Years ago, back in the last century, a friend and I explored a place called "Cwm Creosor", a stones' throw from Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales. We walked for ages up the valley in the pouring rain until we came to a seriously gated adit entrance.
I can remember a sign which gave the impression that ICI Nobel Division had some explosive material stored in there (we both worked for ICI at the time, in Runcorn), but as getting in was out of the question carried on over the mountain until we came to a slate quarry that required exploring.
Does anyone know what it was we found up there (although probably abandoned and disused by now); that area seems to be popular with a lot of AN members.

Could be Croesor or RHosydd at the top of the valley and Cwmorthin down the other side towards BF.

Sorry just noticed you said quarry the other side which would exclude Cwmorthin (not wishong to open the mine vs quarry debate again)

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Sounds like Croesor - which was used as an explosive store up until (I think) the 1980s.

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Yes Croesor does have substantial metal work across the entrance so I would guess there.

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Certainly the mine with the explosives was Croesor - originally used by Cooke's, later ICI if I recall correctly.

The mine was kept pumped and there are some great photos by Grahami of a visit there before the floors below adit level flooded.

The pic below dates from 1978 and shows one of the chambers where the explosives were stored. If I'm right, this is the chamber on the right at the end of the adit, or the one beyond that.

🔗Croesor-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-031[linkphoto]Croesor-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-031[/linkphoto][/link]


This pic was taken on Floor C down, ie 2 floors and over 100' below adit level. If you look right at the top of the photograph, you can see a second bridge (behind the obvious one) - that bridge marks the current water level. A similar bridge is pictured here, a couple of years back:

🔗Croesor-Slate-Mine-09-10-2005-Image-006[linkphoto]Croesor-Slate-Mine-09-10-2005-Image-006[/linkphoto][/link]

There are a lot of fascinating pics in the album ( http://www.aditnow.co.uk/album/Croesor-Slate-Mine-User-Album/  ), particularly this one:

🔗Croesor-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-027[linkphoto]Croesor-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-027[/linkphoto][/link]

If you carry on beyond Croesor, this will bring you to Rhosydd...

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I think the quarry that we ended up in (still in the pouring rain) was just below the summit of Moelwyn Mawr. Is that the same Croesor about which someone wrote an hilarious trip report a few years ago which included crossing an underground lake in a rubber dinghy that was sinking? :lol:

It was the sign which stood out in my mind - and wondering why ICI should be interested in such a godforsaken place. Far away from the NIMBY's I guess.

Yes, definitely Croesor. ICI nobel had the Cooke's Explosives Works at Penrhyndeudraeth (started in 1924 to produce explosives for the mining industry). They bought Croesor in 1964 and obtained permission for the storage of explosives there.

Going on to Rhosydd, which is about half a mile beyond Croesor, there are several albums to be found at this http://www.aditnow.co.uk/mines/Rhosydd-Slate-Mine/ .

A couple of pics of the old barracks that still stand there:

🔗Surface-Pictures-Image-001[linkphoto]Surface-Pictures-Image-001[/linkphoto][/link]
🔗Surface-Pictures-Image-002[linkphoto]Surface-Pictures-Image-002[/linkphoto][/link]

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Thanks Vanoord for that, most interesting. And Wyn too. Great pictures, must have required megalux of lighting to illuminate that chamber. :thumbup:

No offence;- do you guys spend a lot of time logged in??!!


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I think the quarry that we ended up in (still in the pouring rain) was just below the summit of Moelwyn Mawr. Is that the same Croesor about which someone wrote an hilarious trip report a few years ago which included crossing an underground lake in a rubber dinghy that was sinking? :lol:

It was the sign which stood out in my mind - and wondering why ICI should be interested in such a godforsaken place. Far away from the NIMBY's I guess.

Yes, as everyone has already said, the explosives store was the former Croesor Quarry. However, it sounds as if you walked on further and came to Rhosydd Quarry, the lower level of which is located on the saddle between Cwm Croesor and Cwm Orthin, the upper levels of Rhosydd extend up the northern side of the Moelwyns.

Is that the same Croesor about which someone wrote an hilarious trip report a few years ago which included crossing an underground lake in a rubber dinghy that was sinking? :lol:

Indeed. Out of my league but the Croesor - Rhosydd trip is well known.

I believe you can still find the account on Mine Explorer.

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Thanks Vanoord for that, most interesting. And Wyn too. Great pictures, must have required megalux of lighting to illuminate that chamber.

In 1978 the power and floodlighting was still on - we just added some flash for the foreground - we had gone surveying on floor C far beyond the range of the lighting and on the way back discovered the power had gone off, and the pumps had stopped......

Fortunately it came back on a bit later so we could conttinue working, but it was an interesting moment.

I've got some info somewhere on Cooke' s involvement. Will dig it out.

Grahami

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Like I said, it was a foul day and at the top of wherever we were the mist was so thick, getting lost would have been a piece of gateaux. Pre - SatNav days, you understand. But nice to have that piece of the jigsaw put into place all the same. Lost touch with my friend (as you do) so couldn't ask him to search the canyons of his mind.

The original reports that I know of were the Eldon Pothole Club http://www.eldon.org.uk/croesor.html  and the 'classic' Chris Cowdery report http://www.cowdery.org.uk/rctrip.php .

There are several albums on these pages as well, including:
http://www.aditnow.co.uk/album/Croesor-Rhosydd-Through-Trip-02-07-2006/?gowhere=%2f 
http://www.aditnow.co.uk/album/Croesor-Rhosydd-Through-Trip-23-07-2006/?gowhere=%2f 
http://www.aditnow.co.uk/album/Dark-Places-Big-Bash-CRTT-10-08-2007/?gowhere=%2f 

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Grahami: My visit predates yours by 10 years, surface only of course. The through trip looks quite interesting (courtesy of Vanoord) if not strenuous. Some superb shots of the dangly bits and that water is certainly inviting :ohmygod: