Centre for Alternative Technology

A fantastic day out for the family. Lots to see and quite a few interactive areas. CAT does a very good job of explaining how we can live sustainably and how various technologies work. Very educational and done in way that is entertaining for all age groups. We also had lunch at their canteen and the food was very good. They only have vegetarian options but the pies we tried were very tasty. The site is actually larger that we originally thought but is very well laid out with toilets dotted around, really handy if you have kids.

The Centre's in a disused slate quarry and is reached by a water-powered vernacular railway. Incredibly useful and informative site but the different routes visitors can take could be more clearly marked. It's easy to wander and get them mixed up. The café/shop was nice and, although the spinach dhal and rice I had for lunch was lovely, it was a mean portion for £7.25 and the little naan bread was a burnt biscuit! Service at checkout needs to be sorted better. Our meals were almost cold by the time we sat down to eat. That said, it was a very enjoyable day and I recommend going to anyone with the slightest interest in sustainability.

I love CAT. Wonderful staff and informative bird walk. Stunning ecological work on all levels and it’s interesting to see the more interactive exhibits as I last visited about 25 years ago. Thank you all for your wonderful work.

Great interesting place to visit if you are like minded. I found out that I can wee on my compost!! Great food in the cafe, friendly staff. Was raining when we went. But still managed to spend 5 hours there and could have spent longer. The children's activities were great. I also joined in. Lots for kids to do, lots of paths etc to explore, the mole hole was good. Very impressed with their shop, lots of eco products and reasonably priced gifts. The funicular railway was great. Very inspirational place. Adventure playground for kids.

A very informative place to visit, the history of the area, the walks and how new technologies are paving the way to help fight climatic changes within the environment. Activities for young and old to enjoy, learn and experience. Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. Cafe on site, could be deemed expensive but everything made is fresh, it's wholesome and quality. The smell is delightful as you walk around too. All food is vegetarian or vegan.

Was an OK day out, lots of outdoor space for the kids but it was a bit underwhelming. The reviews hyped it up, but it's just an OK day out. It all felt very dated. The food was really bad. If you had a choice of this place of Arthur's Labyrinth which is another great local attraction, I would suggest the Labyrinth instead.

This place has a lot of potential, but it's a bit run down. A lot of the information is great, but many of the exhibitions are broken or damaged. The funicular to enter is fantastic though, it only takes a minute but it's gorgeous and really beautiful. The cafe is also good, serving only vegan or vegetarian options. There's also a nice walk around the old quarry at the rear of the site. I'd recommend coming here, but mostly for a trip on the funicular and a walk rather than to see the exhibitions. Hopefully it improves in the future

Fantastic place for all ages. Learnt a lot about being more sustainable and took away some ideas to implement at home. You can gift aid your ticket cost and get free access for a year. Cafe does great vegan food and the cakes were awesome.

Thanks to the Ordnance Survey maps, walking your way all over the United Kingdom is pretty easy. These maps are so intricately detailed that they manage to capture every last church with a steeple as well as every pub in even the most far flung reaches of Great Britain. After walking around Wales (shout out to Sugar Loaf Mountain!), we were in our cottage one night and turned on the telly to find a program on about the Centre For Alternative Technology. The next day we hopped in our Ford Festiva and made our way there, not realizing how tiny many of the roads we'd need to take were and how much that would add to the total trip. Three hours into a trip we thought would take half that, we arrived at the Centre For Alternative Technology (CAT) which is built on a former slate quarry. True to their mission, "CAT aims to 'inspire, inform, and enable' people to live more sustainably" through education on and demonstration of solar, wind and hydro power as well as organic agriculture and even alternative sewage systems through compost toilets! There's lots to see and do here for kids and adults alike, from swinging on the eco adventure playground to guided tours with knowledgeable environmentalists. Don't miss the gift shop which has an impressive selection of green books (purported to be the largest of its kind in the UK) and even unique accessories like the Celtic knot ring I picked up here.

I recently visited the centre on a weekday. I can imagine it can get quite busy during a weekend. I arrived by car. You can get a discount if you travel by train and then bus. I little difficult if you want to spend some time there. When you arrive you can take the water lift / railway to the top where everything is. Everwhere is well signposted. I got the impression that it had been designed for visitors but now it has been taken over by Academics. All the visitors appeared to be students, teachers or on a course. The different areas dont appear to have been updated for some time. Some have not really had time spent on them since being put together. The food was good in the cafe, however tables were occupied by students using the area as desks. Yes worth a visit but didnt feel I want to become a member. Think I would see the same next time I went.