Meet the guides: Terry

Meet Terry!

Terry is one of our new guides here at Llechwedd and he's a big hit with our visitors so we thought we'd tell you more about him.... 

Terry joined us in March this year and he is born and bred in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Terry loves working on the Tramway tour as there is more opportunity for interaction with visitors. Being local many visitors have asked Terry if his family have worked at the mine in days gone by and as a result Terry has started to look into his family history.

Outside of work Terry is a proud dad and looks forward to seeing his daughter Cara when he finishes work. Terry enjoys sport and plays in midfield for the Blaenau Amateurs football team which he currently captains.

Look out for Terry when you visit the caverns! 

Press Release - Best Easter Day Since 2006

The Llechwedd Slate Caverns in Blaenau Ffestiniog celebrate their 40th anniversary this year. They are also celebrating a great start to the season with Easter Monday marking the busiest April day since 2006.

General Manager Michael Bewick says that "despite the doom and gloom we have been working hard over the last two years to refurbish the site and this is really starting to pay off"

The site has received funding from CADW which will enable them to modernise the iconic deep mine and tramway tours over the next two years. This year will also see the launch of Antur Stiniog's downhill mountain bike trails and working with Zip Land the longest series of zip wires in the world will be at Llechwedd in late 2012/early 2013.

Downhill biking trails under construction.

This season also sees the launch of new family friendly initiatives including an adventure playground which is being completed this week as well as a craft room where kids can enjoy painting their own slate coaster and a chance to win one of the unique Llechwedd old coins by taking part in a free Mini Miners Trail around the site.

A preview of how the downhill biking trails were looking this February can be found below:

Blaenau 30 Celebrations: May 5th - 7th

We are joining Ffestiniog Railway in celebrating 30 years since services returned to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The services between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Porthmadog were crucial to us at Llechwedd as the route for our slate to reach the coast and we are looking forward to being part of the celebrations.

'Early Bird' services will be running on the railway all weekend which will allow ample time for you to hop on a minibus and come and take a tour at Llechwedd Slate Caverns.

As well as special services and the opportunity to see some of Ffestiniog Railway's historic engines there will also be many other events during the weekend including guided walks around the area.

On Saturday and Sunday we will be demonstrating the traditional art of slate splitting on the platform at Blaenau Ffestiniog. Come along and see our slate splitter at work and learn about the Llechwedd mines.

In Blaenau Ffestiniog you can find out more about the town's regeneration plans including a poetry band trail around the town, a velorail on disused rail tracks and the proposed cycle and walking track around Llyn Ystradau at Tanygrisiau.

Ceri Cunnington from Antur Stiniog will be on hand on Sunday and is offering to take a minibus up to show people the downhill cycle trails at Llechwedd which are nearing completion. This exciting development is creating a huge amount of interest in the mountain biking world and is due to open later this year.

Full details of the Blaenau 30 event can be found on Ffestiniog Railway's website http://www.festrail.co.uk/content/publish/specialevents/Blaenau_30.shtml

Half Term Adventures

Local environmental artist Stacey Cohen joins Llechwedd Slate Caverns this half term to lead some fun childrens’ activities using slate. Stacey – who has worked everywhere including Australia and Uruguay and is a musician, naturalist and artist – has spent time at Llechwedd over the last couple of weeks and is looking forward to working with children here in Blaenau.

With its operational quarry and world famous tours Llechwedd offers a unique experience for local children to experience a living part of their own heritage.

Acitivies will include:

• -          Making slate mountain art using crushed up slate and paint to create a picture of the landscape
• -          Painting a slate coaster with a unique design
• -          Watching one of the quarrymen from Llechwedd splitting slate in the traditional manner

Stacey will be at the Llechwedd Slate Caverns on Tuesday 25^th and Wednesday 26^th October between 10.00am and 5.00pm.

The activities are free to anyone who has purchased a ticket for one of the tours or £2.00 on their own to cover the cost of the slate coasters.

Llechwedd - Prince Valiant

Another film that Llechwedd has been used as a set for is Prince Valiant, it was made in 1954. The underground lake at Llechwedd was the section of the caverns that featured in this film. It is a colour film and was made using Cinemascope, which is described in the trailer as a 'modern miracle'.

Outline of the plot:

Young Prince Valiant, son of the exiled King of Scandia, journeys to Camelot to become a knight at King Arthur's Round Table. He hopes to help his father reclaim his throne from the pagan usurper Sligon and restore the Christian faith to their homeland. On his journey he stumbles on the mysterious Black Knight plotting with the Viking pretender to overthrow Arthur. Barely escaping with his life, Valiant encounters Sir Gawaine, a friend of his father's who tutors the young Viking in the skills needed to be a knight. Valiant and Gawaine's pupil/mentor relationship is complicated by their romantic involvement with Princess Aleta and her sister Ilene, daughters of a British nobleman. If Valiant is to restore his father's throne and prevent the coup d'etat against Arthur, he must uncover the true identity of the Black Knight.

The Trailer:

Llechwedd - The Black Cauldron

In a previous post I mentioned that Llechwedd Slate Caverns had been used for the horror film The Keep. On the other side of the movie spectrum Llechwedd has been used as a set for the animated Disney classic 'The Black Cauldron (1985). At the time of release it was the most expensive animated film to be made. It cost $25 million to produce.


Outline of the plot:
A young boy and a bunch of misfit friends embark on a quest to find a dark magic item of ultimate power before a diabolical tyrant can.


The Trailer

Llechwedd - The Keep

Many people are completely unaware that Llechwedd Slate Caverns has been used as a movie set for many films. One of these films is 'The Keep'. This film was released in 1983 and is marketed as an action, drama, and horror movie, it includes stars such as Ian Mckellen and Scott Glenn.

Outline of the plot:

Nazis guard a citadel that harbours a dangerous force that starts wreaking havoc and death upon them, forcing an uneasy alliance with a Jewish professional who can stop it.

The Trailer