Walk through this stunning valley to discover the echoes of a quarrying community
One of a number of slate mines above the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, Cwmorthin Slate Quarry lies on the shores of Llyn Cwmorthin. A sense of the lives of those who lived here and worked the mines may be gained by taking an atmospheric walk among the derelict cottages and the ruins of Capel Rhosydd, the Calvinist Methodist chapel and schoolhouse. Look behind Rhosydd Terrace for the steep path used by the workers to reach the mine.
Originally worked in the early 1800s, poor working practices and rash engineering decisions resulted in a substantial collapse which ended production. Work was resumed later in the century, but eventually this operation also ceased in 1901. Extraction of slate continued in a limited capacity until the early 1990s.
Today the mine is maintained by the ‘Friends of Cwmorthin’, and access is free to anyone interested: just ask for the code to the gate. Be warned that, like many disused mines, it can be a hazardous environment for the inexperienced. The reward for those who do venture underground are many miles of tunnels to explore and hundreds of enormous chambers – all littered with artefacts such as powder horns, timber stairways, winches, wagons, cranes and bridges.