Llechwedd Slate Caverns facts for kids
Llechwedd is a super cool visitor attraction located near Blaenau Ffestiniog in Gwynedd, Wales. It's all about showing you the amazing history of slate quarrying in this area, especially at the Llechwedd quarry itself.
One of the most exciting parts of Llechwedd is the Deep Mine Tour. You get to ride the UK's steepest narrow gauge railway, which takes you more than 500 feet underground! You'll explore old slate caverns that aren't used for mining anymore. There's also the Quarry Explorer Tour, which takes you to the highest parts of the Llechwedd site to discover more about its mining past.
But Llechwedd isn't just about history! It also has thrilling activities like Mountain biking tracks, awesome Zip-lines, and giant underground trampolines called Bounce Below. Right next to the underground zip wire, you'll find Zip World Caverns and Zip World Titan, which is one of the longest zip courses in Europe!
Contents
A Journey Through Time
Llechwedd has a rich history, starting with its first tours.
The Miners' Tramway
Back in 1972, a railway called the Miners' Tramway opened. It was part of "Quarry Tours" and took visitors 800 meters (about half a mile) underground. The trains were pulled by special battery-powered engines. They traveled through tunnels and into huge quarry rooms. This tramway closed in 2014 when the caverns were updated, which made some people a bit sad.
The Deep Mine Adventure
In 1979, the Deep Mine tour opened. To get there, you ride the Deep Mine Railway, which is a very steep passenger funicular. It's like a special cable car that goes up and down a steep slope! Once you're at the bottom, you can walk through many tunnels and chambers of the old mine.
In 1992, the Deep Mine got an upgrade. They added cool audio and video displays, making the experience even better for visitors.
New Thrills and Tours
Big changes happened in 2014! The "Bounce Below" attraction opened, which is known as the world's largest underground trampoline. Imagine bouncing around in huge caverns! At the same time, the Zip World wire course opened outside.
As part of these updates, a new guided Victorian Mine Tour started. This tour combined the funicular ride with tunnels from the older tours and some new areas that had never been open to the public before.
In 2015, the Zip World Caverns wire course opened inside the caves, letting you zip through the underground world!
In January 2019, something unique happened. A TV crew used the caverns for a whole week to film the world's first underground game show, called Y Siambr. It was later shown on the Welsh TV channel S4C.
Amazing Awards
Llechwedd Slate Caverns has won many important awards for tourism.
In 1976, the very first year it opened, Llechwedd won the "Come to Britain" award from the British Tourist Authority. This was their top award!
In 1980, the caverns received the "Silver Otter" award from the British Guild of Travel Writers. That same year, they also won their third award from the British Tourist Authority. Llechwedd was the first British tourist attraction to win three of these special awards!
See also
- Slate industry in Wales
- British narrow gauge slate railways
- Gloddfa Ganol
