The Journey to the Birthplace of Copper

Yes. I have been down there. Seen it. Experienced it. What? The deep underground. True, I experience the underground every day, when I am travelling on the tube to work. But this, was a completely different experience. It does NOT happen to you every day. And so of course, I have to write about it here.

Let me take you with me, down into the Earth's crust, down to the deep, dark, wet, underground, where Copper is born. Let me take you to the Copper mines at Llandudno in North Wales.

By the way, before I start let me tell you these mines are actually from the Bronze age . . . so they have been here pretty much since the beginning of time.

I am going to write a little differently, and hope that you get to experience it like I did. :)

 

Saturday, 9th June, 2.00 pm

Hmmmm. I picked the wrong colour. Of my helmet. I picked a nasty colour while mum has picked a nice white. Whatever. Who cares. I just picked the first one that slid into my hands anyway. Blah. Looks like dad is like me, ha HA! He has picked a nasty colour as well, obviously because he isn't bothered. Ok, here we go.

The narrow tunnels into the mines

I am standing a few metres below the ground, just about to enter the mines. I am surrounded by rocks on all sides, towering over me. I can see a dark narrow (oh yeah, this defines narrow) and COLD (I am so not dressed for these mines . . .) tunnel. The cold is creeping up to me even though I am standing outside.

And I enter right after mum. The first thought that comes into my mind is COLD. Damn it is really freezing down here. And wet. Imagine walking through a dark tunnel where it has rained (yeah I know that’s not possible, I have told you to imagine haven't I?) so that you feel humid and cold and can smell the rocks. The smell that you get when the rain hits dry ground. Got that smell in mind? Ok good. Now you are walking through dimly lit tunnels of rock, your hand sliding against the wet walls where water drips through in places and OUCH I just hit my helmet against a very low wall (phew it wasn't my head). The ground? That is the worst bit. It slopes steeply down, and sometimes up.

Our path through the mines

It isnt so bad up the tunnel as it is down. You do remember there is water running down the ground right? Yeah now you can imagine how scared I was. As I stare around me, it is quiet, cold and dark. Anything might come at me from the eerie holes and little openings into the tunnel at the side. *shivers*

We are walking down and down and deeper into the Earth. And suddenly we see the green rocks called Malachite down on our sides! Guess what? That’s where the copper comes from!

We are now 50 feet below the ground! There is a huge opening through which I can see a huge clearing into the rocks. And everywhere you can see little tunnels going into the walls. Just imagine, that so many hundred years ago, people must have stood on this very spot, digging into the walls, walking through these very tunnels, touching these walls! This is experiencing history. This is what time travel feels like. I love places like these. It takes me back in time. And this is like back to the Bronze Age. WOW! They didn't have much of a life did they? The miners? Surrounded by darkness in these mines, with candles being the only source of light . . .

We just crossed this deep opening in the ground, which was closed off by bars so people wouldn't fall through (we aren't allowed to go down there) where it is written that some cat's bones were found surrounded by blackberry seeds. Maybe it was some sort of a ritual back then? My imagination runs wild when I am down in historical places like these.

Now we have are about 80ft below. Still groping my way through the dark narrow tunnels. Down, down we go. It is as freezing as ever and now . . . YAY! We are climbing up again! Good! No more scare of sliding down the slope.

I am going to stand for a moment and experience the thrill. 

As I close my eyes for a while, I can almost hear the shouts of the men, the clinking of the tools against the hard rocks, the sound of feet walking across the tunnels . . . Ok. This feels a bit spooky. I am going to move on.

A view of the Ancient mines from the top

Now I am slowly coming towards the exit of the mines. Yes! I can see the open sky outside, I can feel the warmth of the atmosphere and . . . I AM OUT!

Oh yeah, that was spooky but amazing! If you ever, EVER get a chance to go inside a mine, do it! And if you ever happen to travel to Llandudno, do not miss out these mines. After all, you get to time travel to the Bronze Age! :)