Anger over 'Insta-trashing' of World Heritage quarry amid fears it could close

Two centuries of slate extraction left a mountain-sized hole and a pock-marked monument to human endeavour. Dinorwig Quarry has long been fêted for its industrial heritage but critics fear the time is nearing when it may have to be closed off.

Regular visitors, many in awe of the men who reshaped a landscape on the edge of Eryri, have been left horrified by the casual indifference of others. Vandalism and theft are increasing, they say, while piles of litter have troubled those who know and love the place.

Smashed glass bottles lie strewn around Dinorwig’s Anglesey Barracks, a double row of derelict quarry workers’ houses endlessly photographed. Old iron ladders and chains have been damaged by people attempting the infamous Snakes and Ladders route, a kind of assault course through part of the quarry.

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A mine railway left hanging by rockfalls has steadily dropped into the abyss below as visitors pose for photos on a relic that looks like something from an Indiana Jones movie. Empty bottles and beer cans often need removing from an abandoned machine house, one of the few buildings to have retained its roof and now a refuge for wild goats.

Dismayed regulars say the litter is everywhere. This week Pwllheli’s Alan Jones issued a despairing post on social media after being shocked by the squalid conditions he found in one of the quarry’s most iconic buildings.

The Caban on Pen Garret level was once revered as the place where time stopped in Dinorwig. More than four decades after the world’s second-biggest slate quarry finally fell silent in August 1969, work coats still hung inside its walls and old leather boots remained stowed under wooden benches. Scores of visitors’ names were scratched on its white-washed walls. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now

“People would go there and marvel at the artefacts,” said Alan. "But now the place has been completely trashed.

"Windows have been walled up, tarped and now covered in perspex sheets. A makeshift wood burner has been built in the middle of the Caban and all manner of items have been removed from other buildings and taken there as further draught excluders. One of the rooms is full of litter – the floor is a good 18 inches deep in pure plastic rubbish.”

After seeing the neglect last weekend, he’s reluctant to return again. As both sets of his grandparents were from mining families, he’s long felt a connection with the region’s old quarries. As a youngster he visited nearby Vivian Quarry and was hooked, later being guided through Gwynedd’s post-industrial landscapes by slate luminaries such as Dave Sallery and the late Dr Gwynfor Pierce Jones.

“Dinorwig is a place I am very passionate about,” he said. “It’s the place that inspired my love of slate quarries and photography and I visit as often as I can. During my partner’s chemo sessions at Ysbyty Gwynedd I visited the quarry weekly. So I have been saddened to see the seemingly exponential increase in clueless visitors off the official path and consequential litter and vandalism.

“Many of the fascinating remains that draw people to Dinorwig in the first place have been deliberately damaged or destroyed. There is plenty of minor vandalism and some more serious. On Saturday, as we were driving away, we witnessed a bloke with a bonfire in Allt Ddu removing wire from fences and pulling the posts out to burn!”

Another casualty is the area around the quarry’s “secret waterfall” that emerges from a tunnel and has featured in numerous Hollywood movies. It’s a popular location due to its proximity to a permitted path. An iconic painting of old slate workers apart, Alan said the place is now festooned with graffiti and fences have been damaged to gain access.

Dinorwig was worked from 1787 and contains more than 30 galleries. Vast dry stone monoliths, semi-ruined buildings, terraced hillsides and soaring inclines give the quarry the air of an abandoned Aztec city stripped of its jungle.

Being so close to Llanberis at one end, and accessible from Allt Ddu bus stop at the other, it’s become hugely popular with visitors wanting a glimpse of another world. Dinorwic is now part of an UNESCO World Heritage Site and its profile was raised further when it became the setting for a battle in the second series of HBO’s House of the Dragon.

Quarry stalwarts have pinned the blame on “Insta-based geo-bragging” - the trend for people wanting to highlight places they’ve visited. Responding to Alan’s post, another Dinorwig regular said small-scale littering had long been an issue at the site. But he added: “With massively increased footfall thanks to 'hidden gems you can’t miss' posts by unscrupulous Instagrammers etc, there’s more litter than ever, with severe erosion of unofficial paths especially around Sinc Harriet (Dali’s Hole).

“People just care less and will go to almost any lengths to precisely reproduce a photo they’ve seen someone else post online. It’s not enough to have just seen something yourself anymore. And then for each photo posted, another 10 commenters want to do exactly the same thing.

“So then it falls on the few who care and value the area to clear up after the many who don’t. I went a day or two after a public holiday and there were many gates hanging off their hinges where visitors had lifted them off instead of climbing over. I replaced the ones I found.

"I always try to leave with a little collected rubbish in my bag and I’d encourage anyone else who visits regularly to do the same. Some people just don’t care about the places they visit and it’s definitely not just tourists responsible.” Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday

Like many old quarries in the Slate Landscape of northwest Wales, much of Dinorwig is in private ownership. While public access is tolerated, up to a point, many areas are technically out of bounds. It can also be a dangerous and challenging place, with rockfalls and unsafe buildings. Having been called to Dinorwig on multiple occasions, and with Coastguard helicopters often seen hovering above, Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team has warned newcomers to be wary of social media hype and, where possible, to use qualified leaders if visiting.

There’s little sign the warnings are being heeded. Alan said: “The last five years or so has seen an explosion of 'content creators' hell bent on their 15 minutes of fame. We’ve got hundreds of people daily filming for YouTube and TikTok, photographing for Instagram and Twitter and the whole time it’s not about the quarry, the slate industry, industrial heritage or a personal connection to the place.

"It’s purely because it’s become a trendy place that must be visited and broadcast from. Visit on a summer day and you will find the Allt Ddu area jammed with parked cars and the quarry may as well be the beach, as it is full of exactly the same kind of crowd.”

Abandoned slate quarries give fascinating insights into Eryri’s industrial and social past. For local families, they are also a memorial to the industry of ancestors who worked there, often in appalling conditions, and a shrine to the many who died in them.

It is this sense of reverence that is being threatened by the actions of some visitors. “It’s a World Heritage site for God’s sake, treat it with respect,” implored a Llanberis man online. “If you can’t, just keep away.”

Some fear it’s “only a matter of time” before Dinorwig’s tunnels are gated and the site fully closed to the public. Others have called for “steel doors” and payment for entry. One person worries Eryri’s slate landscapes will be removed from UNESCO’s World Heritage list unless the authorities “do something quickly”.

Most, like Alan, would prefer education, awareness and better site management. However he fears this may not be enough. Alan said: “As for solutions, I’m not sure there is one. The quarry is private property and as such none of us has a right to be there. Short of the place disappearing behind 10ft security fencing, I do not see what can be done to keep problem visitors away. I would hate to see it come to that.

“I just wish that those who do come here were able to treat the place with respect. It is, after all, a vast monument to the hard work, skill and culture of the quarrymen who laboured here.” Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

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