Croesor and Rhosydd slate mines - North wales - March 2013
 

Croesor to Rhosydd through trip (CRTT)

Visited with AndyJ, Jay (My son), Buddah and myself.

I hadn’t been out for a few weeks and was in need of something to do, with 4 days off looming and the kids been off school it was time to make plans, I wanted a bit of a play without having to lug a load of kit, the obvious choice was the CRTT (Croesor to Rhosydd through trip)

Croesor Quarry is a large underground slate mine in North Wales which was served by Croesor Tramway. It has a single adit in the hillside and ceased operation after a hundred years in 1930 having produced 11,000 tonnes of finished slate annually at its peak.

Initially worked from 1846 until 1878. From 1864 onwards, the quarry was connected to the slate wharves at Porthmadog by an incline to the head of the Croesor Tramway.

Croesor Quarry is connected to the nearby Rhosydd Quarry by a tunnel that was built to aid surveying and settle boundary disputes.

In spite of a series of collapses some of them very recent, the Croesor to Rhosydd through trip is still possible and has long been considered a classic trip for mine explorers

Fixed ropes, home-made suspension bridges, zip wires, and boats have been installed which make it possible to complete the journey in reasonable comfort although not necessarily in safety .

The hardest part of our trip was the walk up from cwmorthin, we set off in a light sprinkling of snow, by the time we had reached the half way point we were walking through 2ft deep snow with drifts up to 4ft, making the going tough.

trip went without problems, even my son managed all the obstickles without problem

some pic's

Was up there myself Friday, those icicles were amazing and EVERYWHERE!

Fantastic, a proper adventure. lovely shots!

Brilliant pics, still something I have on my 'check' list to do, Was up there as Gibbo says but just more for a mooch around the old abandoned buildings around the lake, what an amazing place. It was so sunny,and your pics are fab, makes me want to go underground next time. I'm just a bit nervous of the absail etc, need to get a bit more experience under my belt this summer and then head up there. Would be great to get some help from you if you have the time, I'm in need of some advice!!

I'm probably the worst person to ask, i've no people skills at all, Andy is your man, seems to of mellowed in his old age.

I even had to get someone else to teach our Jay how to SRT.

more than happy to so you around Cwmorthin though, and the walk isnt as hard as it's much closer to the car (and no ropes are required)

Big balls going there in that weather!

Amazing place I will never forget. Scared me to shit.

Wow they are amazing pics.Looks really dangerous place to explore .Very Brave indeed

There's some really nice pictures here, particularly like the icicles!