The Vertically Challenged Orme Traditional Cache
Caneou: As we are moving to the South of England very shortly we are closing all of our caches in this area.
The Vertically Challenged Orme
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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A short walk, quite steep in parts, along the North Wales footpath trail. The cache is a short diversion off the main path. The views are quite stunning (on a clear day) of the North Wales coast line. So take your camera.
Do watch your footing as there are loose stones even on the main path. It goes with out saying do keep an extra eye on children and keep dogs on a lead all the time, cliff edges and sheep [;)].
See waypoint for parking and then proceed to recommended start at N53 19 394 W003 46 997 (elavation 196') which is a kissing gate on the main road. Then its UP all the way to the cache (elavation at the cache 413'), so it's not that bad.
Don't know how many people go up the Little Orme, I know I have never been up there until I set this cache. Most visitors go to the Great Orme, this is relatively tranquil.
If you have time I do recommend the other cache up here, but do it on the way to our cache it is Pierview (GC969B) and has excellent view to Llandudno and west.
One section of the Little Orme is managed by the North Wales Wildlife Trust (Rhiwledyn). The cache is NOT in this section.
Limestone grassland on Little Orme.
A wide variety of wildflowers thrive on the sheltered slopes of the Little Orme. Rhiwleddyn is a 12 acre reserve situated close to the sea near Llandudno. The eastern part of the reserve, which forms part of the Little Orme SSSI, is a limestone grassland with some exposed limestone. The western part of the reserve mainly contains blackthorn scrub and unimproved grassland.
The Little Orme has many unusual species of plants. As well as the more commen rockrose, the hoary rockrose also occurs. The spiked speedwell has its largest Welsh Colony on the Creuddyn.
The very dark red kelleborine that grows on limestone rock and screes can be found here.The horseshoe Velch, through not rare in Southern England, is saved in N.Wales.
The reserve was left to the Trust in 1994 in the will of Miss Holden.
The reserve is located 2 miles to the E of Llandudno, adjacent to the A546 Colwyn Road. From Llandudno take the sea front road towards PenrhynBay. The reserve is on the land-ward side of the Little Orme, opposite the Craigside Inn. The nearest parking is at the lay-by in Bryn-y-bia Road (SH 818 819). The reserve entrance is through a kissing gate, waymarked as the North Wales Path, a public footpath from the main road. Alternatively you can aproach the reserve from the east from Penrhyn Bay along the North Wales Path, entering the reserve through a kissing gate.
Home to large colonies of seabird Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Buzzards, Ravorbills, Little terns, Shags and Cormorants also many of the gull family.
The Peregrine Falcon, whose decline has now been halted, breeds on the Little Orme coastal cliffs being one of its favored breeding sites, it is also home to the Fulnan whose numbers have increased over the last centures.
Amoung the land dwelling bird population look and listen out for Stonechat and the Ring ouzel.
The North Wales Path runs along the beach and over the Little Orme.
The first Printing Press in Wales.
Here in a cave just south of Little Orme’s Head, at the height of the persecution of Catholics in the reign of Elizabeth I, a secret Catholic printing press produced some of the earliest books printed in Wales.
In 1587 the printers and priests were ruddly interrupted by one of Sir Thomas Mostyn's men.
The informant found 12 priests at work in the cave.Sir Thomas with a party of 40 men lay in siege to the cave overnight but by the morning the priests and the printers together with their press and equipment had fled.
The cave's are now inaccessible now.
Limestone was quarried from 1889 and mainly shipped to Scotland for burning in blast furnaces but later was used in the manufacture of Portland cement owing to it's high calcuium carbonate content.
Besides storage railway system and crushing plant.
The quarry closed in 1931 but in it's time provided employment for many local men.
In 1892 during quarring operation's, the human bones of a 5' tall, middle aged woman were found in a deep fissure on the Little Orme.
These were eventually proved to be from the Niolithic period, about 3510BC.
Throughout history the Little Orme has continued to be a site of significant archaeological and social importance.
Wartime Activities.
The artiillary practice camp was constructed during 1941 and provided a facility for coastal artillery men from the east and south coast's of England to practice their gunnery in the comparative quite of North Wales.
The camp was associated with the western slopes of the Great Orme. A total of 4 x 6" guns and 2 x 12 pounders were located here together with ancillary eguipment.
The artillery and searchlight camps were established during the 2nd World War to train personel in night firing.
Exsistin quarry buildings were used and new Nisson huts and concreate structures were created, there are only a couple left standing.
By may 1943, 81 Batteries with over 5,800 personnel had passed through the camp.
The camp ceaesed to be operational by 1944 and the last traces of the gun emplacement were removed in a reclamation scheme in the 1970s.
Edwin Starr "War" (visit link)
Mother Nature, if you have 3.29 mins to watch (visit link)
Interesting site about Llandudno (visit link)
Congratulation's to JusTheJob who was the 1st to find this Geocache on 26/5/07 at 20.40pm.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pnpur orybj fznyy cvyr bs fgbarf ng srapr pbeare.