Hey,

Just a curious question is the Lake Level Adit in Cwmorthin Slate Mine gated anymore?

I have watched a few videos on the internet and seems there is no gate on there or is it only because of the poor camera quality and if so, do you know the pin/how to get in?

Thanks,
Tonto

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There is a gate. Call into Go Below at the Conwy Falls cafe, pay a deposit, get a key. After your trip, give key back, get deposit back.

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Is that a new state of affairs?, does that mean the combination lock system has been retired?

Chris.

Been like that for a few months. A new, much more substantial lock has been put on lake level, anyone wanting to visit can get a key as Newstuff has described. And a few regular clubs and groups have been provided keys so they don't need to collect/return one each time :thumbup:

As far as I'm aware it's working very well, and there's been no repeat of the vandalism to the lock that's been happening over the last couple of years.

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Good to know - thanks for the info Simon.
I do recall the conversation about it, but I must have missed the final conclusion!

Chris.

Pity there isn't somewhere in Tanygrisau/Blaenau that could keep the keys though.

I suspect that what would be a minor additional convenience for a few people who didn't want to go over to Betws would be a major inconvenience for the one person in charge of the keys; and added hassle for Go Below if keys weren't returned. I believe the new system is working well.

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Miles was originally intending to leave keys in the Lakeside café. Did this ever happen?

I met a party up at the entrance the other day who had collected a key from the Lakeside Cafe. It was not a GoBelow key and did not fit the lock. If they have a key it's not for that gate! Felt a bit sorry for them. Don't forget to check on access arrangements - they do change.

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There isn't a key available for collection anywhere except the Go Below office at the moment. I did say I would ask the café in due course if they would mind being key holders too, but this has not been done yet, and I asked people not to bother the café until if/when they agreed to be key holders.

Despite this, hordes of cavers are regularly turning up at the café asking for the key they never had, and nobody ever said they had, and the café are now suitably miffed. so much so I'm not going to ask them to be key holders anymore.

They do hold a key there for something entirely different and in the confusion they've been passing that out by mistake. It's not the Cwmorthin gate key and no it won't work.

I do have some other ideas of places in the very near area where keys could be held/collected from but I'm certainly not going to say where until I've asked and it's all arranged otherwise another army of selective-readers will be banging on their door...

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