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Enjoy a ride on the Miners' Tramway for a guided tour, via the spectacular "Cathedral Chambers", to discover the world of the Welsh Slate Miner, during the reign of Queen Victoria, as we travel underground for a third of a mile at surface level.

Imagine entering the mines to begin your working life aged 12 years old, with a life expectancy of just 52 years. That’s 40 years, working 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, by the light of a candle - if you could afford one.

Could you work with heavy tools, 50 feet above a sheer drop with only a chain wound around one leg to prevent you from falling? Or perhaps you would prefer to work as a roof inspector, using an 86 foot tall ladder to inspect the vast caverns - holding a candle in one hand.

For many of those living in Blaenau Ffestiniog during the late19th Century, working at Llechwedd not only provided a wage, but it created a vibrant society full of political debate, poetry, song and a stronghold for the Welsh language.

Our guides will take you to the oldest part of Llechwedd where you will learn about the working conditions of the slate quarrymen. Hear stories of the ‘Caban’ and experience what it was like to see these great man-made caverns - by candlelight.

The train will bring you back to the Slate Mill (1852) where most of the slate blocks, mined in the chambers you have just seen, were split by hand and prepared for shipping - to the rest of the world.