Threlkeld Quarry & Mining Museum

Came here with my partner and son as we were staying in Kendal for a bank holiday break and wanted to find things to do that would appeal to a 9 year old. The Days out with the kids (DOWTK) website which is great for ideas out had this place listed as a quarry and mining museum and showed there was a real steam train that takes you to see alsorts and takes about 25 minutes. It also said that there is an underground coal mine you can visit. My son is going to be learning about these in school in September so thought it would be a great place to visit. The roads leading up to the place (not actual roads as such, more of a private land style path road) really needed some form of attention as they are terrible and nearly damaged the car. The prices then, I asked if they do the disabled / carer concession which they said not so it was quite expensive for what you actually get. It cost £27 for 2 adults and 1 child then £4 for the panning. The panning consists of getting a little shallow bowl where you scoop the stones out of a small stream and see if you can find any of the small gemstone chips. You are given a small plastic container to put them in. The inside museum is quite small. To get to the quarry there is a steep ‘path’ up the hill. It is extremely muddy and very easy to fall so you have to be very careful. When we came there was a large amount of the ‘path’ that was waterlogged and extremely muddy, basically the path really is just largely where the grass has worn away and can be difficult to walk on. I use a crutch for a walking aid and found it very difficult to get up. I’m not sure those in wheelchairs would fair well on this unfortunately. The car park and tarmac areas near the museum are very uneven and lots of holes so you really have to be careful. The steam train was nice but doesn’t last 25 minutes like the website says, the train goes so far then stops. You get out and the driver talks to you about how steam trains work. He then gets the train to the other side of the carriage and attaches it to take you back to where you came from. It was an enjoyable outing, doesn’t last very long. I’d say the whole thing took us about 1 and a half to 2 hours maximum. Parking is free. I didn’t see anywhere to get a drink or anything. The underground section that was mentioned online and the place still advertised inside the building as I noticed a couple of signs about it no longer is accessible. Apparently due to it being closed for a while during Covid, it became in a state of disrepair and as a result now apparently would cost too much to put right. It seems despite their being less at the museum to see, the price doesn’t reflect this though. I guess it is worth a visit if you like this kind of thing but it’s definitely something that once you have done it, you have done it.

Fantastic place with so much to look around, wandering freely about the site there's a vast array of mining equipment, with the stunning mountain backdrop too. Great little train ride up through the old quarry to the top, and the people working there are very knowledgeable and great to talk to about the history of the quarry that used to be here, as well as the local area and qualities of the stone etc. The museum building itself has so much inside it, from in-depth details of the slate and other rocks mined in and around the area (and wider UK), to lots of photos and artefacts from mining and processing. Well worth a visit for a couple of hours, longer if you fancy waking around the whole site to look at every exhibit. Currently running diesel train several times let day, but advised the steam one has undergone some boiler work and should be back soon