Playing Snakes & Ladders with our lives

So you all thought you’d had enough of me, well I think not! After a summer spent in the flatlands of Oxfordshire it was past time to get out for the peaks and adventures of North Wales when once again reunited with my crazy about all things mountainous boyfriend Mike.

So naturally the first thing on the list was a real life game of Snakes and Ladders through the tunnels ladders and deserted pits of the mines in Llanberis. After driving up from Worcester we parked at Bus Stop Quarry and marched along the path to find the beginning of the route which our guide annoyingly was particularly vague about. Starting in Dali’s Hole area we crept along a tunnel into California (somehow the mines possessed transportation through space properties). 

First up was the trickiest part of the adventure a 20m haul up a rusty old chain dubiously connected to the mouth of another tunnel reinforced by tat rope. So of course Mike went first and scrambled up to the top. However me lacking the necessary forearm capabilities of my other half winched myself up on a pulley Mike concocted, unfortunately I didn’t get off easily pulling the rope to heave myself up inch by inch with my puny arm strength.

Once up at the top we clambered down the next tunnel to arrive low and behold where we started back in Dali’s Hole area, the next task was to search for a well- hidden shaft entrance (which I found and got suitably wedged in), after slithering our way in we tiptoed towards the light into Tasmania (once again transporting ourselves across the world).

Scrambling over rocks and scree up and out of Tasmania we were in Australia to get to the real iconic part of this little adventure the ladders!! Mike went up the first rickety ladder which I wisely avoided as it was connected only by a chain attached to a bush but Mike has a very pure ethic when it comes to routes so no skipping out for him. The next three ladders weren’t quite so bad but enough to make one question the insanity of the decisions leading up to why clambering up 50 year old ladders scarcely bolted to the rocks with missing rungs and rusty connections was a good idea.

We went for a little explore of the miners buildings once over that sketchy moment to find knick knacks like shoes and banged up tea pots inside as well as considerable amounts of sheep poo which became a theme of our week; finding sheep poo in extreme places like halfway up difficult scrambles.

We abseiled down into Lost World pause for a brief interlude of Bilberry snacking (for those unaware of bilberries shame on you!! They look like blueberries but taste much sweeter and are only found on the wet slopes of our beautiful mountainous places). Deep in Lost World we stumbled along a tunnel into Mordor, now our transportation powers are taking us into fictional lands, just gets better and better; from there it was up the last and most iffy ladder to escape the clutches of Mordor.

 

Waiting for us at the top…. Horror!!! Mike’s beloved suspended railway had met its end and died a droopy death, regrettably this was what he had looked forward to all day and unable to believe rumours it had finally broken was grief stricken seeing it despairingly hanging from its hinges.

We circumnavigated the dilapidated bridge and walked down the slate staircase towards the main pathway and back to the car to spend a night sleeping on the reclined seats, still grieving the fallen bridge.

Access to the mines is restricted so just be careful if you want to do this route as I can’t guarantee all the ladders will last much longer but good luck tee hee!