Going underground. (Llechwedd Slate Caverns)

Member Name: Bish

Product:	Llechwedd Slate Caverns
Date:	01/09/01 (133 review reads)
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Advantages: see below

Disadvantages: see below

Llechwedd slate caverns are situated in Blaenau Ffestiniog and are a fascinating experience which gives the visitor an insight into what life would have been like working in a Victorian slate mine. It’s free to visit the site and you only pay if you want to go on one of the two underground tours. To be honest you really have to undergo one of the tours to fully appreciate Llechwedd.

At the time of writing we paid £37 for both tours and this consisted of 2 adults and 2 children. While not cheap it was worth every penny. If you can’t afford both tours or simple don’t have the time I suggest you try the Deep Mine Tour although this one does involve some walking once you do get underground, as well as some steps.

The Deep Mine Tour (opened 1979):
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After queuing you are given a given a hard hat to wear and you then start your journey aboard Britains steepest passenger railway. This is a very small train which holds 24 people with 4 persons to a carriage, the train is of a stepped design. Once at the bottom after descending 99ft a guide informs you that the tour will commence in the next chamber and at each numbered chamber (10 in total) the group will stop and you will hear the pre recorded tour guide. The tour takes around 25 minutes to complete.

The voice you hear is an actor playing the part of Sion Dolgarregddu who informs you that he came to work in the mine in 1838 at the age of 12, following his father and uncle who already worked the mine. This way of presenting the tour is very good indeed, during the tale various parts of the cavern light up to display models of the miners and you gain lots of very informative information. It’s not overlong and you are never bombarded with too many facts which can make some tours hard to remember. After the speech in each chamber has ended you are instructed to follow the trail to the next and once everyone has gathered again the tour restarts.
r>After a while you descend further onto the mine by a 61 step (32 ft) metal staircase this takes you down another level. Now although you have only gone down around 131 feet and at this point you are 430 ft below the summit. This is because the point at which the train starts is not the top of the mine. The highlight of the Deep Mine Tour, is an incredible underground lake inside a huge cavern. Here the water is so clear that you can see right to the bottom of the lake, the lighting also makes this a very atmospheric chamber.

At another point you reach another staircase, this one leads you up to the upper level and eventually the tour rejoins the point where you started and you board the train back up to the top.

Miners Tramway Tour (opened 1972):
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By the time we started to queue for the second tour the time was around 12 noon and we had to wait around just under an hour to board the train itself. You journey into the side of the mountain on a level piece of track and get off at a cavern. Here another guide explains the workings of the slate mine and the life the men and boys had inside. Again you get more sight and sound guides but this tour features a real life guide more than the last one.

We learn that boys started to work the mine from the age of 11 and they had to rely on the candle light of the other men as they could not afford to buy candles of their own. Life inside the mine was nowhere near like what you see on the tour, their was no nicely lighted chambers and fresh air to breath. Our guide at one point turned out the lights to reveal the harsh reality of the mine. With the exception of a few candles the miners had to endure total blackness accompanied by the dusty air due to the explosions made to break free the slate.

You board the train to travel to another chamber where you learn more about a miners life inside Llechwedd. It’s hard to believe that these men where expected to work 6
days a week 12 hours a day with only Sunday a day of rest. This doesn’t sound too bad until you realise that they were expected to attend chapel 3 times on a Sunday as well as a couple of times in the week. At its peak in 1904 the slate mine employed around 369 men.

Life was easier in the mine if you worked in a chamber where the foreman was a member of the same chapel as you. Even their half hour lunch underground was not their own. After eating their meal their discussion was moderated by the foreman and they were allowed to discuss topics such as religion and politics.

After boarding the train again it makes its way back to the slate mill where you learn how the slate was prepared above ground. All this adds up to another very informative tour.
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Above ground there are a few things to visit you get the obligatory café and souvenir shops. Llechwedd also boasts a small Victorian village complete with a bank where you can exchange your money for replica old coins which can then be used inside the village. A few of the shops list prices in both amounts and children will have fun paying for items this way.

One of the shops was in the style of an old fashioned sweet shop and proved very popular inded, also at the village is an old pub called ‘The Miner’s Arms’ and once again this proved to be a popular feature. I can’t really comment further on the café or the pub as we took something to eat and drink along with us.

The time on the tours went very quick but it was overall a very enjoyable experience and one I’ll never forget. If you ever get the chance to visit Llechwedd Slate caverns then I highly suggest you take the opportunity.