Welcome to the Friends of Cwmorthin website. Cwmorthin is a substantial disused underground Slate Quarry situated in the hills above Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales. The mines history starts in the early years of the nineteenth century, with over 500 men employed at its peak extracting slate from deep below the ground. Production slowed in the first half of the twentieth century due to the decline of the slate industry, with small-scale extraction continuing into the 1980's.
The Friends of Cwmorthin are a small group of volunteers of no particular affiliation working to preserve the workings as far as possible from decay and liaise with the landowner in regards access.
The labyrinth of tunnels and vast cathedral-sized chambers left by the quarrymen may be explored today by competent and responsible groups of individuals or clubs without charge.
Notice Board
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Attetion - It has been bought to our attention that many of you that are visiting Cwmorthin that own 4x4's are using them to drive up to the mine itself! The land beyond the gate in the car park is private property! And has no legal right of way for motor vehicles, and is against the law to do so! As well as this it also upsets the many landowners that own land up at Cwmorthin and surrounding it. There for jeopardising access agreements we have in place. We would like to kindly ask you not to drive any further than the car park and respected that it is not your right of way.
