Basecamp 2 - LLanberis & The Dinorwic Quarry Adventure

For this Basecamp Adventure, we head into Snowdonia, pitching at the Llanberis Touring Park beneath the highest mountains of Eryri. The trip begins with a stop at Denbigh Gliding Club, where I park the car and caravan on the airfield before taking to the skies for another gliding lesson over North Wales, before exploring Llanberis and the dramatic Castell Dolbadarn. Standing guard over Llyn Padarn and Nant Peris since the 13th Century. The following day’s hike is into the famous Dinorwic Quarry. Our chosen route begins beside the National Slate Museum, following the old Quarryman’s Path into the vast landscape of the Dinorwic Quarry. Passing the historic Anglesey Barracks, the route climbs through abandoned mills, rusting railway lines and towering incline structures that once powered one of the largest slate quarries in the world. Along the terraces, tools of the quarrymen still remain where they were last left. We discover the striking blue waters of Vivian Quarry, now filled by rain and groundwater, with waterfalls spilling into the strikingly blue flooded workings. Leaving the slate behind, the walk continues toward Elidir Fawr, where the wild glacial valley of Cwm Dudodyn provides a fitting reminder of the power of both nature and history in this remarkable landscape.