approach the Great Orme, if not park nearer in Landudno.

Navigation Tips on the Great Orme

On some walks there are no obvious paths to follow, The walk up the Great Ormer is one of them. In particular I never found a suitable path up the eastern slopes. You may do better!

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