The Bala Challenge                                                   North Wales

The object of this round, also known as the Wild Wales Two Thousands, was to ascend 32 of the two thousand foot summits which lie within the Arenig, Aran and Berwyn hills of southern Snowdonia and form the watershed around Lake Bala. It involved some 80 miles with 18,000 feet of ascent in a traverse of some of the most arduous terrain south of the Scottish border.  The route was devised by Colin Brooke and Kevan Guest using George Bridge's tables of two thousand foot summits published in 1973. It was completed by Colin Brooke and Tony Wimbush in 1988 in 23 hours 38 minutes and launched as a formal 24-hour challenge on similar lines to the Bob Graham.  There was the option of adding another 15 tops to create an ultimate round of all 47 two thousand footers in the Arenig, Arans and Berwyn groups.

The route is included here primarily for historical interest as Bridge's summit tables are now out of print and The Mountains of England and Wales by John and Ann Nuttall has since become the standard reference for the two thousand summits. It did, however, inspire The Dragon's Tongue, a more moderate and informal challenge that traverses the five Welsh Corbetts in the area.

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​Route

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Schedule

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Click the icon to view or print a schedule of summits and actual times. 
Use in conjuntion with OS  Maps 255 Llangollen & Berwyn and OL23 Cadair Idris & Llyn Tegid
 

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Finishers

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This is an informal challenge without rules, time limits or registration. Why not share your experience on facebook to encourage and inspire other runners to have a go!

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Links and Further Information

• The Mountains of England and Wales, George Bridge (West Col Productions,1973).  - Tables of the mountains of two thousand feet or more in altitude. The Bala Challenge summits are listed under The Arenigs, The Berwyns and The Arans section of North Wales. Out-of-print but maybe available through second-hand bookshops.

SAFETY WARNING

All the routes on this site require proven mountain running experience. You undertake them entirely at your own risk. Please take full mountain safety precautions at all times.  Always ensure you carry sufficient clothing, food and equipment to cope with dramatic changes in the weather conditions!  Appropriate insurance cover is recommended.

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HAVE A GO!

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The object of this website is to provide a single, ready source of information on the ultra-distance mountain challenges which have been developed over the past three or more decades. It now offers a diverse range of long and "short", old and recent, formal and informal routes from around the UK to encourage runners of all ages and abilities to have a go, subject to proven mountain experience in all conditions.

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FRA LONG DISTANCE

RECORDS and NEWS

Please send details of any record-breaking runs and the like to Martin Stone who maintains records on behalf of the Fell Runners Association. Email:  martin.stone@sportident.co.uk

Please also refer to the guidelines and definitions in the FRA Handbook.

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GOFAR UPDATES

Updates are generally made each winter and announced on gofar facebook. If you are not on facebook, to subscribe to future updates email Tony Wimbush:  gofar99@gmail.com . Put "subscribe" in the subject line, or "delete" if you wish to unsubscribe.

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HELP WANTED

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If you can improve on the accuracy of this resource, offer details of other routes (old and new), spot any errors in grid references, names, heights, spelling or punctuation, or find a link which does not work please email Tony Wimbush: gofar99@gmail.com

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