Lake District & Eryri Landscape Photography Workshops and Courses

 5.DINORWIG

What a fanatastic place this is!

There is already a section about Dinorwig on my site here which looks at the project I have been undertaking for many years called ‘The Silence’ and it gives a fuller explanation about its history.

It is now a World Heritage Site and deservedly so.

Photographically, it offers you, as a landscape photographer something ‘that little bit different’ because putting it simply, it just does!

My objective is to go through the seasons and marry the natural landscape with the man made and when you are there, in weather when most would stay at home, you will soon realise just how worthwhile your efforts have been.

There is a trail that runs through the site which occasionally meanders off, taking you into another world BUT be warned (not being condescending here) go off the beaten track and the terrain can become tricky and in some areas it is unstable. There was an enormous rock fall that occurred in the recently and whilst you will see Dinorwig ‘advertised’ on social media by so called ‘influencers’, they do NOT respect this location by treating and portraying it as an ‘adults adventure playground.’

It isnt.

It is a place where people died and toiled. Now I know you can say the same about the castles that we visit but this is different. The castles have way marked, structured routes. Dinorwig doedsnt. It is as it was when closed in 1969 but now being reclaimed naturally. there are occasional information boards to give you a flavour of where you are but in essence, that’s it.

The watch words are definitely respect allied with being vigilant. I know ‘they’ ‘advertise’ it as family friendly but….well you get my drift. It’s an old site with derelict, crumbling buildings and slate that can be treacherous when wet.

My advice?

Do your best to stick to the paths and enjoy it. Safely.

Photographically, most of you reading this will have lenses that are capable of giving you what you need.

When you are moving around, it is not unusual to hear the sound of grating, displaced slate, sliding and echoing across the site. This is because you are not alone here! You are sharing this landscape with the resident Welsh Highland Goats. They are large and have a ‘niff’ about them! They may come near to investigate but will usually keep a good distance from you.

Most who go there will travel by car, arriving at the ‘bus roundabout’ after driving through the village of Dinorwig. There has been a considerable amount of local dismay at people parking erratically here and ignoring the yellow lines. We all need to be responsible. A bus can also be taken which you can catch in Llanberis. Check online for the running times.

Others will be a tad more adventurous and ascend unto the quarry via the National Slate Museum car park (the museum is currently undergoing renovation and will not reopen until 2027) and whilst I may have tried that in my younger days, that’s quite a climb to attain before you get to the many levels.

Whichever way you take, simply enjoy and I will reiterate again without being too overbearing, take care and respect the site.

It can bite!

*Clicking on the title of the photographs above will take you to my online shop*