North Wales 400 Route

Massive congratulations to those who have finished so far:

NW400
Alex Berry
Tom Bruce
Graham Cottingham
Kerry MacPhee
Harry Walton
Liam Glen

NW300
George Lees
Pete McNeal (any minute now)

The route was dry and dusty but a monumental challenge for all riders. It looks like there will be a lot more finishers tomorrow and at least one more (Callum Fisher) tonight.

I'm off to bed for a sleep (Tom), but I'll be back for more of a writeup on what happened on Saturday and Sunday tomorrow as well as converage of the final day.

Finishers! A quick update

One more start since the last post, Stu started Friday afternoon. I'll be starting early in the morning so this will be my last post until Monday probably (Tom, the organiser). 

Matthew is nearing the summit of Snowdon and looks to be the only rider who'll pass Snowdon today unless someone intends to ride through the night. The main group of riders on the trail are heading past the two lakes, Llyn Crafnant and Llyn Cowlyd this evening, a stunning part of the route 

05:30 tomorrow is the group start so a big group will start then.

Friday evening

Alan Goldsmith at the top of the first big climb on Moel Famau

Clwydian Hills

Friday morning saw 9 more riders start, with 11 now on the trail. Mark and Alan (HT550 founder) have previously completed the NW300 route and Karl and Steve (oldest starter at 64) are back for another go at the NW400. Amy and Julie are the first female starters this year.

Riders will be aiming to reach Llanberis in order to summit Snowdon during the allowed cycling hours of 5pm - 10am. The route to Snowdon is tough, remote and beautiful. Riders first climb over the Clwydian Hills, then pass through Clocaenog Forest to Llyn Brenig and Llyn Alwen. After that it's a series of big climbs and descents to Penmachno, Betws-y-Coed then Llyn Crafnant. The hardest road climb in the UK follows (the Cowlyd), then a hike a bike along Llyn Cowlyd to a route highlight, the Ogwen Valley. Through the old slate mining landscape to stunning Llyn Padern, then Llanberis awaits before the BIG climb.

Matt is at the front at the moment, having started first and is approaching CP2, he'll likely have some company later today - this is Matt's 3rd attempt at the 400.

Good luck to all riders - they'll be more starters today and lots more in the morning.

Part 1 - The long road to Llanberis

The first riders have started the NW400 route for 2025. Matt and James are the first two on the road. This event is a bit different from others so here's some background info.

There are 3 routes, the most popular being the North Wales 400 (blue on map), part of the UK triple crown. There is a shorter version, the 300 (brown on map) that shares the same route until after the ascent of Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon. There is also the 500 km "gravel" route (green on map), which is certainly on the extreme end of the gravel spectrum. The routes are all very technically demanding and the 300/400 routes feature lots of long MTB descents, trail centres and a descent of the Ranger Path on Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon.

This is the first year that the event has used GPS tracking but the 3rd year the event has run. Previous results are available [here](https://www.tombrucecycling.com/north-wales-bikepacking). FKTs are: NW300 38 hour 59 min: NW400 38 hour 20 min: NW500 42 hour 50 min.

Unlike most events, riders pick their own start time and aim to finish for a social at the end at One Planet Adventure, Llandegla Forest on Bank Holiday Monday. The fastest riders will set off early on Saturday morning and lots more riders will leave before then. 

And we're off... event preview

[https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=51742451&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true](https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=51742451&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true)

North Wales 400 2025 off-road bikepacking route around North Wales including an ascent and descent of Snowdon.

North Wales 400 2025

The North Wales bikepacking weekend is a social and competitive event with a “group finish format” where riders are expected pick their own start time and date to aim to finish by Monday Bank Holiday afternoon.

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North Wales 400 2025

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