Meet at the public car park near the bridge at Trefriw. 11.00 am
Lift in truck to Llyn Geirionydd car park.

It looks wet and dirty, but no SRT involved. Cave suits recommended.

We may also do Parc Mine nearby if there is both time and energy.

Bring packed lunch, but we may well have a meal and drinks at a pub afterwards.

Lead by Alison Webster.

Please confirm your interest below.

Trippers so far include...

Alison W
Richard S
John N
Bella N

Please register on this topic asap if you want to join us.

Thanks to Alison for leading us all so well through the amazing decorated passageways of Pandora Mine. Thanks also to Richard for providing a rope and support for the climb down 6o feet or so at the end of one of the passages.

Pandora is certainly spectacular for the colours and the formations.

We also found a series of ladders rising up in to a loade on the long passage on the right at the first main junction where the big metal pipe and the incline is. Can I suggest another trip with someone like Dylan to hand to explore this route further? It seems there must be many more upper levels to this system, may be even more links to the surface.

I've done the upper workings a few times as it's a good through trip with srt.

Yeah, Dylan is correct. That's the through trip and it's good fun!

What a fantastic map Joel.
Can you send me a better quality copy of that map?
Also, where is it published?

Thanks Dylan for exploring the upper workings - already!
I thought he would be a good monkey in that place.

Is there access to the upper levels from the ladders on the east passageway (dead sheep passage). Is full SRT absolutely necessary? Could it be done wwith a life line? The first ladder looked in good nick, but Richard S said the others looked more dodgy.

I'm really excited by this mine because it is relatively close to me, and is the most decorated place I have seen yet. Can't wait to get back and spend lots of time with a camera.

Hi John, I'm out of the house now. I can send you the high quality map later. It's from the set of books "mines of the Gwydr forest" there are about eight of them and they are well worth buying.

I have done the upper levels, but my memory of them is quite hazy. I was last in the mine two years ago. I became obsessed with parc lead mine and pandora took a back seat.

Is Parc even better? Alison described a part of Pandora as being more like Parc being quite low and narrow. Parc looks like a bother to get into. Maybe we could make a new lockble gateway, with a numeric combination lock.

How much is the book?
Ought we not have it in the UCET library?

Parc is fascinating. The lower level 3 has the widest roadway I have ever seen in a lead mine. Level 3 also features stalactite passage. You don't see many pictures of that either. My cameras sensor usually steams up in that area too. There is a collapse mid level on level 3. To get past that you need to travel via level 2 through the digs and down 90 metres of ladders into neck deep ochre on level 3. Once past that though you are into one of the most colourfull passages in north Wales. And the rise to Cwfty can be explored.

To see the inbye section of level three. All you need to do is go down into kneebones cutting from there. Wetsuit recommended.

John, the way in on level two isn't really that difficult.

There is about 8 books John. Roughly about £10 each. Best mine books I have ever bought. Features the major mines in the forest and loads of maps and plans.

Joel, we need to go there again - and with Dylan if possible.

It is on the list for a weekend trip.

Is there a map for Parc too?

Leave that with me. I can organise a non-srt trip, but it would be through the ochre. It usually goes to my nipples, but it's not at all as bad as it sounds. You are out of it in under a minute.

Suboffender wrote:

I dont mind getting wet too much.
Alison lead us through all the deep water in Pandora and it was fine, Alison planned the trip so we did the deepest wade last, but Bella was a bit cold afterwards, and glad to get out. Pandora does have the most beautiful entrance.

John,

The Pandora through trip from the top (accessed via the adit to the left of the path near the cottage) is a no-no as the farmer who owns the land has forbidden access via this route. Apparently the NFU suggested liability issues and he has threatened to blow the entrance in if people are seen entering. That said there is a way in from the top on the forestry land. There is a open stope over the other side of the fence which divides the farm land from the forestry. I have had a look at it and its probably OK for SRT via a bit of scaf pole. I think Miles from Mine Explorers has been down and it lands you not far from where you would get down SRTing from the adit.

Level 2 Parc is an excellent trip now that Roy Fellows has dug out the collapse inbye from the Llanrwst Mine area. I have some sketch plans of Parc and will post them to this thread in a few days. Access to Level 3 is easy from Level 2 if you have SRT skills (I guess is could be laddered - about 40') Go towards the Bidston area and take the ladderway down - this stops 40' short of level 3. Abseil down and land in a ore chute on level 3. This avoid kneebones cutting and deep ochre and allows you to get to the 'pretty passage' If you head along level 2 following the principal lode you get to East Cyffty. The ladderway here drops to level 3, but after the collapse. The watery ochre is at least waist deep and last time I went it was neck deep (I am 5'10"). You can get into west Cyffty with SRT gear and look up the pumping shaft (wave to tourists - maybe not!). Even a trip as far as Llanrwst shaft to view the pump rods is pretty good.

Dave

I've been told you can get to most of the levels in Pandora without srt but it's not up the ladderway you described John.

The through trip I did was from the forestry and not the farmers land as you pointed out Dave the farmer is not happy with people accessing pandora through his land.