Walking the Snowdonia Slate Trail. Wales 🏴 Snowdonia (Eryri) National Park. 83-mile (134 km) in 5 Days!
- xtinecruzat
- May 30
- 6 min read
🌟 I recently completed the breathtaking Snowdonia Slate Trail – an 83-mile (134 km), 5-day journey through the wild and rugged heart of North Wales. 🇬🇧⛰️
🥾 Along the way, I explored dramatic landscapes, historic slate villages, and hidden gems scattered across this unforgettable trail. Join me as I share the highlights, challenges, and memorable moments from walking through one of the most awe-inspiring corners of the UK. 🌿✨
Day 1/5 🥾Snowdonia Slate Trail. Wales 🏴
ℹ️Stats: Walked with @gemmalaurensmith & Tilby 🐶
Weather: sunny ☀️
From: Bangor
Start time: 9.30am
To: past Llanberis
End time: 9.10pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: roads, gravel, bog, grassy paths, fields
🥾Km: 28.7
🥾Miles: 18
🦶Steps: 36,874
Total distance: 18/83 22% done ✅
💰Costs: £47 food resupply. Hoping this will last all of the trip 🤞
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 5/10 - I’m not anaemia- but I’m very fatigued at the moment. I’ve got slighted high red blood cell count. So will have my bloods tested again in a few weeks.
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: pack and @trainers felt super comfortable which was really great. Really impressed - we were on our feet for so long. We weren’t moving quickly because of the dog. It was nice to know I could walk for that long.
🏔️Challenges: one boggy section otherwise the terrain is really manageable.
💭Thoughts: great start really excited to be back out walking again I feel as though it’s been far too long 🥳
The hiker hunger has also kicked right back in. I feel all I did today was eat. 😂
Day 2/5 🥾Snowdonia Slate Trail. Wales 🏴
ℹ️Stats: Weather: dry, cloudy ⛅️
From: just past Llanberis
Start time: 7am
To: past beddgelet
End time: 7.30pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: gravel, slate, grass, roads.
🥾Km: 30.3
🥾Miles: 19
🦶Steps: 38,965
Total distance: 37/83. 46% done ✅
💰Costs: £ 0
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: watching the farmers try to herd the sheet on a very steep field. 🐑
Walking through some gorgeous villages 🏡. Seeing some beautiful lakes and some stunning views 😍. Seeing the southside of snowdon that was really cool as well.
🏔️Challenges: started to rain 🌧️ towards the evening and the midges came out - not a fan!
💭Thoughts: today felt long. It’s been awhile since I’ve done multiple days of hiking. It felt good to lie down in the tent. My hip flexes were definitely tight. I also need to get my ear in to wild camping it can take a while to feel comfortable.
Day 3/5 🥾Snowdonia Slate Trail. Wales 🏴
ℹ️Stats: Weather: rainy 🌧️🌈
From: just after beddgelet
Start time: 8am
To: somewhere wild! Remote 😂
End time: 6.30pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: footy, rocky, roads, fields, woodland
🥾Km: 22.7
🥾Miles: 14
🦶Steps: 29,182
Total distance: 51/83. 61% done ✅
💰Costs: £0
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 5/10 - the weather 🌦️ and rolling my ankle twice - ahhhh
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: the beginning of the day was spent walking by the left-hand side of a river which was really rocky and technical - hard - but absolutely stunning. Such a highlight ☺️.
🏔️Challenges: twisted my left ankle. I spent six months on ankle strength training. But I think my ankles are just gone. Time to just strap them up permanently when I walk now, I can’t risk anymore twists and sprains. It’s doing too much damage.😢
The none stop rain - really does put a damper on things. Plus walking through some ruins, which would have been stunning - if I was able to see them 😂- they were covered in mist & clouds which was a shame
💭Thoughts: motivation really does ebb and flow. Sometimes it’s just easy to walk other times every step is a battle.
Day 4/5 🥾Snowdonia Slate Trail. Wales 🏴
ℹ️Stats: Weather: rainy 🌧️and windy 🌬️
From: somewhere on the trail 😂
Start time: 7.50am
To: well before Capel Curig - (really remote)
End time: 6.30pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: gravel roads, forest tracks, roads,
🥾Km: 31.3
🥾Miles: 19.5
🦶Steps: 40,220
Total distance: 70.5/83. 85% done ✅
💰Costs: £7 - water, Ribena, wine gums, chocolate eclairs…. (Not healthy- but what the body wanted!)
