Trail Running Weekend — Llangollen, North Wales

Explore the trails above the Dee Valley. Shared miles, steady challenge, and a rewarding weekend on the trails.

Trail Running Experience — Llangollen

There are plenty of running camps.
This isn’t one of them.

This is a weekend shaped around movement, landscape, and shared experience. Designed for runners who are ready to step off the road and into something more expansive.

Set in the dramatic beauty of Llangollen, this is trail running as it should be: social, exploratory, and quietly transformative.

Why Llangollen?

Few places offer such variety in such a compact area, riverside trails, rolling hills, panoramic ridgelines, and wild, open escarpments.

Here, every run feels different.
Every turn reveals something worth slowing down for.

What’s Included

Accommodation: Three nights in single-sex rooms.
Food: Two evening meals, (Friday/Saturday) two substantial packed lunches (Saturday/Sunday) and three breakfasts (Saturday/Sunday/Monday), plus snacks, cold drinks and tea/coffee at the accommodation.
Evening hike, two guided runs, and informative talks with Jon Shield and Dr Julian Ayres.
Support & Advice: Invaluable opportunities to discuss your training or upcoming races and strategy.
Professional photos from the weekend.

What’s Not Included

Sunday evening meal at the Corn Mill

Dr Julian Ayres

Julian Ayres is an educator, researcher, and endurance athlete with a focus on resilience and performance under pressure. A full member of the 100 Marathon Club, he has completed events including the Dragon’s Back Race, Full Spine (Summer), Winter and Summer Spine South, Offa’s Dyke 185, and over 60 ultras worldwide.

At the weekend, Julian will deliver a session on pre- and post-race strategies to support mental resilience in ultra running, combining research insight with practical experience to help runners manage fatigue, maintain focus, and reflect effectively for continued improvement.

Saturday — The Llangollen Loop

A full day exploring the very best trails in the area:

Riverside running along the River Dee
Horseshoe Falls
The Panorama ridgeline
The wild landscape of World’s End

We move as a group, taking time to enjoy the surroundings and build confidence on varied terrain.

Evening: An informal talk by Jon Shield on ultrarunning experiences — racing across some of the world’s most extreme environments, and what those experiences teach us followed by home cooked, heart warming food, the perfect conclusion to a long rewarding day out.

Sunday — Castles, Aqueducts & Reflection

Our final run heads towards Chirk:

Trails around Chirk Castle
The UNESCO-listed Pontcysyllte Aqueduct — the highest aqueduct in the world
A route that brings together history, scenery, and flowing trail running.

Evening Talk:

Dr Julian Ayres — reflecting on races, lessons learned, and how to use each experience to build towards the next.

Evening Dinner:

Sunday evening we eat at the fabulous, picturesque Corn Mill restaurant - on the river Dee, a short walk from the accommodation. Fantastic food, a relaxed atmosphere, and a chance to properly unwind after a full day exploring the trails.

Location

Llangollen sits on the edge of the Berwyn Mountains — accessible, but once you’re there, it feels removed from everything unnecessary.

You step outside and you’re already on the route. That simplicity changes the whole feel of the weekend.

Your Coach & Hosts

Jon Shield

Jon Shield is an elite ultrarunner, coach, and trained paramedic with a background in Sport, Health & Exercise Science and Strength & Conditioning.

He is the first and only athlete to win the Beyond the Ultimate Global Race Series, alongside multiple victories across the Spine Race distances, a 2nd place at Cape Wrath, and 4th at the Dragon’s Back Race.

Having trained and raced in extreme environments from desert heat to arctic cold, Jon brings a depth of real-world experience that goes far beyond theory.

What sets him apart, though, is how he applies it.

With a combination of scientific knowledge, medical experience, and years of racing at the highest level, Jon creates an environment where runners feel supported, capable, and confident to take their next step into trail running.

Your Basecamp

Llangollen Hostel

You’ll be based in the centre of Llangollen at a small, independent hostel - relaxed, practical, and well suited to a running experience.

There’s a kitchen, dining room, comfortable lounge, and space to dry kit after long days out. It’s not about luxury; it’s about having the right environment to recover, eat well, and reset.

By the second evening, it starts to feel like a base rather than accommodation.

The Experience

This weekend is built for runners who already have a solid base - whether from road running or shorter trail routes - and are ready to take the next step into longer, more adventurous running.

It’s a chance to explore new terrain, build confidence, and understand what trail and ultra running can look like, in a setting that’s supportive, social, and well-guided.

You’ll be challenged, but never out of your depth.

We move together, take the time to enjoy the landscape, and create an environment where everyone feels part of the experience.

Why Run This Weekend

Because it offers the right balance.

A supportive, social environment, thoughtfully planned routes, and just enough challenge to help you build confidence and move forward with your running.