Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, and looking for a few tips if possible.

Hoping to head out to see Gaewern sometime next week. I've seen shots online of the stack of wrecked cars piled up in the shaft, and I'd love to get in and have a look for myself.

I've found co-ordinates for the mine, but was wondering if anyone can offer any further tips? ie., what's access like, any particular dangers to look out for (save for the obvious!), and anything else worth seeing in the region. We're doing a day-trip from Manchester, so might have time to look at something else too.

By way of introducing myself, I'm a travel writer with a particular interest in underground spaces. These have often included drains and military tunnels, with my main focus being on Eastern Europe and Asia.

I have explored a few mines before – for example Godstone Main Series Mine in England (http://www.thebohemianblog.com/2014/01/urban-exploration-godstone-main-series-mine-uk.html), and the Odessa Catacombs in Ukraine (http://www.thebohemianblog.com/2013/10/urban-exploration-odessa-catacombs_20.html) – so I do have some idea of what I'm walking into here. 🙂

Anyway. Any tips or advice would be very gratefully received! And of course, if anyone is free and in the area on Tuesday... do feel free to join us.

Cheers,
Darmon

I believe that Gaewern is leased to the nearby Ty'n-y-Berth Centre, and so I suggest that you contact them regarding the possibility of access.
http://www.widehorizons.org.uk/centre/tyn-y-berth-mountain-centre/ 

Gaewern connects through to Braich Goch (which is used by Corris mine explorers and King Arthurs kingdom.)
My understanding is that the connection is closed now but I do not know exactly where in the mine.

Skimble is correct, the mine is leased to the outdoor centre and as such is not available for open access.
I do not know if they allow private visits so you do need to contact them to find out before turning up.

Thanks a lot for the information.

I take it the mine is still privately owned then – I didn't realise that it would be closed to the public, other abandoned mines I've entered have generally been easier to access. Sounds like the centre is the best point of contact. Thanks.

We'll have a day in the area as it is – does anybody know if the King Arthur / Corris Explorers site is worth a look at? Or is that more of a children's attraction?

I've heard very good things about Corris Mine explorers. No idea about King Arthur's.

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Corris Mine Explorers is highly well regarded, it will show you some proper mine exploring. There is always Cwmorthin or Wrysgan for your first slate experience in Blaenau Ffestiniog although they can be a bit difficult to navigate if you've never done slate before. Unfortunately I can't get up there on tuesday otherwise I'd offer to guide you around.

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Brilliant, thanks for all the info. Lots of recommendations for Corris Mine Explorers, so it looks like I'll have to check them out!

Blober - thanks a lot for the other mine suggestions, too. It's a bit of a drive for us, so it's nice to have a few other options on the day.

Shame you couldn't make Tuesday - anyway, thanks again for all the help.

If you fancy a good old slate mine explore without any hoops to jump through why not take a very pleasant walk over to Rhosydd?
You will pass Cwmorthin on the right over behind the lake.
There are some fantastic open chambers but a bit of a scramble to get to now.

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Thanks for the tip Roy, but sadly I got that one too late. :)

Anyway, we had a fantastic day out around Corris. We managed to look at a few different tunnels in the Braich Goch series, enjoyed some beautiful landscapes, and got a really good taste for the area and its mines.

All brilliant stuff, and I'm sure I'll be back again soon to check out some of these other suggestions. Thanks to everyone who helped out with info and ideas!

Hi, is there any chance you could pm me the coordinates to this mine or give me a clue to whereabouts it is? Both me and my partner are into urbexing and photography and we have been wanting to visit this for a while, it's such an interesting place.

Oh no...

Hi, is there any chance you could pm me the coordinates to this mine or give me a clue to whereabouts it is? Both me and my partner are into urbexing and photography and we have been wanting to visit this for a while, it's such an interesting place.

Oh no...

I'll get the pitchforks! :lol:

Hi, is there any chance you could pm me the coordinates to this mine or give me a clue to whereabouts it is? Both me and my partner are into urbexing and photography and we have been wanting to visit this for a while, it's such an interesting place.

Oh no...

The question was originally posed nearly 5 years ago...

There was another post which has since been deleted

Hi All,

Probably worth highlighting that the ownership of Gaewern has changed hands in the last 6 months or so. The new owners are not at all keen on people accessing the mine.

Worth avoiding until things settle