La Mine Bleue — Attraction in Segré

Booked tickets the morning of going as weather looked a bit wet and fancied somewhere dry and interesting - had visited several years ago leading a large youth group (who had a brilliant time!) so hadn't had a chance to enjoy it myself.

Turned up 10 minutes beforehand (as advised) and check in, turns out it was just me and my partner on this tour as early in the season! We met our guide Julie - who was amazing! Her first tour solely in English. She was very fluent with her English, even with the technical aspects. She really brought the mine to life with her explanations and information. She was an excellent guide who knew lots about the mine and was able to make it very interesting. The demonstration at the end was very interesting too :)

A note - Helmets must be worn, but with hair nets now, glad I wore mine as hit my (6 foot tall) head twice on the ceiling! Most of the mine had plenty of space, also a lovely constant temperature, perfect to cool down...

Our guide Julie was absolutely amazing. She did the whole tour in English for us and provided so much detailed and fascinating information. The mine has recently opened up for the season and is well worth the visit. The tour underground is information packed and gives you deep understanding of the way of life for the miners. You explore different mine chambers and learn about the years it was in use. You can even have the option to ride a (former coal mine) train and that was fun too. Above ground you get a great demonstration of the slate being transformed into a big lump of rock, into thin sheets. We ended up with a private tour , just myself and my partner, as we had booked the last slot of the day, but no doubt, the skilled guides would provide an excellent experience whatever size...

Ayant visité la Mine Bleue il y a plus de 15 ans, j’en gardais un souvenir marquant, entre la descente en funiculaire, la scénographie poignante sur la vie des mineurs, et une mise en scène immersive. Malheureusement, la visite actuelle a perdu de sa magie. Le funiculaire a disparu, remplacé par une simple descente en ascenseur : moins spectaculaire et moins marquante, surtout pour les enfants. La scénographie d’autrefois, qui plongeait vraiment dans l’univers des mineurs grâce à des images fortes et émouvantes, a été remplacée par quatre simples panneaux : un vrai manque d’âme et de narration. La guide connaissait son sujet, mais le ton était très monotone, sans anecdotes ni moments plus vivants pour capter l’attention. C’est dommage, car le sujet est riche, humain et porteur d’émotion : il y aurait matière à raconter avec plus de passion. À la surface, la butte a été réduite de moitié, et la démonstration de fente d’ardoise n’est plus un "spectacle", mais une simple explication, sans mise en scène. Une fois encore, c’est le côté vivant et captivant qui manque. Le lieu reste intéressant par son histoire, mais l’expérience actuelle n’est pas à la hauteur de son potentiel, ni des souvenirs que j’en avais gardés. Espérons une future remise en valeur plus dynamique pour vraiment toucher tous les publics, petits...