Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Walks
Little Orme
Date: 2nd Apr 2012
Distance: 3.7 miles
Ascent: 462 feet
Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
With: On my own
Start Grid Ref: SH829814
Walk Summary:
The first of two visits to the fascinating limestone headland of Little Orme.
Route Summary: Marine Drive - Glan-y-Mor Road - Penrhyn Beach East - Trwyn y Fuwch - Little Ormes Head - Colwyn Road - Penrhyn Beach East - Marine Drive
Pictures:
1. Little Orme from Penhryn Bay
2. The hidden cove of Porth Dyniewaid
3. Remains of winding mechanism in the upper quarry
4. Plentiful gorse added colour to a grey afternoon
5. Looking along Ormes Bay to Great Orme
6. The trig point on Little Orme Head
7. On Little Orme looking towards Rhos-on-Sea
8. Little Orme above the houses of Penhryn Bay
Walk Detail: After a grey dreary morning during which we had visited the impressive fortress of Conwy Castle I decided to pop out for this short walk in the afternoon.
I guess I could have set off direct from the house but I saved myself a couple of mile of road walking by parking on the seafront between Penhryn Bay and Rhos-on-Sea. In the end I still had to walk along a section of Glan-y-Mor Road and the length of Penhryn Beach East before the walk got really interesting.
I found Little Orme a fascinating place. First I climbed up on to the little outcrop marked as Trywyn y Fuwch on the map which provided good views back along the coast as well as a peep down into the hidden cove of Porth Dyniewaid. Next there was a steep little climb up an old incline to an old quarry with the remains of a winding gantry.
From the quarry it was then an easy walk up on to Little Ormes Head. Along the way I passed large patches of flowering gorse, a feature of all the short walks I did over the course of the week and which, on this particular walk, added some much needed colour on what was a very overcast day.
Even with fairly poor long distance visibility the view from the summit of Little Orme was superb, especially that to the west looking across Ormes Bay towards Llandudno and Great Orme. After spending a while at the top I descended to the top of Colwyn Road before taking a pleasant path past a farm back to the wide track leading to the end of Penryhn Beach East. For a little bit of variation I climbed down to the beach and walked back along the seashore to the car.
This was a good little leg stretcher and I liked Little Orme so much that when the sun came out the following afternoon I went back again, this time climbing it from the Llandudno side.
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