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| Instagram fans ruining special places, says Gwynedd caver | Instagram fans ruining special places, says Gwynedd caver |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Cleaning up the 'cavern of lost souls' | Cleaning up the 'cavern of lost souls' |
| Cleaning up the 'cavern of lost souls' | Cleaning up the 'cavern of lost souls' |
| Social media photo seekers are "killing" special places, says a caver after volunteers hauled piles of rubbish out of a 19th Century mine. | Social media photo seekers are "killing" special places, says a caver after volunteers hauled piles of rubbish out of a 19th Century mine. |
| Anthony Taylor said a YouTube video of old cars dumped in the Gwynedd quarry had more than six million views, bringing an influx of visitors. | Anthony Taylor said a YouTube video of old cars dumped in the Gwynedd quarry had more than six million views, bringing an influx of visitors. |
| Dozens of photos of the "car grave" have since appeared on Instagram. | Dozens of photos of the "car grave" have since appeared on Instagram. |
| But those taking the pictures also left behind rubbish and graffiti. | But those taking the pictures also left behind rubbish and graffiti. |
| "They are beautiful places, and a lot of people don't want them to be ruined," said Mr Taylor, 42, from Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. | "They are beautiful places, and a lot of people don't want them to be ruined," said Mr Taylor, 42, from Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. |
| "Instagram seems to be the killer of a lot of things," he said. "People turn up, take a picture and then leave [a mess]." | "Instagram seems to be the killer of a lot of things," he said. "People turn up, take a picture and then leave [a mess]." |
| Going underground for the world's deepest sleep | Going underground for the world's deepest sleep |
| The village that lost its coal but not its soul | The village that lost its coal but not its soul |
| Icelanders tire of disrespectful influencers | Icelanders tire of disrespectful influencers |
| Gaewern slate mine is on private land near Corris Uchaf. Mining began in 1820, and continued after a merger with nearby Braichgoch slate mine until the 1970s, employing 200 at its peak. | Gaewern slate mine is on private land near Corris Uchaf. Mining began in 1820, and continued after a merger with nearby Braichgoch slate mine until the 1970s, employing 200 at its peak. |
| The "car grave" is illuminated by shafts of light at certain times of day | The "car grave" is illuminated by shafts of light at certain times of day |
| After it closed, old cars and televisions were dumped into one of the mine's two main chambers above a lake, creating the unusual scene of a rusting scrap metal heap that gets illuminated by shafts of sunlight at certain times of day. | After it closed, old cars and televisions were dumped into one of the mine's two main chambers above a lake, creating the unusual scene of a rusting scrap metal heap that gets illuminated by shafts of sunlight at certain times of day. |
| "It's a bizarre environment, probably the one of the oddest places in the world," he remembered from his first visit in 2022. | "It's a bizarre environment, probably the one of the oddest places in the world," he remembered from his first visit in 2022. |
| "How often do you see hundreds of cars underground with lights coming onto them from the sun?" | "How often do you see hundreds of cars underground with lights coming onto them from the sun?" |
| But to get there, he first had to pass an entrance littered with discarded bin bags that visitors had used to try to keep their feet dry. | But to get there, he first had to pass an entrance littered with discarded bin bags that visitors had used to try to keep their feet dry. |
| The cavers removing graffiti and rubbish from Gaewern in March | The cavers removing graffiti and rubbish from Gaewern in March |
| "From about 30ft (9m) in, the spray painting starts, and it was awful," he said. | "From about 30ft (9m) in, the spray painting starts, and it was awful," he said. |
| The graffiti gets worse in the main chamber towards the cars, he said, with more rubbish on the floor, including discarded glow sticks and human faeces. | The graffiti gets worse in the main chamber towards the cars, he said, with more rubbish on the floor, including discarded glow sticks and human faeces. |
| "When you get to the end, it was just a sea of boats, inflatable dinghies everywhere," he said. | "When you get to the end, it was just a sea of boats, inflatable dinghies everywhere," he said. |
| "It's just disgusting, really sad and disheartening. | "It's just disgusting, really sad and disheartening. |
| Miners etched initials in the mine in the 19th Century, but some walls have since been covered in graffiti | Miners etched initials in the mine in the 19th Century, but some walls have since been covered in graffiti |
| "The whole reason people want to visit a place like this is because they've seen it on the internet and think, 'That's an amazing place to go and see', so why would you trash it?" | "The whole reason people want to visit a place like this is because they've seen it on the internet and think, 'That's an amazing place to go and see', so why would you trash it?" |
| Mr Taylor said he and his fellow cavers hauled as many dinghies out as they could and held a bigger clean-up with six volunteers on 22 March. | Mr Taylor said he and his fellow cavers hauled as many dinghies out as they could and held a bigger clean-up with six volunteers on 22 March. |
| "Something had to be done," he said, estimating his group and another from the YouTube channel Hell on Earth removed 30 discarded dinghies in total. | "Something had to be done," he said, estimating his group and another from the YouTube channel Hell on Earth removed 30 discarded dinghies in total. |
| "The people that go to these places, influencers they call themselves… they go because they've got inherent value to them. Why destroy it for everyone else?" | "The people that go to these places, influencers they call themselves… they go because they've got inherent value to them. Why destroy it for everyone else?" |
| Caver Gareth Jones and the other volunteers alongside the rubbish brought to the surface | Caver Gareth Jones and the other volunteers alongside the rubbish brought to the surface |
| He wants to educate people about the value of old mines, and fears sites like Gaewern could one day be sealed off. | He wants to educate people about the value of old mines, and fears sites like Gaewern could one day be sealed off. |
| "If these things keep happening, it's going to be lost to everyone forever." | "If these things keep happening, it's going to be lost to everyone forever." |
| During his many trips to abandoned mines around mid Wales he has found a child's footprint, hobnail boots, tools, miners' gloves and a 170-year-old barrow "still where the miner originally left it". | During his many trips to abandoned mines around mid Wales he has found a child's footprint, hobnail boots, tools, miners' gloves and a 170-year-old barrow "still where the miner originally left it". |
| "If you can't see [the value] in that, I don't know. | "If you can't see [the value] in that, I don't know. |
| "I wouldn't have thought you'd have to teach people these things, but you really do in this day and age." | "I wouldn't have thought you'd have to teach people these things, but you really do in this day and age." |
| THE WOMEN WHO FOUGHT BACK: The bitter year-long miners' strike struggle | |
| STRIKE: Jonny Owen tracks the impact of the miners' strike on Britain | |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Wales | Wales |
| Aberystwyth | Aberystwyth |
| Mining | Mining |