Industrial and Agricultural Heritage of North Wales

This four day/five night holiday will give an insight into the industries that shaped the people and landscape of North Wales. The tour can be tailored to any group from students and those with a special interest in industrial heritage to general parties. I will make sure you see spectacular scenery and, as well as entertainingly outlining the economic and technical developments the commentary will be lightened with many tales of the characters and events that  march through the pages of history leaving the physical marks we see on the countryside today. It can be guided in your transport or I can arrange accommodation and transport for you - just ask.

Day One - Slate - Stealing a Mountain

The slate industry in North Wales dates back to the 16th century but it's heyday was in the 19th when thousands and thousands of men crawled over the enormous cliff faces and buried deep underground to produce the high quality slate that roofed the great cities of the industrial revolution. We'll not only learn about their craft and the transport used to get the slate to the markets but also a little about the rich cultural life and the conditions in which these men and their women and children lived. We'll also contrast this with the lifestyle of their bosses - the slate barons.

 In the morning we'll be visiting Llanberis and the Welsh Slate Museum. Here we'll watch the craftsmen working the slate and see the largest working water wheel in the country and the wood and iron-working machinery that it drove. We'll walk through the quarries and take a look at the houses the men lived in and the old quarry hospital where the men nursed their injuries.

In the afternoon we'll visit Penrhyn castle and see how the profits from this enterprise were spent as we tour the huge gothic castle and stroll in its magnificent grounds.

Day Two - Transport and Power - The Isle of Anglesey

Today it's off to Anglesey with a stop to talk about the engineering of the great bridges spanning the Menai Strait and a chat about the ferrymen who manned the crossings before the bridges were built. Then we follow the old turnpike road across Anglesey seeing the toll houses and learning more about Telford that great engineer called "The colossus of Roads!" Of course we'll also have to take a look at the railway and photograph the sign at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerwchwyndrobwchllantisiliogogogoch!

We'll cross the inland sea to Holy Island and be taking a closer look at the fascinating maritime history of this part of Wales from the age of sail through the times of steam to the enormous oil-powered vessels that operate out of Holyhead today. We'll visit the Maritime Museum there and have a look at the longest breakwater in the country and hear about its construction..

Then it's time to see and hear about the modern windmills and to visit the Wales' only working corn-grinding windmill and learn about how Wales gets it power and moves people and goods around  today.

Day three - Metals - How Geology shaped a people and landscape

Today starts with a visit to the Great Orme Copper Mines at Llandudno- extracting metal is not a modern industry. These mines were being worked at the time the pyramids were being built! We'll look at the bone and stone tools recently excavated as we walk through the mine.

Then we'll travel down the lush Conwy Valley talking about how people in the valley have lived off the geology and still do today. We can take a look at the remains of the lead mines and here about the life of the lead miners. Then we'll arrive at the pretty village of Beddgelert and contrast our morning's bronze age mines with a visit to the 19th century Sygun copper mines.

Our day finished with a trip through the mountains with more talk of  man and geology and, of course, breath-taking views of the spectacular scenery.

Day four - A Pastoral Economy - past, present and future - Snowdonia

We'll spend the morning high in the mountains with a farm walk led by a Welsh hill farmer who'll show us his traditional Welsh Black cattle and hardy Welsh Mountain ewes. He'll talk about his farming year and what has changed and what remains the same as hundreds of years ago.

We'll also visit a sheepdog centre where we learn more about the raising of sheep and see first hand the marvellous partnership of man and dog at work. Of course then we'll have to visit a traditional welsh woollen mill and watch the carding, spinning and weaving still done by utilising the power of the water pouring off the mountains.