Skull-diggery...

As our current guests were checking out this morning, and we had nothing else planned, or indeed that we needed to do, we decided to drive over to Betws-Y-Coed this morning and revisit a place we last looked at some years ago: the old lead mines in the Gwydyr Forest, in particular Hafna, the remains of the ore processing and smelting works of which, are pictured above. Although working a pretty unproductive seam itself, the mine was unique among the half-dozen working mines in the area - out of an original total of twenty-one, the cutting starting in the early 17th Century - in that it had its own smelter on site, which was situated on the lowest level shown, with the toxic flue gases being channelled to the area above the top 'floor' of the plant, right at the top of the hill rising behind the place; the chimney stack still intact, although now rather hemmed in by trees.

The best seam of ore, however, was principally mined by the Parc, Cyffty and Llanrwst mines: the poor performance at Hafna led to financial difficulties which resulted in the owners attempting the subterfuge of painting the walls of the existing cuttings with a lead rich paste of some kind, to give the shiny impression to potential new investors that the rock was rich in ore. It didn't work, and eventually production ceased around 1915, the mine no longer an economic venture. We want to return and walk the short Miners' Trail that's been set up, and that circles the hillside, taking in the ruins of several mines on the way. And as was the case today, we'll probably repair to the Royal Oak in Betws, for a pint and bar snacks...