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The Nantlle valley (Dyffryn Nantlle), between Talysarn and Nantlle, was
once a major provider of Welsh slate. In its boom years towards the end
of the 19th century the Nantlle quarries employed over two thousand men.
The largest of the slate pits was Dorothea which was over 500ft deep and
in common with the other pits in the valley has now flooded. The pits are
surrounded by the huge waste tips which eventually encroached onto the
road between Talysarn and Nantlle forcing a new route to be built in 1927.
Today the valley lies silent and derelict. All the pits are closed and
nature is slowly reclaiming its territory. The Dorothea pumphouse, now a
listed building, keeps its silent watch over the valley. The huge, flooded
Dorothea pit provides a challenge to the divers who are attracted by its
depths, but there is very little activity elsewhere in a landscape of neglect.