The Great Orme

The Great Orme is composed of limestone rock which formed between 300 and 350 million years ago, when much of North Wales was under shallow sea.

It was the Carboniferous Period, when rocks were formed from the skeletons and shells of creatures living at that time.

The name "Orme" is believed to be deriven from the Old Norse word "Horma Hava", meaning dragon or sea monster. The name believed to originate from the look of the Orme, as from a distance it looks like a monster rising from the sea. Even today, the Orme is affectionately known as "The Alligator" or "The Crocodile", due to it's appearance.