Yesterday I rode The Slate Trail. A new gravel event around Snowdonia that had popped up on my feed. I’d planned to be in the area visiting my parents so I decided to give it a go. Things went well initially but it ended prematurely. Lets see what happened.
I left about 8.30 am for the 40 min drive to Llanberis. I picked a car park on the outskirts of town in the hope it wouldn’t be so busy given the popularity of the area due to its proximity to Llyn Padarn and Snowdon. So I was surprised the car park was almost empty when I arrived.
I got set up and rode the short distance into the high street to a bike shop to sign on. All very low-key which was fine. I gave in my name which was ticked off a list. The guy then showed me a couple of spots on the map. One where the trail was a bit spicy for a gravel bike and said there would be a short cut signposted if I didn’t fancy it and a spot on the map where the gpx file took you past a left turn but retraced. I’d already spotted that one. I confirmed I knew where the feed was and I was off.
I didn’t hang around. There was low cloud about which was keeping temps fresh as I left about 8.20am. The first climb was straight out the door and looked long, steep and probably the worst one of the lot. I turned off the high street and followed a single track road that climbed up through a campsite before reaching a gate, which would be a feature of the ride, and then meandered it’s way up into the clouds to what looked like the top of a mountain.
It was a pretty brutal first few km where you needed to be careful you didn’t burn too many matches. I passed a few riders who were battling the gradient. Over the top and a few of us took it in turns to open and close gates on the switch back descent on loose gravel. There were stunning views though down to Rhydd Du.
At the bottom it was a short section on the A4085 then the road bore right and took us offroad on a loop around the edge of Llyn y Gadair before entering Beddgelert Forest. The fire roads in here were wide and quiet and allowed me to plough on and leave some other riders I was with. Towards the end, the route was closed for what looked like Forestry work but finding a way around it was actually very easy. I carried on and then looped back to pick it back up which probably only added a few yards.
I had to stop and wait for some sheep being rounded up and walked up the lane before I popped out on the main road again and was now on the first lengthy tarmac section through the lovely Beddgelert village then left on a silky smooth A498 past Llyn Dinas then Llyn Gwynant where the route bore left onto a narrow lane which eventually found a gate then a track which climbed up towards Pen-y-Pass paralleling the main road. It was quite a long climb but pretty steady but the sun was out now and taking care of business cooking me.
When I topped out, the 4 mile descent to Capel Curig and the breeze were a welcome breather. The scenery up there is pretty epic so I soaked it all up. At Plas-y-Brenin I missed the turn and the steps down to cross the lake, instead i rode around the back via the car park which seemed a much more sensible way to go. The route skirted a forest and then popped me out on the A5 by Caffi Siabod which is always busy.
The next climb was a descent on the Alpkit Sonder Winter Series ride I’d done back in Feb. After a bit of confusion with which gate to go through I got up to the path we descended in Feb then cut left which, as it turned out, was unrideable in my opinion. I don’t mind a bit of hike-a-bike but this was so bad I had visions of turning my ankle on the slippy, uneven rocks so I just decided to play safe and gingerly walk the lot until a grassy descent to a gate dropped back to the main junction in Capel Curig opposite Joe Browns Outdoor Store.
I knew the feed was around here somehwere and while I was wondering if I had to go inside, I saw a table up ahead with food on and assumed that was it. The nice lady said I was the first rider which was a surprise which would explain why I hadn’t seen anyone ahead for so long. The table looked a bit sparse but I managed a banana, bit of flapjack and a couple of small sausage rolls. I filled my bottle and rolled away up onto another long offroad byway up to Llyn Ogwen which I rode in May last year. It seemed to ride better this way but there was quite a strong headwind all the way that tempered my speed.
The wind was really strong as I skirted Llyn Ogwen but eased as I dropped into the valley on the back road, again where I’d ridden last year. NCN route, Llon Las Ogwen, was diverted then and I didn’t get to ride the offroad section past Zip World and Penrhyn Quarry. It ‘s a nice gravel section that skirts big slate slag heaps before dropping you onto a road.
I dropped quite fast to Tregarth then embarked on a very punchy and very long road climb up onto Carnedd Moelyci. The views were worth it though.
The route then took a sketchy byway which was quite rocky in places to where the organiser had pointed out the shortcut if I didn’t fancy the rocky descent. I decided to give it a go and it was very steep and technical on a gravel bike and I did need to get off and walk briefly but nothing like what I’d already ridden around the back of Capel Curig.
