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MEGA Wales Side Events

The Brat Pack

By The Brat Pack
in United Kingdom and Ireland

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The Brat Pack

+The Brat Pack

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The MEGA Wales Committee, in conjunction with the National Museums of Wales, are pleased to announce a side-event at the Big Pit: National Coal Museum in Blaenavon on Tuesday 2nd August. Further details will be published in early February under Cache Listing GC2K5YF.

 

Big Pit is a real coal mine and one of Britain's leading mining museums. With facilities to educate and entertain all ages, Big Pit is an exciting and informative day out. The Plan is to meet at 10.30am and there will then be three underground tours laid on from 11.00am (for those wishing to participate). Each tour is limited to 17 and there is a 1 metre height restrictions for small children. Tickets will be issued on a "first come first served" basis so you will need to get there promptly!

 

There is an opportunity during the day to visit the Pithead Baths exhibitions, attend a talk on Big Pit and the wider industrial landscape by member of Big Pit staff and visit the rest of the Big Pit site and beyond: don't miss the Mining Galleries before departure (a 25 minute audio visual exhibition on the surface of Big Pit).

 

We also have permission from the Museum to set up additional caches on the site which will go live at the Event.

Edited by The Brat Pack
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*mouse*

+*mouse*

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I think the Wales Mega committee should organise a sand castle building competition to be held on the famous beach at Porthcawl :P

 

Better pack your pneumatic drill! :huh:

 

Big Pit's great - I definately recommend it. Lots of other good industrial stuff in the area too - like the ironworks. Plus The Blorange cache isn't far away either :mad:

Edited by *mouse*
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Eclectic Penguin

+Eclectic Penguin

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Big pit is one of my favorite museums and have taken many friends who visit from out of the country there.

 

I can't underline enough how good the underground tours are - they're not mocked up museum pieces (though they have one of those too), you genuinely go down in the pit lift to a real coal face where a retired coal miner (some are quite characters too) will guide you around some of the tunnels, including the horse stables and various coal faces.

 

As well as the tour, you get to see some of the other buildings that were in use up until the mine closed too.

 

I wonder if its worth minting more Miner's Lamp Geocoins for this event [:huh:]?

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The Brat Pack

+The Brat Pack

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I would love to go on the Big Pit visit. This is a place I have been meaning to visit for some time.

 

I think the Wales Mega committee should organise a sand castle building competition to be held on the famous beach at Porthcawl :huh:

 

It is under consideration for Swansea Beach on the afternoon of the MEGA Event - weather permitting.

 

One advantage with the Big Pit is you are dry underground when it is raining!

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Simply Paul

+Simply Paul

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I visited Big Pit in 2000 and loved it; I even considered using it for an underground cache event (at around 100m it's not all that deep though..!) so I'm delighted there's going to be a Mega side event there; Looking forward revisiting a very interesting location which helped me connect with some of my roots. My grandad was a miner in Northumberland so it was fascinating to see the type of environment he worked in for nearly 50 years.

 

Having just read the post above: snap! :blink:

Edited by Simply Paul
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Malpas Wanderer

+Malpas Wanderer

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Remember you'll need to make safe keeping arrangements for your electronic equipment. ;)

 

"Because it's technically still a working pit, visitors have to wear hard hats and remove anything electrical, for fear of igniting underground gasses.

 

This means that all electronic devices - camera, watches, walkmans, mobile phones etc - have to be left on the surface, so I wasn't able to take any photos. Next time I'll take my old mechanical SLR film camera!" :D

 

And even that SLR camera is likely to have a battery too. :blink:

Edited by Malpas Wanderer
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Simply Paul

+Simply Paul

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Thanks for your post; it reminded me to log my intention to attend all the events thus-far announced. Since my Scotland trip is a flying one this year (just 10 days) I'm hoping Wales will be my longer Summer Holiday. As well as all the Mega side events - and the Mega itself - I'm planning to get out to some islands off the coast and to St Davids. I visited England's smallest city - Wells - for the 2009 Weston Mega, so it will be nice to get to Britain's smallest city too :)

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The Brat Pack

+The Brat Pack

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Visited the Big Pit Museum today to finalise arrangements for the Event Cache there on 2nd August. In conjunction with the museum we identified locations for two (and possibly three) new caches to go live on the morning of the Event. As the Event coincides with "Miners Fortnight", the traditional two week holiday period for South Wales Miners, there are loads of other additional activities going on during that period, particularly aimed at the children.

 

The only downside is that you now have to pay for parking - but £2 for all day parking (Blue Badge Holders excepted) with free entry to the museum, including an underground tour, still represents good value.

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Simply Paul

+Simply Paul

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A handy round-up of Welsh Mega-programme events:

July

Wed 27 Flash & Dash in Pembrey - GC2NYZ6 (5-5.15pm!)

Thu 28 Tatty Bear's Picnic - GC292AV (12pm+) & Mission Impossible? Meet Steinmann 2011 - GC2TKT3 (1.45-7.15pm boat)

Fri 29 Mollyjak's Sand And Sarnies - GC2NA1Z (12-6pm) & The Geolympix Launch Party! - GC2ZA8V (7-11pm)

Sat 30 Picnic at The Big Apple - GC2P7DQ (11am-1pm) & Mega Camping 2011 - GC27K5X (5pm+)

Sun 31 Mega Wales 2011 (The UK's 4th Mega Event) - GC2921G (10am-5pm)

August

Mon 1 Picnic on Pen-y-Fan - GC2JMDB (1-2pm) & "A Taste of the North West" - GC2WC7V (2-5pm)

Tue 2 A Big Day Out at Big Pit - GC2K5YF (10.30am+)

Wed 3 Cardiff Bay Perambulation - GC2QRE2 (11am-4.30pm) & Wait Until Dark - GC2PH5K (8.30-9pm+)

Thu 4 Mega CITO at Whiteford Sands - GC2VV2Y (10am+)

Fri 5 Sunset on the Welsh MEGA Event - GC2K6JD (8.30pm+)

Edited by Simply Paul
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Simply Paul

+Simply Paul

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Posted (edited)

Updated list of Welsh Mega-programme events:

July

Wed 27 Flash & Dash in Pembrey - GC2NYZ6 (5-5.15pm!)

Thu 28 Tatty Bear's Picnic - GC292AV (12pm+) & Mission Impossible? Meet Steinmann 2011 - GC2TKT3 (1.45-7.15pm boat) & NEW! Wild and wonderful - St David - GC2XHPD (7pm+)

Fri 29 Mollyjak's Sand And Sarnies - GC2NA1Z (12-6pm) & The Geolympix Launch Party! - GC2ZA8V (7-11pm)

Sat 30 Picnic at The Big Apple - GC2P7DQ (11am-1pm) & Mega Camping 2011 - GC27K5X (5pm+)

Sun 31 Mega Wales 2011 (The UK's 4th Mega Event) - GC2921G (10am-5pm)

August

Mon 1 Picnic on Pen-y-Fan - GC2JMDB (1-2pm) & "A Taste of the North West" - GC2WC7V (2-5pm)

Tue 2 A Big Day Out at Big Pit - GC2K5YF (10.30am+)

Wed 3 Cardiff Bay Perambulation - GC2QRE2 (11am-4.30pm) & Wait Until Dark - GC2PH5K (8.30-9pm+)

Thu 4 Mega CITO at Whiteford Sands - GC2VV2Y (10am+)

Fri 5 Sunset on the Welsh MEGA Event - GC2K6JD (8.30pm+)

Edited by Simply Paul
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