corris | Woodlands Devils Bridge

Wherever you go in Wales, it seems you end up passing a mine. We’ve been tempted to venture in and explore them, but decided it was best to get a guided tour with someone who actually knows what they are doing! So we thought a good place to start would be the Corris Mine Explorers.

You have a choice of trips – 50 minutes as a taster, 2 hours for a bit more exploring or a half day expedition for the more adventurous. Obviously we went for the half day tour! But we are certain whichever you choose, you will learn a lot and enjoy the experience.

A lot of the enjoyment comes from the amazing guide and host “Mr Mole” who is incredibly enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable about his mines, as well as entertaining! And he is a trained paramedic with experience of search and rescue, so he makes you feel super safe and looked after whilst you venture deeper into the tunnels. No tour is the same, and he will get to know the group and tailor it to suit the needs, interests and abilities of everyone.

The mine itself is HUGE with incredible openings and chambers and tunnels. What was more surprising were all the artefacts kept in place along the way, remnants of the workers’ tools, belongings and equipment, all found within the mine. From old cigarette packets, tea cups, chisels to lamps, wagons, candles and even explosives!

The 4 hours flew by, we could have stayed hours longer and quite sure Mr Mole’s stories and facts could have filled days or even weeks down a mine! We definitely recommend this experience, and will be going back again ourselves.

Check out the website for more information, its worth booking ahead and make sure you take warm clothes, wellies and a snack to eat if you go on the longer tour.

(We loved it so much that we forgot to take any pics, even outside the mine, so here are some photos from their facebook page!)

Having been up to C.A.T (see our last blog post), we carried on our journey to Corris so we could check out the King Arthur’s Labyrinth – a “mythical underground adventure” sounded too good to miss!

You get to set sail along the magical waters inside the old mines, walking along winding tunnels and through immense caverns whilst being guided by a rather spooky boatman! There is lots to learn about the legend of King Arthur here as well as other Welsh stories & history, whilst being amazed at the caves themselves. (Although it might be a bit scary for little kids)

We had also been told to visit the Corris Craft centre…thinking it was just a small shop selling crafts next door to the King Arthur attraction. Well it definitely is right next to the attraction but it’s by no means just a small shop! The craft centre is a whole range of various shops and studios, almost all of which give you the opportunity to try out the crafts themselves with hands on experiences. And the crafts themselves are all high quality. We particularly loved the Taran Eco Designs shop full of beautiful wooden furniture, and spent some time chatting away to the lovely lady who owns Spellbound Herbals which is full of natural remedies and oils. Although the gin shop and the chocolate shop should also be mentioned 😉 Kids and adults will love getting stuck in to candle making or pottery painting, or indeed chocolate making, and its well worth making sure you put time aside for this place on your trip to Corris.

We also spied the Corris Mine Explorers experience and will be looking to return and get adventuring on one of their mine tour adventures!