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 6/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: to be honest finishing for the day and getting into my tent! 🥳
🏔️Challenges: navigation in the wind in the rain was sometimes a bit challenging! Not being able to take money photos due to the conditions. But I have been filming so there will be a YouTube Vlog coming out soon.
💭Thoughts: so much has happened today... From the awful weather 🌦️ to getting off track - to ending up in a bog (almost lost my shoe 🥾) to finding the trail again. Plus getting to see some stunning waterfalls.
Day 5/5 🥾Snowdonia Slate Trail. Wales 🏴
ℹ️Stats: Weather: rainy 🌧️
From: well before Capel Curig
Start time: 8.20am
To: Bethesda
End time: 1.30pm
Accommodation: home 🏡 bed 🛏️
Terrain: road, rocky, stones, slate.
Travel: 🥾 🚎 🚂 🚗
🥾Km: 19
🥾Miles: 12
🦶Steps: 24,184
Total distance: 83/83. 100% done ✅
💰Costs: £2.90 flapjack 😋
£1.90 bus to Bangor
Train from Bangor to Chester to Hoylake £34.40
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 3/10
Ease of terrain: 2/10
⭐️Highlights: only waiting 7 mins for the bus to Bangor. I made all my train changes there was no waiting around. 🥳
🏔️Challenges: it was a little bit sad that it was just rained all the time. Not the best way to end the trip.
Obviously, I have no control over the weather. It just means I take less photos and it is a little less enjoyable.
💭Thoughts: it’s a really nice trail. Good distance, nice resupply points. A great starting trail for people who want to get into the outdoors and do more multi day hikes. This is a great stepping stone for going onto bigger hikes. This was the perfect training hike for me.
ℹ️Total Stats 🥾Snowdonia Slate Trail. Wales 🏴 Snowdonia (Eryri) National Park
ℹ️ 5 Days 🗓️
Weather: rainy 🌦️& windy 🌬️
Trail - established 2017
🏴The story of Welsh Slate is significant. And its part of UNESCO - World Heritage Site
📍From: Bangor
Start time: 9.30am
📍To: Bethesda
End time: 1.30pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
⛰️Elevation: 14,603 ft (4,451 m)
⛰️Highest Point: 1,690 ft (520 m)
Terrain: slate, road, gravel, grassy, rocky, forested, bog, fields.
👟Trainers: Inov8 RocFly G 390 Hiking Shoes (Use ToughGirl15 to get 15% off gear)
🥾Total Km: 132 - Average km per day 26.4
🥾Total Miles: 82.5 - Average Miles per day 16.5
🦶Total Steps: 169,425 - Average steps per day 33,885
⏰Earliest start: 7am - Day 2
⏰Latest start: 9.30am - Day 1
⏰Earliest end time: 1.30pm - Day 5
⏰Latest end time: 9.10pm - Day 1
🦶Longest time on feet: 12hrs 30 mins - Day 2
🦶Shortest time of feet: 5hrs 10 mins - Day 5
💰Total Costs: £93.20
Food/Resupply: £56.90
Travel: £36.30
🏕️Accommodation: £0 - love the fact that I could camp every night!
💷Daily costs including travel: £18.64
💷Daily costs not including travel: £11.38
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 32/50 = 64% it was a really nice walk. If it had been good weather it would have been spectacular!
Fatigue: 20/50 = 40% I know I am more tired than normal. 🩸I had my bloods checked before I went, not anaemic, but I do have a high red blood cell count. So will be going back for another test in a few weeks time. Energy levels are not where they should be - but this could be due to peri-menopause and just getting older!
⛰️Ease of terrain: 18/50 = 36% found it pretty easy going, nothing really that challenging to be honest.
⭐️Highlights: seeing quarry’s, the slate piles, seeing the south side of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) the old ruins, walking by the rivers.
🏔️Challenges: none really - weather wasn’t the best…. But’s it’s Wales so there is a high chance of rain 🌧️
💭Thoughts: really pleased how the walk went, not really sure I would make any changes, all my gear was great, mentally felt strong, I was fit enough to do big days, back to back.
Nutrition always needs work - but I know what I like food wise and what my body wants to eat will walking trails.
❓Any questions about the Snowdonia Slate Trail?
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