History
Located on the north-western tip of mainland Wales lies
this mysterious rock formation. This massive headland to
the west of Llandudno Bay is called by the English "the
Great Orme". The word Orme is thought to derive from
the Scandinavian word for a worm. It is said that a Viking
raiding party saw the rock rearing up from the mist in front
of their longboat and mistaking it for a serpent, fled in
terror.
The Marine Drive is a four mile scenic drive round the Great
Orme headland to Llandudno's West Shore. During the tour
you will enjoy spectacular views at every turn. By travelling
on the vintage coach, you will be able to see the Great Orme
from an elevated position and observe this wonderful natural
asset from a comfortable seat.
There are wonderful views at all seasons and in all directions
from the brilliant flora and fauna of the summertime to the
crashing of the waves below on a stormy winter’s day.
Some of the tours features include:
St Tudno’s Church
Built on a site dating back to the 6th Century, St Tudno’s
Church was built in the 12th Century but has undergone extensive
restoration over the years. Fabulous stained glass windows
decorate this primitive little church with an unusual north
facing window said to have been used to provide a light for
ancient mariners so they could identify their positions out
at sea. The cemetery is still in use today and provides interesting
information on the former inhabitants of the town of Llandudno
and its surrounding areas.
The Great Orme Lighthouse
High above the sea is the lighthouse constructed in 1862
by The Mersey Docks & Harbour Company who, with great
attention to detail, built a fortress like building using
dressed limestone and vast bulks of Canadian pitch pine.
The light, at 325 feet above high water, was the highest
on the coast of Wales. It was first illuminated on December
1st 1862 and remained a continuous warning to mariners until
March 22nd 1985 when the optic was removed. It can now be
viewed at the Visitor Centre on the summit of the Great Orme.
The Lighthouse now serves as an interesting and well appointed
B & B guest house.
The "Rest & Be Thankful" cafee
The cafee, just above the lighthouse, is exactly half way
round. It is the only café on the Marine Drive and
offers remarkably good quality and value. In the car park
of the café there are fine views across to Anglesey,
Puffin Island and on a clear day, the Isle of Man.
Ffynnon Gaseg
Otherwise known as "Mare's Well". It is one of
the few natural water sources on the limestone Great Orme.
The fountain was constructed by the road builders to provide
water for the horses (hence its name) that pulled the coaches
laden with visitors in the days before motors.
Royal Artillery Coastal Gunnery School
Way below the Marine Drive, on the south-western shelf near
the west shore, are the remains of the Royal Artillery Coastal
Gunnery School that moved from Shoeburyness to Llandudno
in September 1940. Over 700 military personnel were based
at the school at its peak.
Helig`s Palace
Amongst the many legends associated with the Great Orme
is the story of Llys Helig (Helig`s Palace) and the lost
Land of Tyno Helig. It is said that at very low tides the
ruins of the old palace can still be seen under the water
and on still summers evenings it is sail that the sound of
the church bell can be heard.
Llys Helig
There is an area on the western slopes of the Orme, overlooking
Conwy Bay, which provides excellent views across the estuary
towards the ancient palace. An exclusive development now
carries the name Llys Helig and offers superb views of the
River Conwy estuary, Anglesey, the Menai Straits, Llanfairfechan
and Penmaenmawr
Gogarth Abbey
Situated in the grounds of the recently extended, but now
closed, Railway Convalescent Home (until 1947 the Old Abbey
Hotel) are the surviving remains below of Gogarth Abbey.
This was never a monastic house but a Palace of the Bishop
of Bangor built on land given to Bishop Anian by King Edward
I in 1284 following the baptism by the bishop of the first
Prince of Wales. The Palace was burnt down by Owain Glyndwr
c. 1405.
Although it remained the property of the Bishops of Bangor
it was not rebuilt and gradually many of the remains fell
into the sea through coastal erosion. The remains were sold
by the church with its surrounding land in 1891.
Penmorfa (The Gogarth Abbey Hotel)
Alice Liddell's parents, after honeymooning in Llandudno,
decided to build "Penmorfa", now the Gogarth Abbey
Hotel, as a permanent holiday home on the West Shore in Llandudno.
Though there is no evidence that Lewis Carroll ever visited
Llandudno, Alice who was the inspiration for 'Alice in Wonderland',
spent many childhood holidays there.
On July 4th, 1862, an Oxford mathematics lecturer, Charles
Ludwig Dodgson and his friend Robinson Duckworth took three
little girls on a boating trip on the Thames. One of the
girls was Alice Liddell, daughter of the dean of Christ Church,
Oxford. Using Alice as his inspiration, he started improvising
the story of another Alice's tumble down a rabbit hole. A
much wider audience eventually knew the story as 'Alice's
Adventures under Ground'. It was exactly three years later
on July 4th, 1865, that the book was published. |
