Achieving the Fastest Known Time: A Look at 2025's Hiraethog Trail Challenge Guided Event
Updated: 7 days ago
The Hiraethog Trail is a stunning yet seemingly unheard-of national trail which crosses the landscapes of Mynydd Hiraethog (sometimes known as the Denbigh Moors). This August, our first ever guided challenge team set a new (and only!) fastest known time (FKT) for the 70km route. Here is the story of that achievement, an overview of the route, and why next year’s challenge event might be the perfect fit for your walking goals.
The Hiraethog Trail Route Overview
The Hiraethog Trail stretches approximately 70 kilometres (over 42 miles) across varying terrain, often switching between forest tracks, farmland pastures and minor lanes. The route is hilly in places and ascends approximately 1,600 metres over the full distance of the trail.
The route starts from the village of Pentrefoelas which is easily accessible on the A5, 6 miles from Betws-y-Coed. Other rural communities along the trail include: Cerrigydrudion, Llangwm, Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, Cyffylliog and Llanrhaeadr. The final stretch of the Hiraethog Trail skirts around the edge of the market town of Denbigh and heads along the Vale of Clwyd to the finish in Bodfari.
The 70k distance places this event firmly in the long distance category, attracting walkers and runners who want to test their limits beyond what most people would consider a standard day.
The August Challenge Event and the FKT Achievement
2025’s August challenge event brought together a small, dedicated team of walkers and runners. Each person had their own reasons for signing up, but their shared common goal was clear: to experience a unique, and unheard-of, long distance trail!
Standing alone in a dark, deserted car park shortly before 6 o'clock on a Saturday morning doesn't exactly sound inspiring, but the arrival of the challenge participants and our support driver brought the quiet buzz of anticipation. A quick round of introductions, kit check and a safety briefing - we were off! We were aware that a band of rain was due to linger for a few hours later on during the day, but for now, an increasingly golden orange sunrise glow gave us the start we needed.
Our first two stages traversed roughly eastwards along the fringes of moorland and farmland in southern Conwy. A brief stop in Cerrigydrudion and then later in Llanfihangel GM saw us reunited with our spare kit bags and refreshments at the support vehicle, driven by my good friend and fellow mountain leader, Nick Livesey. At this point there was a distinct change in terrain for a while, as well as wetter weather, entering the expansive Clocaenog Forest. We made fast progress, roughly north east, along excellent gravel tracks over the routes high point of Craig Bron Banog to the far edge of the forest in the village of Clocaenog itself.
The final two legs definitely presented us with more challenges: wet feet, less-used and overgrown paths and navigational headaches - especially once in the dark fields of the Vale of Clwyd. Some of the paths in their full, late summer foliage, were unrecognisable compared to the winter recces completed 7-8 months prior! After some backtracking, nettle bashing (sorry team!), and fence hopping we rolled into Bodfari and the welcome sight of Nick with the support vehicle just after 11pm - 17 hours, 16 minutes and 28 seconds after leaving Pentrefoelas that morning. See our post on the official FKT website here.
It was an incredible feeling to have the whole team finish the challenge in its entirety, absolute credit to Larissa, Sharon and Tae for making the day so enjoyable, they were a pleasure to lead.
