When my first sons were young, this was always one of their favourite days out when visiting grandparents in the area. They have all grown up now, and having married again I now have two young children. I have been waiting a long time for them to reach the right height for them to be able to go (1 metre min).
Finally the day arrived and off we set. Now one of the best bits about Big Pit is that its totally free! Part of the Welsh National Museums, supported by the Welsh Assembly and donations from visitors.
We arrived bright and early, second tour of the day. In addition to hubs, the two littlies and I, we were joined by a small group from a local school, and one other couple. Our guide was chatty, cheerful and kept everybody laughing the whole way through. The underground tour is the first part, donning helmets, batteries and lights, we make our way to the contraband area, where visitors hand over lighters, ciggies, mobile phones and anything else with a battery. These items are placed into bags and locked away til the end of the tour. This is due to safety reasons. I asked the guide if I had to get in the bag, as I had a battery hehe ( I have an ICD also known as pacemaker with aded clout) but was assured I was safe ... well actually he joked that it was fine, the explosion would be internal rofl.
Next we moved into the lift, and descended into the mine. From here we were shown all the different parts of the mine as well as being told the history of the pit itself and mining in general. The only part of the tour that I would warn younger visitors about is when the guide asks everyone to switch off their lights to demonstrate how dark it was for children in the days they worked down there. Littlest man was not impressed of this part at all!!
After the tour, we were taken back to the surface, and shown other areas, on ground level. The guide then suggested we make our way to the Mining Gallery. This part is new since I last visited with my older children, so a whole new experience for me as well as the children. The Mining Gallery is a cinema type experience, sitting in the first area, visitors are shown a potted history of the mining industry, then told by the 'virtual guide' to move to the next area. In the second area, another warning to those of nervous disposition, there is a loud simulated explosion, then we moved on again to the final area. It is hard to describe the experience, but it really does deserve a visit!
We rounded the visit off with a meal in the on site cafe. The food is good, hot and well cooked, though possibly a little pricey for the portion size. The service is not the best I have encountered, but then again its far from being the worst!
Overall, a fantastic day out, lots of hand ons experiences for children and adults alike, and of course its mainly undercover, very useful in the South Wales Valleys
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