Two popular Mid Wales attractions are proving the ‘coolest’ places for visitors in the current heatwave.

With temperatures topping 30 degrees outside, the underground King Arthur’s Labyrinth and the Corris Mine Explorers at Corris, near Machynlleth, where it’s a consistent eight degrees, provide a welcome break from the baking sun.

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The attractions, which tend to be busiest when the weather conditions are wet and overcast, have found a sunshine bonus so far this summer.

“Interestingly, many people when buying their tickets are asked if they have a warm coat because it’s eight degrees underground,” said Shirley Owen, marketing manager for King Arthur’s Labyrinth and the Corris Mine Explorers. “The common reply is: ‘That’s why we came to escape the heat’.

“You can imagine what it feels like to go from nearly 30 degrees to eight degrees and vice versa when visitors emerge from the labyrinth or the mine.

“Going underground is one of the coolest things to do when the weather is hot and one of the driest things to do when the weather is wet.”

Earlier this year, King Arthur’s Labyrinth was judged Mid Wales’ best visitor attraction in the annual Visit Wales National Tourism Awards. Visitors are taken on a one-hour adventure which includes a boat ride beneath the Southern Snowdonia mountains through the magical veil of an underground waterfall into a mythical world filled with dragons, giants, fierce battles and the legendary King Arthur.

Ancient legends from Wales unfold as visitors are guided through the Labyrinth by a hooded Dark Age Boatman.

Boats sail every 15 minute and at its peak the attraction has welcomed up to 587 visitors in a day. The attraction – https://www.kingarthurslabyrinth.co.uk/ – is open from 10am to 4.45pm, when the last boat leaves reception.
Corris Mine Explorers – https://www.corrismineexplorers.co.uk/ – offers a different kind of adventure with history, discovery and fun all rolled into the attraction, which is based on the abandoned and forgotten world of the slate miner.

Tucked away beneath the hillside, the attraction brings alive the dark, damp mine workings as an expert guide shares its stories. Braich Goch Slate Mine was hand dug by Victorian miners in 1836 and worked for more than 130 years.

Visitors discover the virtual time capsule that was left behind as the door creaked shut for the last time in the 1970s. There is a choice of one hour, two hour and four hour guided trips into the mine and the maximum group size is 15 people.