Llechwedd slate mines
Well, how better to spend Valentine’s day than taking a trip to Blaenau Ffestiniog by train? I travelled along the picturesque Conwy valley, seeing the mountains and many rivers and small streams and lakes. As we arrived at Blaenau we departed the train and walked 15 minutes to the slate mines. The walk was not all up hill so we arrived pretty quick.
Upon arrival we found the entrance to the slate mines. Although we were an hour early we were allowed entry and waited for the cafe to open. We purchased our tickets for the deep mine and the underground tramway and then continued over to the caverns cafe where we had a lovely sausage sandwich and coffee.
From there, we met our tour guide who was excellent throughout the whole tour. He took us to the train and, well this train, how can I explain it? We sat in a very small glass carriage with a half open roof and then we descended in to the mine to see a few of the chambers. At this point, came to a sudden halt to depart the train for our first talk. This talk consisted of how the miners lived and worked there and the tools they used. We then boarded the train and went to the next chamber where we saw how the miners had tea. They only had 15 minutes for break in the tremendous conditions. We then boarded the train for the second to last time where we saw how the miners used ladders without harnesses.
The train headed back in to the station where we left our hard hats and went for a slate splitting demonstration. Our guide showed us how the slate was split using a chisel and a hammer. We also saw how belts were used to drive the machinery for many other tools. The machines were used to square off the slate for the production of roofing tiles. The machine that was used to square the roofing tile was like a tumble drier with two blades rotating at a very slow speed.
We then headed from the demonstration over to the deep mine where we picked up our hard hat and sat in a little pod or capsule. From here we descended down in to the mine, deep underground. Our tour guide took us to the first chamber and from there on we followed the arrows through the chambers hearing the story of Dafydd Francis, a local miner who worked in the mines from the time he was 12 years of age. As a boy he was forced to attend church 3 times on a Sunday and twice in the week working for only a few shillings. Dafydd told us about the few tools he used and the conditions while we viewed some exciting exhibits.
The ten chambers were well lit, however being 6ft I had to become a ‘borrower’ or a’ hobbit’ to attempt the lower chambers. This did not affect me as it was a great laugh watching many other people of the group going first. The final chamber before returning in to the pods was breathtaking with a view of an underground lake, which was really clear and you could see the slate underneath it.
On return to the surface we got out of our pods and thanked the guide. We even had time to view the exhibits and have a walk round the Victorian village
The facilities were excellent and an all round family fun venue. The tour was not only interesting but educational for all ages. The gift shop was excellent with reasonable prices for all gifts we even got ourselves a slate place mat. All the staff were polite and absolutely fantastic. Prices for both tours were £16.50 for adults and £12.50 for children – and well worth it! A fantastic Valentines day well spent.