I was on more roads now with a bumpy sector that popped me out in Rhiwlas which is a small village that sits on the lower slopes of the hill I’d just descended and where the shortcut would have brought me out.
From here I crossed the main road into Llanberis and then I was directed right into what looked like a very overgrown trail. My initial thoughts were to sack it off but I’m not a short-cutter and decided to go in thinking it will probably be ok. Boy, was I wrong. It was an overgrown jungle that just got worse and worse. I was committed after about 50m and carried on in the hope it was short, it wasn’t and it took all my energy and frustration to get through it. When I did get out, which seemed like an age, I was absolutely knackered and fuming. WTF was that!
I carried on for a bit and then made the mistake of looking at how far left I had to go. Time was getting on, I was knackered and pretty fucked off so at Ceunant I went left and cut out a 10km loop to pick the route back up on the outskirts of Llanberis in Cwm-y-Glo. Here I spent a few hundred metres on the main road into town before dropping onto the Llon Las Peris cycle route which follows a disused railway line and through a cool tunnel.
As I passed my car park, I was minded to just pack up and go but the organiser had requested we sign out so I rode back to the shop. I was so tired and pissed off I just wanted to go. He gave me a slate medal and asked if it was ok. I could have really had a moan but just said it was ok apart from the unwalkable section let alone ride. He raised his eyebrows and clearly didn’t know where I meant which confirmed to me he hadn’t ridden the route and checked it.
I rode back to the car packed up and drove home with legs scratched to fuck, sore and really annoyed.
So what are my thoughts on The Slate Trail.
Epic start. A great route over the first climb and through Beddgelert Forest. Everything goes wrong at Capel Curig. The section around the back after crossing the A5 is unrideable, it’s dangerous in parts to walk and cycle and offered zero for gravel riders. A really poor route choice. The feed station was very sparse and basic. Room for improvement. The overgrown section should never have been included. A simple recce of the offroad sectors would have sorted it. I paid for an entry, it’s not unreasonable to assume someone has ridden the route or the route is rideable.
I was left feeling someone had plotted a route on a map, charged an entry fee and did the bear minimum to make money.
I wouldn’t recommend the event or any others they organise and I won’t be returning either. A real shame because the potential for a great one was massive but they blew it.
Paul, the issue here is not that you have raised concerns or shared an opinion. Everyone is entitled to do that. The issue is the way the situation has been presented.
You stated that you had not attacked the person running the event. You also said that your previous comments were written in anger, that you had removed them, and that you regretted posting them. However, those comments are still visible. That creates a clear contradiction. lol
You have also criticised the event publicly while only showing parts of the discussion that support your position. Removing comments or presenting selected sections of conversations prevents people from seeing the full context and making a fair judgement.
If the purpose is to have a genuine discussion and highlight concerns, then the complete picture should be available. Criticism is perfectly valid, but it needs to be based on accuracy, consistency, and transparency.
People can decide for themselves, but they should be given all the information rather than a version that has been edited to support one side of the argument.
This will end when you show the full picture and truth…. something you seem to struggle with !
No agenda, no purpose or need for a ‘Genuine discussion’. I’ve said my piece, all the facts are out there and evidenced. I’ve only deleted personal abuse which adds zero to the conversation. Adverse opinions presented in a civil manner have remained. There is no ‘situation’ other than the one you want to persist with, trolling me for the sake of it. I’m only guilty of telling the truth as I see it. If you and others don’t like it, thats fine, its ok to disagree
I’m not responding again. If you want to take anything specific up with me message me privately
All comments on here are moderated and published at my discretion. That was your last
PS Sorry, I also meant to say if the event was as good as you think it should be credited for, it’ll stand on its own two feet regardless of what I say. I’m really not that important
Hi John
As you’ve actually been civil, thank you, I’ll engage and respond. I did try to email you but you’ve used an invalid email address. Are you fake or actually called John?
Firstly, I’m sorry you’re disappointed but it’s my blog, my opinions, my comments, my page. I share my own experiences. Have done for a good few years. The good and the bad. It’s not normally a problem. They’re personal opinions which I’m entitled to have as you are. My comments are truthful, based on facts as I see them and evidenced if they need to be too.
