It was brilliant to finally do this trip after first hearing of these two mines about 5 years ago, I even found it
difficult to sleep the night before and awoke extra early in anticipation
. And now that Ive done it I cant
wait to do it again, had a superb time, lots of good folk along and plenty of laughs. I think folk making this
trip now have to appreciate that its been made a lot friendlier by the installation of wires to zip across and boats
and pulley's through no small effort have tamed this unique through trip, I mean where else are you going to get to
combine bridges of death underground lakes you cross in boats/raft and huge chambers to abseil into. With that
said you still get a sense that these mines could give you a very nasty bite if they wanted to. Only bummer of the
day was my car dying 30 miles from the Cwm carpark leaving me Big jobs and AndyJ stranded at a pub whilst Mrs
tristanjay saved the day by sorting out my AA membership - it was that or spend the night in the middle of nowhere.
Luckily the AA guy was better than green flag fella and fixed the car
Brief bit of history from wiki
Croesor Quarry was 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. After a hiatus, it re-opened in 1895 and
continued in production until 1930.[2]
In the 1960s the quarry was operated by Cookes Explosive, a local firm who used its underground chambers to store
explosives. In the early 1970s it was purchased by the Ffestiniog Slate Company with a view to reopening it as a
working slate quarry. Planning permission for this was not granted and in the later 1970s most of the remaining
mine infrastructure was removed for use in the Oakeley Quarry, also owned by the Ffestiniog Slate Company.
The earliest workings recorded at Rhosydd date back to the 1830s when small hilltop excavations were made. By the
1850s quarrying had moved underground. By 1883 the quarry had become on of the largest underground workings in
Wales outside of Blaenau Ffestiniog, with 170 chambers and shipping 5616 tons of finished slate.
Initially slate was sent by pack horse via Moelwyn and Cwm Maesgwm to be shipped by the Ffestiniog Railway at
Penrhyndeudraeth. From 1864 connection was made to the sea at Porthmadog along the newly opened Croesor Tramway.
This was along a high tramway and a parabolic incline nearly 800 ft. long.
Slate production ceased in the early 1930s, although the site was not abandoned until shortly after World War II.
The quarry was purchased by McAlpine in the 1990s, but quarrying has not resumed
Our very own Boboil ponders on the rope
Manx has his lucky tongue and groove boards with him
The Kraken that inhabits mine water stirs from its slumber
Copycat goads the kraken
The kraken caught on camera
The new improved raft - had to lighten this one a lot to make out the raft.
This twll and quarry made us look like ants crawling over gravel
Some amazing landscape in the setting sun
Being left on my own to wait for the 2nd group, only an hour behind us as it happens.
And the genius Mechanic who saved the day after my car died(just needed a bad connection to the fuel pump reattaching) and bad welsh mechanic who couldn't be arsed to do anything apart from take us to a pub so we could sort alternative recovery.
Sound bloke if you break down near mold.
Top day despite car troubles and thanks all who went for making it so