Dinorwig Slate Quarry

I have been to the Llanberis Slate Museum many times, but decided today that I would find the Slate Quarry. I have seen some amazing pictures of it on Facebook and decided it was time I went.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, the first proper spring day, so just right for an outing. I had previously been told how to get to it via some steps close to the Museum which I found soon enough. What I hadn't been told was how steep the steps were or how far you had to climb them. I had been kidding myself that my fitness was improving, but all illusions were shattered here today. 

After an awful lot of wheezing and stops to get my breath, I came across this gorgeous row of derelict cottages, presumably for the quarry workers. 

The quarry is full of abandoned buildings, some with machinery still in, and it has quite an eerie feel to it. Despite it being such a gorgeous day I barely saw another person all day, which added to the strangeness of it all.

I followed the steps eventually to a more pronounced path which led, to a car park. Halfway up the quarry. Apparently this is what most people do to avoid the steps. Typical!

The path then led a different way around the quarry and downward, so I thought it would be a good idea to follow this and hopefully see more of the quarry.

This is a completely amazing place. I feel that it should be the set for one of the earlier Star Trek episodes, or at least Doctor Who. There is something definitely unworldly about it. To potential visitors my suggestion would be to visit the Slate Museum first and find out about the people who worked here and the conditions they had to face.

The day was very bright today and while this certainly helped with shutter speeds, the sun did cast a bit of a haze over the mountains so I have lost a bit of definition. Have added a bit via Lightroom which I think has helped. I found it very difficult to convey the scale of the Quarry in the photos, but I think some have come out ok.

So I decided it was time to head out and followed the new path. Good news is that it was definitely heading downwards, but the bad news is that it was zigzagging back and forth across the quarry and I covered so much ground. When I finally got to the end, the path finished 2.3 miles away from where I had parked the car! So today's Fitbug statistics - 16545 steps, 7.29 miles!!

Lessons Learned: Before embarking on a new path, check where it will lead. A lesson for life in general as well!

Don't overestimate your level of fitness. It has taken a few decades of concentrated inactivity to get where I am today. That's not going to be undone in a couple of months!