I don’t have to conform to anyone elses narrative or do things in a certain way which people seem to think I should have. If you don’t like what I’ve said or how I’ve gone about it, that’s fine, we can agree to disagree. I respect you contacting me to tell me though.
I don’t know who the organisers are. Was it the guy in the shop? I’m genuinely sorry to hear about their personal circumstances but that’s a deflection and nothing to do with me or the issue. Apologies if that comes across a bit crass, it’s not meant to be.
Everyone does get to have a say on my FB page, contrary to what you may think, but the personal abuse and trolling is tiresome, that’s why posts get deleted and users are banned, no other reason. I don’t have to accept it and if I act on it, again that’s my choice. Take that as you may. You can see my blog comments are automatically moderated for new commenters too.
The trolls keep mentioning the clicks and likes. I don’t care. I organise gravel events for free which you’re welcome to attend by the way. I make no money but I do occasionally ask for donations to help with my IT running costs. The reality is it costs me money to do what I do for the benefit of others so clicks and likes have no bearing on what I do, they’re just a symptom of the platform and what gets posted, nothing more
re the bracken route being a last minute change. Nah, sorry I don’t buy that. Why add it? Just carry on along the road for half a mile. It was open. Rerouting last minute, on an unchecked offroad route is poor without any sort of context or reason. They gave us a shortcut option earlier on the route, why didn’t they just do that for that section?
I’m glad you and others enjoyed it though. It wasn’t for me as an event but most of the route was good. I try not to conflate the two because I can ride the route for free, I paid for an experience which fell short.
I’m happy to speak to the organiser if they want to contact me and out of respect, I have rescinded the grifter comment as that was done in the heat of the moment and on reflection, harsh
Kind regards
Paul
Hi,
I’m genuinely disappointed by the way you’ve handled this.
You repeatedly talk about kindness and supporting the cycling community, yet your actions here don’t reflect that. It feels as though those principles only apply when they’re convenient.
I rode the event, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In your own blog, you said, “It could have been great, but they blew it.” That’s a remarkable conclusion to reach over roughly 2km of a 100km route—around 2% of the entire event.
Think about that for a moment.
If 98% of the event was enjoyable and only a small section needed improving, why not work with the organisers instead of publicly trying to undermine the whole event?
You said yourself:
“I was going to speak to him, but there was no point.”
So rather than offering constructive feedback privately, you chose to publish a blog, post across social media, and continue fuelling criticism. That’s not constructive—that’s damaging.
What makes it even harder to understand is that when someone asked whether the event was still worth doing, your answer was “Yes.”
So which is it?
Was it worth doing, or was it such a failure that it deserved multiple posts, a blog, and ongoing criticism? Those two positions don’t sit comfortably together.
You also criticised people who challenged your views, despite regularly saying everyone is entitled to an opinion. That principle should apply to everyone, not just those who agree with you.
Then there were posts and comments that were later deleted, including calling the organiser a “con man.” If you believed what you wrote strongly enough to post it publicly, why remove it afterwards?
Here’s the part you either didn’t know—or didn’t stop to consider.
The route had to be altered at the last minute. The section through the bracken, around 500 metres long, was an emergency change.
Why wasn’t it checked beforehand?
Because the organiser was dealing with the suicide of a very close friend.
Let that sink in.
Despite going through something unimaginably difficult, he still turned up, put on a smile, and made sure over 50 riders had an event to enjoy.
Most people appreciated the day for what it was—a brilliant first edition with a small section that clearly needs improving.
That’s what constructive feedback is for.
No event organiser is above criticism, but there’s a huge difference between offering balanced feedback that helps an event improve and creating content that damages months of hard work over 2% of a route.
I hope you’ll show the same willingness to share this context with your followers as you did your original criticism.
Because if “be kind” really means something, this deserves to be heard too. Let’s see if you post this now or offer any support….. or will that not get you likes!
John, IMHO you’ve just negated most of your defence of the Slate trail organiser by making unfounded and unnecessarily aggressive criticism of Paul.
You’ve proved that social media is the crapiest means of communication – a phone call would have solved any disagreement.
Paul’s criticisms are valid, and that blocked section is inexcusable. If the organiser has any integrity they’ll simply correct the problems next time.
Paul offers a fantastic series of free gravel rides, puts in an enormous amount of time and effort at his own expense, truly meeting the cycling community highest level ‘shared kindness’
Come and ride a Gravelton event, meet Paul and have a beer together?