Britannia Mine (Snowdon)

Subject: Britannia Mine (Snowdon) Fri 27 Feb 2009, 8:22 am

Location
SH 615 548

Directions
Park at the base of Snowdon on the PYG track/miners track car and walk along the miners track, past Llyn Llydaw, up the path to the second lake and around to the right. Cloud permitting, you will see the very obvious and huge spoil heaps as you reach the second lake. The walk is a good 40 minutes at a brisk pace.

Access
Some gated others open. Permissions unknown but not thought to be required for the ungated and open adits.

Suggested Equipment
None

Length
Unknown

Flood risk
None Known.but one adit is flooded to knee depth at it’s entrance

Mine Attributes
Copper mine with numerous adits. Some adits away from the main mining area.

Description
Mine #1
Located at the fork between the Miners track and the connecting path to the higher PYG track, this adit runs for several hundred yards before becoming blind.

There is a left turn just inside the entrance which also runs blind quickly and is full of rubbish.

Water is a couple of inches deep inside the adit where some interesting mineral intrusion can be seen.

Mine #2
At the lower part of the main spoil tips, this adit is flooded at it’s entrance to perhaps knee depth and a grill (with a portal) covers the way in. No other information is yet available.

Mine #3
Above mine #2, this adit is flooded at it’s entrance to perhaps knee depth and a grill (without a portal) covers the way in. No other information is yet available.

Mine #4
Further up and to the left, there is a virtually invisible entrance which is a tight belly crawl in. No other information is yet available.

Mine #5
Slightly higher and above mine #2. another grilled entrance. No other information is yet available.

Mine #6
Slightly higher still (following the natural vein upwards (and the stream)), another grill marks another adit. Looking through this grill, a hole can be seen in the floor which presumably connects this adit with the one below. No other information is yet available.

Mine #7
The highest entrance on this lateral, this adit has the largest grill. No other information is yet available.

Mines #8 and #9
Two more adits to the left of and higher than the main spoil heaps. Set a little distance away, they can easily be seen with a relatively small amount of spoil tumbling from their mouths. These have not yet been approached.

Other mine entrances
It is extremely likely that other adits exist which we have not yet found.

Unexplored Passages
All passages except one remain unexplored.

Digs
None Known

Links
http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/mines/Snowdon-Brittania_634/Snowdon-Brittania.asp

http://ukcaving.com/wiki/index.php/Snowdonia_Mines

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/cy/800/?mineral=249