If you are in the area of Blaenau Ffestiniog then this attraction is worth a visit. The guided tour takes you, by almost vertical train, 500 feet deep into the Llechwedd Slate Caverns where the best slate was mined for centuries. From there on the guide describes the terrible working conditions that those miners had to endure. We were lucky in that ours was a small party and the guide a rather comical character. I think that may be down to the group we were with, who were also comical. Interesting, informative tour. Take a coat, it is cold down there. Walking through numerous caverns with a son et lumiere description at each stop. Passing the Cheddar cheese storing area. We were told jokingly, that everyone was searched on the way out (we bought some in Sainsburys to try. The best Cheddar ever, flavour stays in the mouth for at least 30 minutes) Finally a slate splitting demonstration. The guy pulled out of our group a 9 year old young lady. He said that you had to be 12 to do this. Asked her age, coyly she said 12 LOL. After she had split the slate, he gave her the piece and told her to go back to her parents and become 9 again. As I said, a great character. Highly recommended tour. read more

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Quick glance: + good activity when raining + interactive and educational, learning about slate mining and lives of miners from 100 years ago + great for children and families - restricted time in the mines - a bit pricey Llechwedd Slate Caverns of Blaenau Ffestiniog is part of a living, working slate mine that has been active since 1836. The mine offers two underground tours - one via a tram and the other a "self-guided" tour. The tramway takes you underground where you get off at designated spots while a guide talks to you about the history and stories of slate mining. In this tour, you have the opportunity to ask any tricky questions you may have. The tour ends at their "factory" where you can see workers splitting slates. You also have a chance to purchase slate products, including coasters and personalised house plates. The self-guided tour is done in a group. Once you have descended to the passageway, you walk through the entire "exhibit" as guided by the lights and the pre-recorded messages. Although you are walking freely as a group, you are also forced to keep in time with the tour as one area of the cave will dim and force you to carry on walking. To do both tours, the price is £13.50 for adults and £10.50 for children (as at Sep 2010). Each tour takes about 1 hour. There are also some other areas to explore, such as an old "bank" and some dining facilities. Overall, it is an educational and entertaining activity especially in rainy weather. It is slightly pricey to do both tours but worth the learning experience. There is also a chance to buy personalised slates as souvenirs to add to the novelty factor. read more

This place a truly magical day out around Christmas time. If you want to take your children to see Santa which is slightly different from your normal department store or garden centre - look no further. At the slate Caverns you can visit Santa at his enchanting underground grotto. You go on the Miners' Tramway and are whisked into a winter wonderland through spectacular caverns to entertain both young and old. At the end of the journey Santa and his elves will be waiting to welcome everyone to his magical christmas grotto. Every child receives a present from Santa himself and all adults receive a mince pie and glass of punch - which warm's you up lovely. It's just something different and my two boy's love it and it is really authentic - we make the effort to go every year. read more