Cwmorthin Slate Quarry

This was Thanks to  http://www.aditnow.co.uk/profile/?uid=6117

Note from Dad,

Cwmorthin, like any disused mine or quarry, is a hazardous environment with numerous dangers including sheer drops, unstable roofs and walls, deep water and loose/slippery surfaces. It is not a show mine and is not suitable for novices or inexperienced persons unless as part of a professionally led group. 

http://www.cwmorthin.co.uk/how_to_visit.asp

This for us was led by someone who was very experienced !
Jake and I are very grateful for the opportunity!

I went inside the gates you have to have a code for these !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GFwTw9m0G0

I am eating my sandwiches for Lunch  deep inside the mine I think it was over half a mile under the mountain!

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/documents/Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine/Mine-Map-14.7.pdf

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/documents/Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine/Floor_heights.pdf

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/mines/Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine/?gowhere=%2fmines%2f%3fpid%3d2%26aa%3d25%26ab%3d9%26ac%3dA%26ad%3d100

http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/mines/Cwmorthin_226/Cwmorthin.asp

http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/mines/Cwmorthin_226/Cwmorthin_18952.pdf

http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/mines/Cwmorthin_226/Cwmorthin_347.pdf

This is me in one the passages it is not a place to get lost in!

This water Wheel powers some original lamps I got to turn the lights on !

some old rope

These are two old steam engine boilers which powered the air drills

there are lots of things to see !

old drum for pulling the slate trucks

I am at the top of a slope , there are a lot of slopes some are too steep to get down !

people used to work by wrapping the chains round their leg and drilling with a compressed air drill !

some of the old store room items !

you can see water and air  pipes in some of the tunnels

old railway tracks and wheels from a truck

old crane

old trucks

some of  tramway tracks we saw this is a set of points

this was a slope with tracks on it to move the slate between levals , you can see the old wire rope marks on the stone !

a drum to help keep the rope off the ground

a old bridge

yes I crossed this !

there is a rope and Barry helped me keep safe across this !

the steps I counted over 120 ! 

Blaenau Ffestiniog Oakeley Slate Quarry to Cwmorthin Slate Quarry

http://www.festrail.co.uk/

http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/Towns_in_Wales/Blaenau_Ffestiniog_Town.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaenau_Ffestiniog

You can see a tramway to a unknown mine 

 Drain though we did not follow it

http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/mines/Oakeley_457/Oakeley.asp

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/mines/Oakeley-Slate-Mine/?gowhere=%2fmines%2f%3fpid%3d4%26aa%3d25%26ab%3d9%26ac%3dA%26ad%3d100

http://www.grantonline.com/pugh-family-genealogy/places/slate-quarries/ffestiniog/oakeley-quarry/oakeley-quarry.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Rhion/History_of_the_slate_industry_in_Wales


http://www.penmorfa.com/Slate/oakeley.html

you can just see the waste tips from the quarries above - Oakely plus old railway line cuttings

 junction

My dad went to see the railway lines these are the narrow gauge and standard gauge tracks

 Starting our ascent

we started off here and went around a mile across the slate gaining height !

 My dad showed me how to cross this we went up around 200 meters then we went across

I found lots of old metal from the quarries above


Note from dad- this shows the angle, distance  and height we went to get to the old steps !

 start of the steps

 they used  iron to hold the walls to protect the path

 this used to help haul the slate down the mountain !

 old tramway bridge ?

 mountains on the other side

 Oakeley

 one of the old buildings can you see the stone wall protecting it ?

 old mine entrance collapsed

 railway centre !

Old wall

 more slate quarries in the distance !

 I am not sure what this was for but great decoration !

 these used to be toilets !

 what a view !

 Old trackway

 old reservoirs for the quarries and mines !

  Blaenau Ffestiniog

 Slate slabs fine grained and very smooth !

  Blaenau Ffestiniog

 old  rails

 can you see the old wall ?

 Old bolt ?

 air compressor pipe or water pipe ? they used air to run the drills !

 about to Jump !

 you have to careful the edges are often loose or about to collapse !

 more rails

 we left Oakeley to go up on the Hill tops

 

note from dad this is around 70 decrees !

 last of the winding wheels we found !

This is a through tunnel and not a mine!

the through tunnel ! not a mine !

 the other side

 well away from Oakley !

all the buildings had a tunnel under them ?

 that's better out of my hat and into running , I can ditch my underground safety equipment !

 this is knee deep bog I feel at home !

 Wrysgan Slate Quarry
http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/mines/Wrysgan_619/Wrysgan.asp

 this was a fast run down the hill and across the Cwmorthin Slate Quarry
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=39286
http://www.cwmorthin.co.uk/
http://www.aditnow.co.uk/mines/Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine/

Note from Dad this shows you the height of the slope and one of the techniques Jake uses to get down !

I really enjoyed this !!!!!!!!!!!

me running down the hill it took me a lot longer to get up the hill !

 some of the old buildings at Cwmorthin Slate Quarry

 a old tunnel !

 this is a Japanese garden !

 this is where they cut some of the slate

 cooling down !

 can you see the old tramway !

 running down the tramway

 they cut through the rock

more rocks