Big Pit The National Mining Museum Of Wales

Having visited Big Pit twice now after many years visiting Wales I wasn’t disappointed on either occasion. The first time was with my family due to it being a free attraction. We all enjoyed the experience and the men that work here are all ex miners — my grandpa actually remembered one from school. The second time I went was to show my boyfriend a bit about Wales as he’d never been. He also enjoyed the experience and we were both impressed with the addition of the mining galleries (not completed on 1^st visit). Yes the canteen in basic but I figure its just because its the same as it was when the pit was in use… All in all a great trip out and for free!

An excellent museum presenting a trip down into a real mine that less than 50 years ago was fully operational– and it still feels like it could be brought back to life any day.
The main pit is gritty, and a bit cramped (tall people may just want to stay bent over rather than constantly hitting their head), but really atmospheric. The guides, who are ex-​miners, are extremely informative and chatty about the pros and cons.
Then as well as the pit there are plenty of normal museum-​style displays about every aspect of life down the mines, and also the lifestyles of the local miners when not working. You can wander the baths, the medical centre, the wheel house, and more. It’s very thorough and you could easily saturate yourself with mining history.
The canteen is a bit threadbare (the coffee shop was closed when we visited) but the proper museum is so good you don’t mind.
And it’s FREE! Thank you National Museums of Wales!

I recently went to Big Pit after about a 20 year wait! I grew up in the area and never got to go. Now that entry is free there’s no reason not to.
You can look around the buildings and see how the day to day operations ran above ground, have some food and take in the views over Blaenavon but I think the main reason everyone goes is to go down the mine shaft. You get fitted with a safety hat and lamp, then cram into the cage lift to make the descend. Once at the pit floor you are guided around the different areas of the mine shafts.
When we went there was a group of Scouts visiting at the same time. Honestly, there was not one among them without a huge grin on their face. They were having a great time.
I’d take warm clothing because it is pretty cold down there and I was glad to have my arms covered. Also if you’re over 5’9″ in height then be prepared to duck — a lot!
Getting there:
There’s plenty of parking on site and the 30(?) bus from Newport to Brynmawr stops there too if I remember correctly.

I recently took some visitors from overseas here and they loved it.
They especially liked getting kitted out with safety helmets and lamps then going down in the cage.
Our guide was very knowledgeable because he used to actually work down a mine nearby.
The museum makes a good day out and best of all its free!

I really enjoyed my vist to Big Pit, but that may be because I had very low expectations about it when I first heard I’d be visting.
They are very knowledgeable about coal mining and the history that surrounds it (partically the south wales area, where Big Pit is). The gift shop had a few cool items in, and they were reasonably priced. The only thing that I found disappointing was that I had to leave my electricals on the surface, which meant I couldn’t get any pictures of the actual mine :(

With a great gift shop, café and picnic spot in a World Heritage region, this place is totally underrated. Highlighted only by the occasional brown and white sign, from the Heads of the Valleys Road, the Big Pit is there to be discovered on an old mountain road among the landscape scars of hundreds of years of coal mining.
Visitors can experience life underground as my grandfathers did and appreciate just what South Wales gave to the UK and the world, in terms of industrial age power and most importantly lives. While you’re here visit the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway and the old ironworks and the heritage town of Blaenavon.

My husband and I recently took some visitors to Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon which is one of the UK’s leading coal museums. The colliery buildings were open to the public and we had an exciting multi media tour of the coal mine. It can be quite scary for younger children though, as you descend into the cold and dark of the mine — however, we all loved the experience! There was free parking and our American visitors were thrilled with the gift shop. A great place to take visitors to the area. This attraction comes highly recommended.

The town of Blaenavon and surrounding area has been awarded World Heritage Status because of its industrial history — particularly the important part the town played in the Industrial Revolution. Big Pit is in essense a coal mine which was first dug in the mid 1800s although mining began in the area much earlier. The visit starts off with a descent of about 300 feet in one of the pit cages into the mine itself. You are then taken on a guided tour — by an ex miner in my case — around the mine and are told about the working conditions, the pit ponies and the history of the mine. The guide was obviously v. knowledgable and had through the years built up a good patter. After you arrive back at the surface it is worth visiting the other areas of the site including the Pithead Baths and Museum Exhibitions which are up quite a long flight of steps. [Hey, if the miners could go up their after a hard days work, so can you!!]
I found the whole experience interesting and thought prevoking — the hardships which the workers used to suffer,
particularly in the early days when women and children used to work down the mine, were quite poignant. The museum seems well managed and in good order — what’s more it is free. Well worth a visit.