All walks › Dyfi Valley and Machynlleth
Dyfi Valley and MachynllethAberllefenni Quarries
Slate workings at the head of the Dulas valley, worked for six centuries and among the last to close in Wales.
- Distance
- 3.7 mi / 6 km
- Time
- 2 hr 15
- Ascent
- 280 m
- Difficulty
- Demanding
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Go up from the village past the quarry buildings and inclines into the forest, returning by a loop. Steep in places.
Worth knowing
- Aberllefenni worked slate from the fourteenth century until 2003, one of the longest-lived quarries anywhere.
- The workings are unstable; keep to the tracks.
- The valley is dark and steep-sided, which makes it feel remote though it is close to Machynlleth.
What you’ll see
Quarry buildings and inclines, slate tips, and forest on the valley sides.
Background
Aberllefenni slate was quarried for six hundred years and the last men were laid off in 2003, ending the industry in the valley.