The Abandoned Dinorwic Slate Quarry

[viewfromthenorth]

A few snaps from a visit to the abandoned slate quarry at Dinorwic near Llanberis. These were on Kodak BW400CN using a Nikon F100 and Nikkor 20mm, and on Ektar 100 using a Nikon F80 and 28-105mm


Dinorwic Entrance by The View From The North, on Flickr


Dinorwic by The View From The North, on Flickr


Dinorwic by The View From The North, on Flickr


Dinorwic by The View From The North, on Flickr


Dinrowic by The View From The North, on Flickr


Dinorwic by The View From The North, on Flickr

 

[viewfromthenorth]

And a few more...


Dinorwic by The View From The North, on Flickr


Dinorwic by The View From The North, on Flickr


Dinorwic - Australia Level by The View From The North, on Flickr


Dinorwic by The View From The North, on Flickr

Thanks for looking

 

[huffy]

I do like the B&W images from inside the buildings, the colour ones are missing something due to the misty/blown skies.

 

[Blank_Canvas]

Wonderful images - I prefer the monochrome but that's just my personal opinion.

Picture number 2 - you wouldn't catch me going over those rails ! I'm surprised the Heath and Safety brigade haven't boarded the place up !

 

[viewfromthenorth]

Thanks for the comments. The skies in the colour ones aren't actually blown (for the most part), it's just the fog. I was surprised at how well the Ektar coped, although I'd forgotten about the latitude you get with colour negative film.

 

[Andysnap]

Very nice series, b&w for me, they really stand out.

Andy

 

[AJQS]

The last one - what level is that on? It desn't look familiar?

The B&W ones are dfeinitely best, Ektar in the damp doesn't really work well + it's a squidge underexposed here which has thrown the colour off. It's a hard thing to photograph but wet Dinoreic slate is a beautiful purple colour!

Loks like you took the hard route up!

 

[viewfromthenorth]

Thanks for the comments Richard, I've been enjoying the photos you've posted of this and other quarries on your blog and flickr. I personally prefer the photos I took with the Ektar, but I don't know the quarries well enough to comment on how well the ektar has coped with the colour reproduction, certainly both the quarry and the film have their own palletes, and whether they are compatible is open for debate.

The last one is on the first gallery level you can access off the C3 incline, near to the winding machinery. It's the same level as the 'bridge', but in the other direction.

As for the route up, yup, I didn't know the route the quarry (although I do now) so I just went straight up the incline which was damned had work!!!!!

 

[AJQS]

No worries When you're back next time give me a shout

I'm actually off up there now as it happens, just discovered another viewpoint I want to go have a look at, and I want to play with my as yet unused Zoom lenses. (even typing that makes me feel a bit dirty)!

 

[retrogamer1990]

That railroad over the 'ravine' looks brilliant, wish I lived in wales now

 

[mickledore]

Andy took his photo on 24 March(According to his Exif data). I took this on 1 April, just over a week later. You can clearly see that the track has sagged even more. The whole area is nothing more than a spoil heap, with no inherent stability. It is composed of 200' of rubbish precariously perched on the edge of the abandoned working which are some 500' deep. You can't quite see from this photo but there is a large furrow running parallel to the railtrack. Before long this will separate from the rest of the heap taking the track and God alone knows how much rubble with it on a 700' drop. We didn't spend very long on there, and won't be going back!

When we got to the bottom - the long way round - and looked up it became a brown trouser moment.

I've just seen a 2008 photo which shows the railtrack intact allowing progress to be made all the way across this shelf, so it must at present be regarded as "volatile"

The chances of survival for anyone stood near there when the hillside moves are less than zero:thumbsdown:

Of course everywhere is fenced off, but.......

 

[Dringo]

Picture number 2 - you wouldn't catch me going over those rails ! I'm surprised the Heath and Safety brigade haven't boarded the place up !

There's a route that takes in climbs in most of the holes in Dinorwig called "Snakes, Ladders & Tunnels". It starts of in the bottom of the quarries from Dali's Hole, enters California, climbs out via a big chain, through the Lost World and Mordor and one of the last pitches is crossing these ladders Safe as houses....... the quarries are fenced off but as climbers, we climb over them

 

[viewfromthenorth]

The chances of survival for anyone stood near there when the hillside moves are less than zero:thumbsdown:

Of course everywhere is fenced off, but.......

Seen the track twice now, and although I'm planning on going back again to the quarry, I ain't going back to this bit, it is a wee bit scary! Plenty more to see there though!

 

[Brian Sayle]

Amazing place Dinorwic, ive been like 6 times now and always to different parts and still not seen everything. Some great quarries around Nantle as well if you go south a bit

 

[AJQS]

Andy took his photo on 24 March(According to his Exif data). I took this on 1 April, just over a week later. You can clearly see that the track has sagged even more. The whole area is nothing more than a spoil heap, with no inherent stability. It is composed of 200' of rubbish precariously perched on the edge of the abandoned working which are some 500' deep. You can't quite see from this photo but there is a large furrow running parallel to the railtrack. Before long this will separate from the rest of the heap taking the track and God alone knows how much rubble with it on a 700' drop. We didn't spend very long on there, and won't be going back!

When we got to the bottom - the long way round - and looked up it became a brown trouser moment.

I've just seen a 2008 photo which shows the railtrack intact allowing progress to be made all the way across this shelf, so it must at present be regarded as "volatile"

The chances of survival for anyone stood near there when the hillside moves are less than zero:thumbsdown:

Of course everywhere is fenced off, but.......

Volatile is right, on my first visit I walked across to the other side of the hanging track and thriugh both the tunnels on the far side. Wouldn't do it now.

With a long lens the underside ofthe track would make a great shot too, guess I better get on with taking it, doens't look like it'll be there much longer!

 

[bolide]

If it's the place I remember, California is like a lost valley. I love it

Nick Froome

 

[rlw]

I do like the B&W images from inside the buildings, the colour ones are missing something due to the misty/blown skies.

That made me laugh out loud. Its always like that in Wales as far as I know and those shots capture the mist really well which digital wouldn't have.