Great Orme Mines

Great Orme Mines ⛏️Llandudno’s world famous Bronze Age copper mine.
😃Open every day until end of October. Tram: You can arrive via Great Orme Tramway.

How to get here:

By Car: If visiting us by car, follow the Ancient Mine signs from Llandudno. We have free parking for mine and giftshop visitors (if you are following SATNAV, once you are on the Orme don't turn left until you see our sign at the top of our drive). Tour Bus: The Alpine Great Orme Explorer bus will bring you directly to our door. Departs from Llandudno Pier at 10am until 5pm, 7 da

ys a week, leaving up to every 30 minutes. Present your Alpine bus ticket to our admissions desk to receive a discount on your admission to the mines. Departing from the Victoria Station on Church Walks, alight at the Halfway Station & follow road and the footpath signs marked 'Great Orme Mines' (heading in the direction of the summit) on a 5 minute walk. The mines will be on your left. Cable Car: The Cable Car departing from Happy Valley will take you to the Summit. After arriving at the summit follow the road down the hill for a 15 minute walk and the mines will be on your right. Please note that the Cable Car is weather dependent and cash only. Bus: The Arriva 26 bus leaves from opposite Wetherspoons on Gloddaeth Street. Alight the Halfway Tram Station stop, our site is a five minute stroll from there. Follow the footpath and signs for the mines. Taxi: There are also a number of taxi companies that you can call from Llandudno, including Alliance: 01492 87 87 87. On Foot: Another great option is to follow the Haulfre Gardens Summit Trail, which will bring you directly to the mines. From Haulfre Gardens follow the waymarkers marked 'To Summit'. This route will eventually bring you by our site. (Please be aware this option takes you through uphill terrain, uneven footpaths and a series of steps as you ascend the Orme).

😊 Lovely to welcome Neil Burridge of Bronze Age Swords and Nicole DeRushie of Grounded History to Great Orme Mines today...
14/06/2026

😊 Lovely to welcome Neil Burridge of Bronze Age Swords and Nicole DeRushie of Grounded History to Great Orme Mines today.

🗡️ We have on display in our visitor centre some Bronze Age replicas made by Neil, including this beautiful rapier that Nicole is pointing to. This replica is based on an original (pictured) found in Llansannor, Wales, dated to being between 3,400 and 3,500 years old. Chemical and lead isotope analyses indicate that this rapier was made with copper from Great Orme mines!

🔥 Next week Dr. James Dilley of Ancient Craft returns to Great Orme Mines!🗡️ Join us as he once again runs his popular B...
12/06/2026

🔥 Next week Dr. James Dilley of Ancient Craft returns to Great Orme Mines!

🗡️ Join us as he once again runs his popular Bronze Age casting workshops, where participants create replica axes and swords.

These workshops were fully booked months in advance, but visitors can still come along and watch history being cast before their eyes! It’s always a great atmosphere, and brings to life an important piece of the site’s story.

🗓️Monday 15th June
🗓️Tuesday 16th June
🗓️Wednesday 17th June
🗓️Thursday 18th June

Don’t miss this opportunity to see metalworking at one of the world’s largest prehistoric copper mines!

🎟️ Mine ticket admission charges apply. See our website for details.

⛏️ Where it all began…Mining on the Great Orme started around 3,700 years ago and was initially carried out on the surfa...
11/06/2026

⛏️ Where it all began…

Mining on the Great Orme started around 3,700 years ago and was initially carried out on the surface. Once these rich surface deposits had been exhausted Bronze Age miners had no choice but to follow the copper-bearing veins underground, both vertically and horizontally.

The vast surface cavity visible today is the result of prehistoric mining on an almost industrial scale of extraction by Bronze Age standards. It provides a remarkable insight into the skill, organisation and determination of the miners who worked here thousands of years ago.

It was great to welcome Hiromi Tanaka accompanied by Emiko Corney to Great Orme Mines recently as part of Go North Wales...
08/06/2026

It was great to welcome Hiromi Tanaka accompanied by Emiko Corney to Great Orme Mines recently as part of Go North Wales partnership with the City of Himeji, Japan. 🇯🇵 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

'They are big spenders – you should see the size of their suitcases!' - https://ebx.sh/iQicst

📖 🖊️ We were pleased to welcome Dr. Alan Williams to site on Friday, where he signed a limited number of hardback copies...
07/06/2026

📖 🖊️ We were pleased to welcome Dr. Alan Williams to site on Friday, where he signed a limited number of hardback copies of his book ‘Boom and Bust in Bronze Age Britain’.

This book presents evidence that the Great Orme copper mine dominated Britain’s copper supply between 1600 - 1400 BC and that copper from the mine was being exported to Western Europe, from Brittany to the Baltic!

Our price:
📕 Hardback £50
📕 Paperback £40

🎟️ Show your Alpine Great Orme Explorer bus ticket to our admissions desk to receive a discount on your entry to the min...
06/06/2026

🎟️ Show your Alpine Great Orme Explorer bus ticket to our admissions desk to receive a discount on your entry to the mines! 😃

Great Orme Explorer Tour 2026 🚌⛰️

Join us for another fantastic season discovering the wonders of the Great Orme. Hop on and off to explore fascinating attractions including the historic Great Orme Mines, the Summit Complex, or enjoy a visit to Penderyn Distillery for a taste of their award-winning Welsh whisky.

Secure your seat today or download our 2026 leaflet for the full programme of City Sightseeing tours: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/1003995904

06/06/2026

Llandudno's Great Orme is a 207m limestone headland which is home to a country park, ancient copper mines and an amazing variety of wildlife. During the summer months, you can get to the top by walking or enjoying a ride on the tram or cable cars

🔗https://bit.ly/49E6NJt

🏆 We’re delighted to have achieved Quality Assured Accreditation from Visit Wales!The Visitor Attraction Quality Assuran...
05/06/2026

🏆 We’re delighted to have achieved Quality Assured Accreditation from Visit Wales!

The Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS), operated by Visit Wales, recognises visitor attractions that provide a high-quality visitor experience, from the previsit information such as website and leaflets to onsite welcome, facilities, customer service, presentation and overall standards.

We are very proud, and want to thank everyone who continues to support us, keeping this extraordinary piece of ancient history open to the public!

🚂 Great to welcome the Llandudno Land Trains team to the mines today! Picking up from Llandudno Pier they operate a popu...
05/06/2026

🚂 Great to welcome the Llandudno Land Trains team to the mines today!

Picking up from Llandudno Pier they operate a popular tour of Great Orme’s Marine Drive, and are adding a second route this summer, the Llandudno Town Tour. 😃

Thank you for visiting us and we wish you a great season! 🚂 ☀️

🚶‍♂️🏺 Really enjoyed guiding this walk tonight for members of The Great Orme Exploration Society visiting some of the lo...
04/06/2026

🚶‍♂️🏺 Really enjoyed guiding this walk tonight for members of The Great Orme Exploration Society visiting some of the locations associated with the Dally Collection; 82 artefacts discovered in Llandudno in the 19th Century, some dating back to the Ice Age. Seven of the artefacts in the collection came from Great Orme Bronze Age mines.

Great turnout for this evening’s walk to find locations relating to The Dally Collection.

Address

Great Orme Mines, Great Orme
Llandudno
LL302XG

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday 9:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441492870447

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