Blaenau Ffestiniog Slate Mines· Page 2

Mine exploration, photographs and mining history for mine explorers, industrial archaeologists, researchers and historians

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TheBogieman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#21

Hi Phil,
Heading for Dolwyddelen, go past what was Gloddfa Ganol on the left and not far below the Crimea's summit, look right over the 'grass' and where it rises into a steep bank, probably about 250 yds off the road, there it is - a small run of tip and what appears to an adit...
Cheers, Clive

Explorans ad inferos

sinker
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#22

Ah yes that's what I thought. Look carefully and there is even more....

Go for a walk but take a spare pair of socks or a pair of waders. ;)

Phil.

Yma O Hyd....

rufenig
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#23

Somewhere I have seen a report of people looking around those upper trials.
It could have been on the old Mine Explorer site.

Not much help I know but perhaps the original explorer will surface. 🙂

TheBogieman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#24

Hmmm, should be over that way again shortly. Will pack my waders and have a look then Phil. I'll report back after I've had a mooch. 🙂

Explorans ad inferos

Alan Clogwyn
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#25

Maenofferen - what's the current situation? A photographer friend wants to do a trip (surface). I was under the impression it was now being worked on a small scale and that the artefacts were now gone, although this is a hazy set of memories from a while ago. I haven't been in for a couple of years.

TheBogieman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#26

I'd keep clear - the Greaves / Llechwedd folk wouldn't be happy finding folk wandering around a working quarry! You could try asking for official permission for a visit to photograph the surface remains - of which there's plenty. Some official footpaths go through the area but not sure whether you'd get close enough to photograph things like the mill etc...

Explorans ad inferos

JohnnearCfon
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#27

"TheBogieman" wrote:
I'd keep clear - the Greaves / Llechwedd folk wouldn't be happy finding folk wandering around a working quarry! You could try asking for official permission for a visit to photograph the surface remains - of which there's plenty. Some official footpaths go through the area but not sure whether you'd get close enough to photograph things like the mill etc...

You could go on Llechwedd's "Quarry Explorer", that will take you places where there are no public footpaths:-

http://www.llechwedd-slate-caverns.co.uk/quarry-explorer/

Alan Clogwyn
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#28

Quarry Explorer - video shows driving up through Maenofferen and on up to Diffwys casson, so yeh looks like Maenofferen is now a no go.

The 'path' is and interesting trek up a very steep rhododendron encrusted hillside. I did try and hack my way to the tunnel along the old tip line once but the Rhododendrons won.

Margot
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#29

There is a public footpath going straight through the quarry on the OS map; its route seems to be abstract art. I once tried to walk it but ended up wandering around making it up as I went along; I don't think the public footpath is (well) indicated. I came across that 'Quarry Explorer' several times, and the driver was quite friendly, and didn't suggest in any way I wasn't supposed to be there. I therefore don't think they're particularly sensitive to harmless walkers... however, that was just one experience and maybe I was lucky.

Margot
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#30

Hm, maybe I was in a particularly unobservant mood that day, thinking the route wasn't well-marked. Although if you mean the incline I think you mean: tried that, pretty much impossible, as was already mentioned earlier (I think it's the same slope Alan Clogwyn mentions).

Anyway; that the bloke in the lorry didn't mind, in spite of me free-roaming without having asked permission, still stands!

JohnnearCfon
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#31

I think you will find that the public footpath that you mention as "going up the incline" doesn't do that.

From the foot of the incline it goes round to the left (West) of Quarry Bank (former managers' house) and stays off the incline until it reaches the incline near the top where it abruptly ends adjacent to the inline winding house.

It has always puzzled me why it didn't link up with the East-West footpath a little higher up.

There was talks a few years ago about creating a "permissive footpath" to link the two and the "Open Access Land", but that was never carried out.

Alan Clogwyn
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

#32

The incline was even worse than the path when I was there last, if you can call waymarkers on the side of a hill a path.