A slate village 5.6 miles from Machynlleth
Corris sits 5.6 miles north of Machynlleth up the A487, tucked into the wooded valley below the Dyfi Forest — the TrawsCymru T2 bus gets you there in about 11 minutes and runs roughly every two hours, making this the easiest of all the day trips from Machynlleth. This is slate country: the village grew around the quarries, and its grey slate terraces still wear that industrial history openly. It is a compact, friendly place to potter about, with Idris Stores serving as the village shop and coffee stop, and a surprising amount packed into a small valley — a heritage steam railway, a free craft centre, a gin distillery, an underground boat ride and guided trips into an old slate mine.
The Corris Railway — the oldest narrow gauge line in Mid Wales
The Corris Railway opened in 1859 as a horse-drawn tramway carrying slate from the quarries down through Machynlleth to the Dyfi river quays at Morben and Derwenlas. Built to the rare gauge of 2 ft 3 in, it took steam locomotives in 1878, carried passengers from 1883, passed to the Great Western Railway in 1929 and ran its last train on 20 August 1948. A preservation society formed in 1966, opening a museum at Corris, and passenger trains returned in 2002 on the rebuilt section between Corris and Maespoeth — hauled today by new-build steam locomotives completed in 2005 and 2023, with an extension towards Machynlleth planned. The 2026 season runs on selected days from 3 April to 1 November, with departures from Corris between 11.00 and 15.30; the round trip of about a mile and a half takes around 50 minutes. Tickets are £10 for adults, £5 for children aged 5–15 (under-5s travel free), £25 for a family, and dogs go for £1.
Craft Centre, Labyrinth and Mine Explorers
The Corris Craft Centre, opened in 1982 beside the A487, is free to enter and houses nine maker studios — pottery, jewellery, candles, chocolate, glass, furniture, leather, gin and art — along with a café, a Welsh deli and a children’s play area. It is also the gateway to King Arthur’s Labyrinth (SY20 9RF), where a boat carries you through a waterfall into the former Braichgoch slate mine and a hooded Dark Age Boatman leads you through tableaux of Welsh legend; allow about an hour and a quarter, with the outdoor Welsh Legends Maze to follow. For the real industrial story, Corris Mine Explorers runs guided trips into the untouched workings of Braichgoch mine, worked from 1836 until the early 1970s — trips are seasonal and prices vary, so check ahead.
Dyfi Distillery — gin from the Biosphere
Also at the Craft Centre is the Dyfi Distillery, run by brothers Pete Cameron — hill farmer, forager and beekeeper — and Danny Cameron, a drinks judge. Their gins are built on botanicals foraged within Wales’s UNESCO Biosphere: Dyfi Original at around £35, Pollination — which carries the PGI “Dovey Native Botanical” designation — at around £38, Hibernation at around £44 and Navigation at around £49, with Great Taste and World Gin Awards to their name. The distillery is open seven days a week from 27 March to 31 October 2026, 10am to 5pm.
Staying in and around Corris
Corris makes a good overnight base for the Dyfi Forest and Cadair Idris. The Braich Goch Bunkhouse & Inn above the village closed in December 2025 for renovation and its reopening is not confirmed by any current source — contact the Anne Matthews Trust, which owns the building, before relying on it — while the Corris Bunkhouse offers group accommodation at its two mountain centres. More options, from farmhouse B&Bs to hotels, are listed on our where to stay page.
What a Labyrinth visit actually involves
Reception at King Arthur’s Labyrinth opens daily from 10am to 5pm, with trips running through the day, and booking online is both cheaper and safer in the school holidays: adults are around £19 online against roughly £20 on the door, children aged three to fifteen about £13 and £14, and under-twos free. Allow an hour and a quarter for the introductory film, the boat ride in through the waterfall and about half a mile of walking underground. The caverns hold a steady 8°C the whole year, so bring a jumper even in August; helmets are issued and must be worn.
It is worth knowing the limits first. Pushchairs cannot go underground, though reception will store them, and the walk keeps a steady pace with nowhere to sit down, so it is hard going for anyone unsteady on their feet. Dogs are welcome on a short lead in reception, the café, the deli and the outdoor Welsh Legends Maze, but not in the Labyrinth itself; guide dogs may go down at their owner’s risk. The maze is about £9 on its own or nearer £7 alongside a Labyrinth ticket, with last admissions around 4pm. Our families page has other options for the same afternoon.
Parking, food and booking the mine trips
The Craft Centre is the practical hub of a Corris day: entry is free, there is generous free car parking including space for coaches, and the workshops themselves are described as fully accessible. The Corris Café there serves an all-day menu built on local produce, is dog friendly and has free wi-fi, and a Welsh deli sits alongside it — between them the most reliable lunch stop in the valley. Among the studios are Quarry Pottery, Agau Jewellery, Delyn Glass, the Candle Studio and Spellbound Herbals; at the distillery you can taste the gins and watch the still through glass without booking or paying to go in.
Corris Mine Explorers works differently from the rest: trips are guided, run to set times and need arranging in advance, so telephone or email before you travel rather than turning up hoping. Nothing there is dressed up: helmets, lamps and the workings much as they were left, with the same cold and stout-footwear advice. To make more of the valley, the forest tracks above the village lead towards the Dyfi Forest and the ridges below Cadair Idris — our walking page has routes, and the T2 timetable is on getting around.
Practical Information
Getting there: 5.6 miles north of Machynlleth on the A487; T2 bus about 11 minutes, roughly every two hours. The Corris Railway runs on selected days from 3 April to 1 November 2026 — check the timetable before travelling. The Craft Centre is free to enter; King Arthur’s Labyrinth and Corris Mine Explorers are seasonal, and it is worth booking ahead in school holidays. The Dyfi Distillery is open seven days a week, 10–5, from 27 March to 31 October 2026. Dogs are welcome on the railway for £1. Prices quoted are approximate — confirm with each attraction before your visit. The mountain road above the village leads to Corris Corner, one of the Mach Loop viewpoints.
Day trips