Coal mines and steam trains play a significant role in Welsh (and British) history so what better way to teach kids than a trip on a steam train and a visit to an old pit. This is how we visited Blaenavon Steam Train and the Big Pit in Wales.
Driving over the moor
Staying in Llangynidr near Crickhowell meant we were able to drive up and over the winding roads of the moors. If you haven’t had this opportunity I can recommend it!
The single carriage road twists around hectares of green grass and brown bracken and you can spot wild ponies and grazing sheep not to mention the spectacular view over the Brecon Beacons valley.
Talk about fortunate because we were able to also see newly born foals. Their facial features are different to other horses I’ve seen/ridden as their bodies and faces are much shorter and their foreheads higher. This results in bulging eyes and an unusual looking nose.
Blaenavon Steam Train Heritage Railway Experience
Just a short drive over the Welsh hills and down into the valley, lies the Heritage Railway Experience which links the station of Whistle Inn to Blaenavon where Big Pit is located.
You can also drive to Big Pit and not go on the railway which costs:
| Adult Day Rover | £9.00 | |
| Child Day Rover | £5.00 | |
| Family Day Rover | £23.00 | |
| Concessions | £8.00 |
Furnace Sidings: Blaenavon Steam Train
The main station and where we bought our tickets is Furnace Sidings. The car park is massive (not sure how many cars they’re expecting) and there’s a tea room as well as a kids’ corner with some toys.
The station is quaint in a miniature sort of way – even though it isn’t miniature but I can imagine it being perfect on a board. They have retained wonderful attention to detail and there’s many pieces of 1900’s railway artifact to see and photograph.
From here the 3½ miles of track can also take you to Coed Avon and Blaenavon (High Level) where the Heritage Town and Ironworks are located (we didn’t get a chance to do this latter stage of the tour).
Waiting for the Blaenavon Steam Train
Part of the anticipation comes from the waiting, although we only had about 15 minutes to wait. Excitement levels were pretty high.
Watching the Blaenavon Steam Train arrive
The train arrives into the station with much gusto (smoke and tooting its whistle) where we watched it from the railway bridge.
So much excitement from our younger duo who had never seen a steam train before let alone ridden on one. They ran down the bridge steps in eager anticipation of boarding the train but instead were rewarded with a visit to see the engine, meet the drivers and watch the train being refilled with water. How cool is that!!
The train turns around
The train is turned around before re-attaching to the carriages and setting off with passengers inside.
Seeing the engine on the Blaenavon Steam Train
The kids were allowed to mount the engine and have a look at the gauges and dials and fire and everything else they could possibly look at or touch which was an amazing experience.
Refilling the water
Watching the train being refilled with water rose lots of discussions about the use of steam and how it revolutionised our way of life. We even had conversations about geo-thermal heating in Iceland!
Lots of learning to be done.
More photos of the train
I adore how much care and attention has been taken in restoring these trains and I couldn’t help but snap all the little details that have lovingly remained.
Boarding the train
The train’s interior remains as it would have been years ago with wooden floors and panelling, wooden tables and chairs and some upholstered benches. Attention to detail is phenomenal.
Finding somewhere to sit
Can you believe that we had an entire carriage to ourselves? We made the 11am train and I suppose most people were having their lunch but for us lazy risers we’d only just had breakfast.
There was much fun to be had in choosing where to sit and then frequently swapping chairs to compare comfortability and view.
Whistle Inn: Blaenavon Steam Train
Whistle Inn Halt is the northern limit of the line and is named after the adjacent pub which we didn’t stop in. The station is pretty small and we didn’t spend long there. We didn’t want to alight so instead we took photos and swapped seats!
Arriving at Big Pit
We arrived into Blaenavon about 20 minutes after we’d left the station of Furnace Sidings. Big Pit is a very short walk from the train station but the hill is steep.
Entrance to the pit is free but a donation is appreciated. All of the staff there are volunteers and up-keep on the pit is regularly needed.
Waiting to be taken down
Waiting for the next group to be taken down into the pit took about 15 minutes but felt like an eternity of being back in school with wooden backed chairs!
There’s lots to read and learn though and all are accompanied with photos of the pit as a working mine.
Descending into the depths of Big Pit
After suiting and lamping up we were herded into a open lift and dropped into the darkness below!
Our group size was about 15-20 people and ranged from young babies to Grandmas.
Walking the pit
No photos from this section of the trip in case there were gas pockets down below but let me tell you how COLD AND WINDY it was down there. We foolishly didn’t take our coats and only had thin layers on. I would really recommend taking jumpers and extra layers as we were down in the pit for at least 40 minutes.
We were given a guided tour by an ex-pit miner which was really informative and fun for the kids. They learned about the depths of mines, how long shifts lasted, kids working in the mines, pit ponies, explosions, what to do in an emergency, how to ring the bell, different gases and lots more.
Taking the train back
Going down the coal pit was a great opportunity for our kids to have a look at British history but the highlight was the train and having another chance to ride it.
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