You may have picked up on some hints the last few months about some planned route changes to the Dragon’s Back Race® route… well we are now delighted to announce them!

These are the most significant changes to the course since the introduction of the sixth day in 2021. We are making these changes to straighten out the route on days two and three. This avoids three ‘out and back’ sections to various summits. Before you jump to the conclusion that this will make the race easier, we are also switching a large section of the day two route through the Rhinogydd. The new route will take the Cambrian Way. This new section takes in some challenging, rugged and rocky terrain, very much in keeping with the mountainous ethos of the Dragon’s Back Race®.

*The new route for Day 2 will add a challenge but with spectacular views ©No Limits Photography*

Please remember that our consultations with landowners and authorities are ongoing, and these are draft revisions that are subject to change. Whilst we do not anticipate any substantial changes to the route, as we have done in previous years, we will publish a ‘final’ route about 1 month prior to the event.

There is likely to be some minor tweaks to the Checkpoint Cut-Off times where we have altered the route. These changes will also affect the Hatchling course – these stats are updated on the Hatchling page.

Please note there may be discrepancies in this data and the GPX files depending what software you use to view the route – this is due to on the ground data varying slightly from data mapped out on the GPX.

Finally, before we go into more detail about the route, please take some time to read the article linked below before heading out on your recce trips. This highlights some important information about various sections of the course that go through private land and are not accessible to participants apart from on race day.

GUIDANCE ON RECCEING THE ROUTE

Day One

The entire route between CP9 Eastern Summit and through to just beyond CP11 Yr Wyddfa Summit (as it currently is) is now a mandatory route. This is to prevent a minority of participants from choosing the various contour paths on the south side of the ridge, which increases the risk of rock fall onto the tourist path below.

Day Two

The checkpoint on the summit of Moelwyn Bach (CP 3 in 2023) will be removed, and therefore, the out-and-back route to the summit will be avoided.

The next change is significant… Since 1992, the race route has skirted the main challenge in the northern section of the Rhinogydd by following indistinct paths to the west of the mountains. No more!

From 2024, the route will follow the Cambrian Way across the mountain summits. With the increasing popularity of the Cambrian Way, this route has become gradually more evident on the ground and popular with hikers. The path in this section is challenging, rocky and indistinct for a few short but crucial sections. The views are spectacular (on a good day, at least), and we strongly believe that this route choice is now much more in keeping with the ethos and style of the Dragon’s Back Race® to following the mountainous spine of Wales. It is likely that we will add a checkpoint to the summit of Moel Ysgyfarnogod.

The final change is to remove the checkpoint on the summit of Diffwys (CP 10 in 2023), and therefore, the out-and-back route to the summit will be avoided.

Overall, losing the two out-and-back routes to the summits of Moelwyn Bach and Diffwys but adding the more challenging section through the Moel Ysgyfarnogod makes Day 2 about the same in terms of overall difficulty. There will be a small change to the Cut-Off times to reflect these changes – more details of this will come soon.

Day Three

The changes to Day Three represent the second big change to the route, and this does make the day slightly easier with a reduction of approximately 4km and 400m to the overall stats of the day.

We are making this change after a great deal of consideration and reflection, but the primary drivers are to make the route straighter, more logical, and to avoid the out-and-back routing to the summit of Terren y Gesail that has been a feature of previous editions.

A bonus of this change is that we are adding in two fantastic sections of trail running immediately before and after Abergynolwyn. The Water Point (CP 5), previously at Llanllwyda Farm Campsite, will move to Abergynolwyn.

There will be a small change to the Cut-Off times to reflect these changes – this will be updated soon. The headline will be that the Cut-Off time at the Support point (Machynlleth) will be slightly more attainable for everyone.

Day Four

No changes planned.

Day Five

No changes are planned, however over the years, it is worth noting that day 5 has changed drastically.

We all know that the technical and rocky terrain that feature prominently during day one and two. Not to mention, the enormous amount of ascent and decent combine to make these days a sucker punch start to the event.

However, it is clear that the escalating daily distance culminates in Day Five. With its more runnable terrain, but jump back to over 3,000m of ascent and 71km of distance, many participants find Day Five incredibly challenging. Day Five is indeed the crux of the Dragon's Back Race® for most participants.

Day Six

There was a deviation off Taff Trail in 2023. We are hoping to be back on the 2022 route in 2024.

Any questions?

Please do feel free to get in touch with us – we would be delighted to help! We are also planning to host a webinar in the coming few months to talk through these changes, so keep your eyes peeled for details!

We look forward to seeing you in Conwy!

CONTACT US

Exciting new route updates announced for the 2024 Dragon’s Back Race®