In search of rare gold fit for royalty

At the bottom of a long-abandoned mine, 50m below the surface, one company searches for rare Welsh gold, attracted by soaring prices and its royal connection.

- Bontddu

Bontddu - At the bottom of a long-abandoned mine, 50m below the surface, one company searches for rare Welsh gold, attracted by soaring prices and its royal connection.

The Clogau-St David's mine, located in a national park near the coast of Wales, was flooded until its latest licence-holder, Alba Mineral Resources, spent months pumping out water to begin operations.

Down rickety ladders along narrow, damp tunnels, Alba focuses on finding quartz - a snow-like white rock that indicates the presence of gold.

"The mine up to now has been in exploration phase. We're slowly transitioning" to proper operations, said Mark Austin, the project's chief geologist, who spent four decades working in mines in Africa.

From the depths of the mine, they drill, blast and haul the ore to the surface.