Dinorwig Slate Quarry & the Snowdon Mountain Railway

Had a hike up to the top of Dinorwig Slate Quarry this and I climbed high up into the upper working. I’d reached around 2000ft up into the quarry and the distinct sound of the first morning train of the Snowdon Mountain Railway echoed across the valley from the peaks of Snowdon behind Llanberis as the heritage steam locomotive started making its way to Yr Wyddfa summit.

It was a slightly hazy morning with banks of relatively low cloud shrouding the summit of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) but occasional rays of sunshine managed to break through the cloud cover and I could see them lighting the mountainside near Clogwyn station so I swapped over the camera lens to a 200mm telephoto and found a good vantage point to await the arrival of the Snowdon Mountains Railway at Clogwyn.

The large plumes of smoke from the trains coal-fired engine made it easy to spot its progress so I was all setup ready when it emerged from behind the mountain onto the plateau at Clogwyn Station. Fortunately for me it timed things nicely as the clouds parted slightly and the sun lit the mountain around the station and I fired off several shots as the train made it’s progress to Snowdon summit, here’s the best one.

Dinorwig Slate Quarry photography workshops

If you’d to explore Dinorwig quarry above Llanberis and improve your landscape photography skills at the same time I run workshops several times a year. We explore the fascinating abandoned buildings and upper workings of the quarry and capture some of the stunning views across to the Snowdon mountain range….possibly like this image, the Snowdon Mountain Railway too.