United Cavers Exploration Team

Location
SH 634 531

Directions
Take the Watkin path up towards Snowdon but veer off to the right on a marked public footpath on the O/S map.

Apart from a footbridge over the river running along the Watkin path, this public foortpath is really hard to follow as it has virtually no traffic. Be aware you need to climb steeply initially and later you can follow a wall right up to the spoil heaps.

Access
Permission requirement unknown

Suggested Equipment
None for the bottom entrance. Upper entrances all drop to lower levels and will need rigging for SRT but you might as well just use the bottom entrance.

Length
Unknown but possibly around 400-500 metres

Flood risk
None, although a slight damming of the entrance causes a backlog of water up to shin depth.

Mine Attributes
Copper, evidence of fools gold

Description
A remote copper mine on the southern flank of Mount Snowdon.

There are several small spoil heaps below the main entrance â€" these are small trial quarries and there are no adits.

There are also some small spoil heaps up and to the left of the main mine, these are small trials and do not go anywhere.

The main mine is essentially a vein which has come to the surface and has been mined out to the surface for the most part. There are multiple entrances higher but these all drop suddenly and viciously down to the lower level and are quite dangerous.

Scrambling around is also pitted with danger as there are number sudden drops into the mine which are not apparent until you are right on top of them. Nothing is fenced off, presumably because of the remoteness of the mine.

The spoil contains some small amounts of fools gold and the adit is clearly infused with sulphur.

Unexplored Passages
The main lower adit remains unexplored due to the water level and an unwillingness to walk back a great distance across the bank of Snowdon with soggy boots.

The lower main adit was explored on the 23rd July 2011 and although it has the railway line still intact it is collapsed after around 100 feet. The passage continues beyond and can be accessed by abseil from the surface (which was not attempted due to not having rope or kit)

Digs
None Known

Links
http://www.aditnow.co.uk/mines/Lliwedd-Copper-Mine/

http://www.minetours.co.uk/show_member_mine.asp?mine_id=635&member_id=1

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/11624439

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/supersize/Lliwedd-Copper-Mine-User-Album-Image-009/

http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/mines/Lliwedd_635/Lliwedd.asp

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