Wales Day 5

We got our extra day and spent most of it at the Blaenarvon World Heritage Site.  We explored the National Coal Museum and Mr T went down the Big Pit with a couple of other guys and a very enthusiastic ex-miner guide, and they were gone for nearly an hour.  He  thoroughly enjoyed the  experience, being the intrepid adventurer he is!!  I'm a real wimp when it comes to anything which involves confined spaces and a claustrophic attack immediately ensues, so I stayed above ground and enjoyed all the other available points of interest around the Heritage Site.  On our way up to the Site we stopped to take in the magnificent views particularly from the Keepers Pond (middle left). After picnicing in the sunshine we went to see the amazing  steel structure  known as 'The Guardian of the Valleys'  (middle right).  Completed in 2010, Guardian was commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1960 mining disaster in Six Bells which claimed the lives of 45 men.  This fantastic 20 metre high sculpture towers over the site of the former colliery where the tragedy happened and is a fitting tribute to the men whose names are cut into the panels wrapped around the memorial.  We found it a most moving place which is also a Nature Reserve where lots of wildlife abide, or so the sign said, we didn't see any though but the birds were singing loudly.

And so our first caravan adventure is near its end and oh, how we've enjoyed it - can't wait for the next one!