Dig your own hole, it's cheaper (Llechwedd Slate Caverns)

Name: hillcrestsan

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Product:	Llechwedd Slate Caverns
Date:	11.02.08 (136 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: interesting for adults who are a bit geeky

Disadvantages: uninteresting for children and too expesive

LLechwedd slate mines are a surprisingly wonderful journey into a subterranean world. That sounded pompous didn't it. To be honest, most people would take one look at the advertising and pronounce BORING upon it. Especially kids. They know nothing, however, due to all the brain-addling sweets they eat. It is one of those things you cannot appreciate until you do it and when we took 5 of them aged between 4 and 12 they all had a really good time. Can't promise they'd agree though but I suspect they would crack under torture.

For myself, I'm and aging geology geek who still loves rocks. I have to say, slate isn't the most interesting no matter how geeky you are but I still enthralled the children with interesting tales of metamorphism and faulting. They were so happy I was their father.

The slate caverns are situated in Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales, just on the outskirts of the Snowdoia National Park. Blaenau is not the most attractive town in Snowdonia but it maintains the character of what it is - an industrial heartland, now slightly decayed. It lies on the A470 from the North or A496 from the South. And next to some sheep to the East and West. Probably.

What do you do there?
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The main focus of the attraction is to go deep underground into the caverns from which slate was extracted util the 1970's. There are 2 tours on offer, one deeper than the other. You are taken into the depths of the earth, past worms and later Satan, on small locomotives. As well as passing the massive caverns sculpted from the slate - and they are huge - there are various 'exhibitions' of slate-workers going about their business. You know the sort of thing - mannequins wearing dirty clothes with sound effects in the background. I've just reread that and need to clarify that the 'business' was quarrying and the sound effects were of pick-axe on hard rock. These are token things, the beauty is in the well-lit holes filled with water that have been left behind. They are cathedral-like and the whole place has fantastic acoustics. Every now and again the train stops so you can wander around and have a closer look.

Back on the surface, there are further exhibitions of slate workings and a few demonstrations of slate-splitting and the like. The quarry village has been largely preserved and you can see the Victorian sweet shop and buy traditional sweets. Kids liked that. A few workshops and houses are also still present with their river-flushed privies. The mind boggles. In other words they used to go and wee in the river. Like bears.

There is also a half-decent cafe for drinks and food (but as always this will double the cost of the day out), as well as a shop which I don't remember much but suspect sold bits of slate with owls etched into it like wot grannies do 'ave.

How much?
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Quite a lot I feel. For both tours (and you need to see the deep mine by the way) it'll set you back £14.75 for adults and a whopping £11.25 for children. For just the one ride it'll be £9.25 for adults and £7 for children. There are some group concessions but no family discount which sucks, frankly.

I do not think this is good value for money by the way, especially for children who will need press-ganging to attend in the first place.

Overall.
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For adults who enjoy geology (who doesn't?) or industrialization then this'll be fun. For children, well, hard to say. They'll enjoy the tram ride into the cave but miss a lot of the point. They can buy sweets, but obviously this will rot their teeth and as responsible adults we can't condone it. Pensioners like my dad will love it because it will remind them of when they were young and could still have sexual relationships. Actually, that might upset him. He can't even bring himself to watch nature programmes anymore.
Personally, it killed some time on a wet Thursday and gets my thumbs up.

Find out yourself at http://www.llechwedd-slate-caverns.co.uk

Thanks for reading
Dave

May also be posted at other review sites which I can't mention because I keep forgetting to edit this sentence.

Summary: Kills a bit of time