From 1810 until 1970, Cwmorthin quarry was one of the main slate quarries in Wales. Now, the area has been turned into a nature area full of hiking, swimming and other outdoor activities. In our research on Wales, we discovered that underneath one of the tallest mountains in the area there is a hotel deep within the old mining tunnels. They call it Deep Sleep, and it is the deepest hotel in the world.
We drove several hours from the south through the scenic Welsh countryside, and after dropping off our luggage in Beddgelert, we drove over to Tanygrisiau.
We met our group and Andy, our guide, in a small carpark around 4pm. After covering the safety guidelines, we set out on a short hike through the small town and up a gravel road into the heart of the slate mines. Sitting near a beautiful little lake, the outfitters hut looked out over mountains of slate waste from the old mining days. It was hard to believe how much useless slate is generated from the mining process, but it added some character to the landscape.
We spent a short time in the hut getting fitted for our caving gear. After some trial and error with sizing, we suited up with our helmets, headlamps, harnesses and wellies and made our way to the entrance to the mine. On our way, Andy talked about the area and how the mines were a series of interconnected tunnels snaking their way deep inside the surrounding mountains, and that once they were abandoned this whole area redefined itself as a tourist destination and has become one of the most popular areas in Snowdonia for people to come and enjoy the mountains and nature. Then we found the entrance and said goodbye to sunlight for the next 14 hours.
As we entered the mine, we were enveloped by the cool, dark air. Thankfully the tunnels were mostly accomodating for taller people and it never got claustrophobic. We began on Lake Level and had to descend seven floors down to G Level where the Deep Sleep hotel is.
Along the way we navigated a series of potentially treacherous obstacles. We wore harnesses and sometimes had to attach to the cables while we traversed some rickety old platforms, or balanced on pipes walking above channels of waist-deep water. There were a couple narrow passages, a verticle 70 foot abseil, and some steep sections of steps and rails where we would once again have to clip in.
Our group was in high spirits. The presence of two teenage girls really added to the levity of the group, they were terrified of everything, and the dad and boyfriend couldn’t help but to make fun of them the whole time. The journey took a little over two hours, and was a great mix of education, adventure, physical exertion, and just enjoying good company in a very, very unique environment.
We were beginning to get a little tired of walking through the cold, wet mineshafts after a couple of hours, so when we saw the entrance to Deep Sleep Hotel we were excited to have finally reached our destination. The hotel itself is a set of four small cabins and a grotto. We had a nice warm dinner and not long after went to sleep in our cozy room. The night was quiet except for an occasional drip from the ceiling on the metal roof, so we had a restful sleep in the world’s deepest hotel.
The following morning we woke to a quick breakfast, then we gathered up our gear and made our way back into the tunnels for the ascent to the surface.
The route we took to climb out of Cwmorthin mine was slightly different than the descent. It felt like the tunnels had more water than the previous day. After navigating a series of flooded sections we made it to the main climb, where we just walked up an extremely steep set of rails. Thankfully the temperature was nice and cool so the climb wasn’t too exhausting. Atfter about an hour we made it back into the sunlight, although it was a gloomy day.
Saying goodbye to our group at the hut, we walked on our own back down to the carpark and got some drone footage before driving to Wrexham. Deep Sleep Hotel was one of the main attractions that brought us to Wales. We’re always looking for fun and unique experiences and you can’t get much more fun or unique than a mine hotel! We were so glad we took the time to have this incredible experience!