Parys Mountain
Mynydd Parys
The world’s largest copper mine in the 18th century; its open pits glow red, orange and purple like Martian terrain, with a circular trail.
Parys Mountain lies south of Amlwch. In the late 18th century it was the world’s largest copper mine, and it still bears a huge open-cast pit, the Great Opencast, along with derelict engine-house towers. The pit walls take on strange shades of red, orange, yellow and purple from mineral oxidation and are often compared to the surface of Mars. A signposted circular heritage trail takes about an hour; it is free, and visitors should keep to the path and stay away from the pit edges. In nearby Amlwch Port, the Copper Kingdom heritage centre tells the story of the mining history.
Opening hours
All day