In Gwynedd, Blaenau Ffestiniog is situated at the head of a valley where the mountains close in and the light behaves differently than it does along the shore. The town is encircled by slate, both in terms of the material itself and its visual presence, as evidenced by the terraced rubbish piles and grey points that blanket the hillsides above the homes. The town produced and exported slate for the majority of the 20th century, and Blaenau Ffestiniog became one of those locations that economic geographers discuss when talking about post-industrial decline in rural Wales when the industry shrank to nearly nothing in the latter decades of that century.
When commercial slate cutting ceased, the old Llechwedd quarry remained intact. It was still there, the tunnels, the caverns, the Victorian architecture of a working mine that spanned much of the mountain and extended 500 feet underground. The interesting thing is what transpired next. After moving in, Zip World constructed something inside.
When people learn about Bounce Below for the first time, it usually elicits the most instant response. It was said to be far bigger than St. Paul’s Cathedral, with enormous lit nets and trampolines stretching across underground tunnels. In chambers that still bear the physical remnants of its industrial past, such as the cut stone walls, the dripping water, and the unique chill that subterranean areas retain regardless of the season above, visitors descend into the mountain and bounce in the dark. By all standards, it is very bizarre. The more commercially significant truth is that it is also truly popular.
With its unique narrow-gauge train journey that descends into Victorian-era tunnels, the Deep Mine Tour offers guests a glimpse of what it was like to be a working miner, condensed into a tourist format that strikes a balance between historical information and the tactile experience of traveling beneath. With its underground zip lines and obstacles, the Caverns Course adds a high-adrenaline component. When combined, the three primary services at Llechwedd provide a multi-hour experience that makes use of every vertical meter of the quarry’s infrastructure.
Llechwedd was not the end of Zip World. Velocity 2, dubbed the fastest zip line in the world, is located at Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda, a vast former slate quarry close to Bangor. It can travel over 100 miles per hour across the quarry floor. Even before any activity is added, Penrhyn’s magnitude is remarkable: the pit is one of the biggest man-made holes in the world, and on some days, visitors standing at the top can watch weather creating in the cavity below them. It took a certain type of creativity and just as much civil engineering to turn that empty space into a commercial adventure destination.
South Wales’ Tower Colliery adds the element of coal mining to what is starting to become a nationwide trend. The former colliery’s track system serves as the foundation for the Tower Coaster’s ride experience, with guests following a path determined by the industrial site’s physical topography rather than a specially designed pattern. The structure of the attraction reflects the history of the mine.
