About halfway through my very rainy drive from London to the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape in Wales earlier this month, I had to remind myself BBC weather predicted clearing skies by the time I would arrive at Blaenavon. Fortunately, the weather forecast was correct, and I was able to enjoy some sun for an hour in the town before driving to the Big Pit to descend into the depths of the former coal mine. One of the best things about visiting Blaenavon is that entrance to both the Blaenavon Ironworks and the Big Pit is free, and the former miners giving the tours of the coal mine were knowledgeable and amusing (and good singers, which I suspect is a requirement for being Welsh) as they discussed the hardships of the coal mining industry. On my tour was a friendly Welsh couple who gave context to how the coal mining at Blaenavon benefited the copper industry near their city of Swansea. After touring the Big Pit, I continued to the Ironworks, where I learned the story of Sidney Gilchrist Thomas, who, with his cousin Percy, conducted experiments at Blaenavon in the 1870s and learned how to remove phosphorus from iron to produce steel. While this process was revolutionary, ultimately it led to the rise of the coal and steel industry in mainland Europe at the expense of the industry in Wales. Although not the biggest fan of mines, I learned a lot from my visit to Blaenavon.

Logistics: Blaenavon is an easy two and a half hour drive from London, and it is relatively easy to walk between the Ironworks and the visitor center in town; the Big Pit can be reached on foot from the Ironworks or faster by car.