The hard walking is over and you can enjoy a virtually level walk to the head of the impressive U-shaped Nant Ffrancon valley. Then comes a few miles of minor road down this beautiful valley, after which you join the Lôn Las Ogwen cycleway. This takes you around the blue cascading slate tips of the Penrhyn Quarry before a short cycleway takes you back into Bethesda. You’ve done it. Congratulations.

At Capel Curig, take the lane towards Joe Brown’s climbing shop and follow the broad track along the south side of the wide valley. Eventually, you reach the A5 which you cross to follow a National Trust footpath around the far side of Llyn Ogwen. Pen yr Ole Wen towers to your right and Tryfan to your left.

At the far end of Llyn Ogwen, cross the river to the food kiosk and toilets and follow the old stage coach road down the far side of Nant Ffrancon, taking the A5 bridge, with the old packhorse bridge beneath it, over the river. At the end of the road, carry straight on to Lon Las Ogwen cycleway. When you come to the bridge over the river before the caravan park, have a look at the parapets which are covered with ancient carvings of the quarrymen, along with some not so ancient.

Pass the derelict quarry hospital and the quarrymen’s institute, now residential, until a sign takes you to the right off the cycleway. Cross the road and follow the track, crossing the River Ogwen, into Bethesda, where you can get a bus back to Bangor to get your car or the train home.

One of our Trail walkers, Andrew Webb, has produced a number of landscape paintings along the way. Copies are available in a number of formats: postcard, greetings card, prints of various sizes. Email us at info@snowdoniaslatetrail.org and we`ll put you in touch with him. All the profits from the sale of cards/ prints will go towards the maintenance and development of the Snowdonia Slate Trail.