Allt-Fawr

There is a gate inside the entrance with a chilly breeze blowing through it. Cwmorthin quarry was a slate quarry west of the village of Tanygrisiau, north Wales. Quarrying on the site started in 1810. In 1860 it was connected to the Ffestiniog Railway. In 1900 it was acquired by the nearby Oakeley quarry and the two were connected underground. In 1970 it closed along with Oakeley. There was small-scale working in the 1980s and 1990s, and the mine finally closed in 1997. Link

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Was a former Methodist Chapel built around the 1860's. The pair of trees and the location make it an imposing focal point. Link Link

This is a row of six cottages built 1860s. Some very good information on the linked page, including Census information from 1871 when there were 27 people living here and 1881 where there were 41 people! With 13 people living in No 1 alone. Link

Built in the late 1850’s by Rhosydd Quarry to home the ponies used to carry its slates through the valley. Link

Plas Cwmorthin, the Rhosydd Quarry manager’s house, was built in 1860. Link

A total of thirteen Slate workers Houses. The first eight houses were erected in the 1860’s and constructed of dressed stone. A further five made of slate blocks (nearest the camera) were built in the 1870’s. Link

Former slate quarry and deep mines, now operating as a visitor attraction detailing the history of slate quarrying around Blaenau Ffestiniog. A deep mine tour is available via a steep funicular railway.

Slate waste around the slopes of former Llechwedd and Gloddfa Ganol slate mines.

The A470, also known as the Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road, is the major long-distance road in Wales, from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. It is 185 miles long, and has undergone considerable road improvement in the last two decades. While previously one had to navigate the narrow roads of Llanidloes and Dolgellau, both these market towns are now bypassed due to extensive road modernisation. The road travels through two of Wales's national parks, the Brecon Beacons in the South and Snowdonia National Park, starting just south of Dinas Mawddwy in the North. It is a primary trunk route throughout its length, and the southernmost 26 miles, from Cardiff Bay to Merthyr Tydfil, is mainly direct and good quality dual carriageway, but most of the route from north of Merthyr to Llandudno is single carriageway. Link SABRE

VDL Setra coach HRZ 1849, heading northwards on the A470 (Crimea Pass) from Blaenau Ffestiniog.

The A470, also known as the Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road, is the major long-distance road in Wales, from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. It is 185 miles long, and has undergone considerable road improvement in the last two decades. While previously one had to navigate the narrow roads of Llanidloes and Dolgellau, both these market towns are now bypassed due to extensive road modernisation. The road travels through two of Wales's national parks, the Brecon Beacons in the South and Snowdonia National Park, starting just south of Dinas Mawddwy in the North. It is a primary trunk route throughout its length, and the southernmost 26 miles, from Cardiff Bay to Merthyr Tydfil, is mainly direct and good quality dual carriageway, but most of the route from north of Merthyr to Llandudno is single carriageway. Link SABRE

There is a currently popular piece of graffiti which reads "Cofiwch Dryweryn" (Remember Tryweryn - the village drowned to supply water for Liverpool). The original is on a wall near Aberystwyth, but it is now much copied around north Wales. In the same style, this sign exorts passers-by to "Remember Cwmorthin", presumably as a reference to the slate quarrying which has 'spoilt' the valley.