The UK’s first underwater museum is set to open within a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Wales.
Vivian Quarry, which was listed by UNESCO as part of the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales in 2021, closed in 1960. Since then, run off and underwater springs have seen the area filled with water that is up to eighteen metres deep.
Scuba Scape are set to open an underwater museum at the site in Gwynedd later this year, offering divers the chance to see the slate ruins, mining carts and other artefacts that were left in the site after closure.
Vivian Quarry has previously been open to experienced divers, but the new experience will now be offered to those aged ten and above. Visitors will also be able to book an underwater escape room.
The quarry forms part of the Dinorwic Slate quarries, which in turn was part of the extensive Vaynol Estate, which was operated by Thomas Assheton Smith from 1787.
If you’re looking to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site without getting wet, Visit Snowdonia has compiled a number of hiking paths and trails through the area that offers views of the slate valleys here.
Alternatively, you can ride the Ffestiniog Railway, which is the world’s oldest narrow gauge railway. The 13.5 mile route takes you from Porthmadog Harbour to the slate-quarrying town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, taking in lakes and waterfalls, forests, and through the mountains. The railway itself is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, having been in operation for nearly 200 years.
Gwynedd is also home to Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales, so you could easily combine the two in one trip.
More information: scubascape.world
