The Snowdon Challenge
Tackle a 17km cycle, a 14km trek to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, and a 4km paddle on an 8-hour sweat to the finish line in beautiful North Wales
What's Included?
Activities & Certified Guides
All itinerary activities with expert, local, instructors and mountain leadersHotel
1 night in a local 3-star hotelMeals
Breakfast at the hotel and a packed-lunch up the mountainTransfers
Transfers from Bangor train station and backEquipment
Everything you need for cycling and kayaking will be sortedSmall Like-minded Groups
Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 10 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people…
…
What's it like?
Take on one of the UK’s most rewarding mountain challenges and summit the highest peak in Wales (1085m)
Bike 17km of country lanes, nail the 14km trek up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and kayak 4km on the stunning Llyn Padarn
A day of unrivalled action in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, one of the UK’s wildest adventure playgrounds
Key Information
Day 1
Arrive and get briefed for the big day
Arrive at your hotel in the village of Llanberis in the evening (this is usually a Saturday evening; please check the exact days and dates of your departure). Llanberis is situated right at the foot of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) on the banks of Llyn Padarn, one of the largest lakes in Wales. At 19:00 you'll have a detailed pre-challenge meeting, after which you are free to explore the town or chill in your hotel in preparation for the challenge ahead.
Day 2
It's on – the Snowdon Challenge!
Cycling
Hiking
Kayaking
Wake up early (usually challenge day is a Sunday; please check the exact days and dates of your departure) for a hearty breakfast and then hit the road. You’ll bike through the Welsh countryside, pedalling along the shores of Llyn Padarn and skirting the edge of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park with the peak of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) looming in the distance. Next, you'll stomp it up the Snowdon Ranger Trail on the quieter, west side of the mountain and zigzag through lush green turf and flat boggy bits, before ascending to the ridgeline. Follow the ridge all the way to the summit for a victory photo and a quick breather before descending to the northwest via the more gradual Llanberis Path, finishing in Llanberis itself. Then it's time for a brisk paddle around Llyn Padarn, completing a large circuit of the lake to smash through the finish line and celebrate with a glass of champers. Challenge completed.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Bangor Train Station or Llanberis Hotel
18:00 / 18:30 on Day 1
Ends
Llanberis Hotel or Bangor Train Station
17:30 / 18:00 on Day 2
Transfers
For those travelling by train – you'll be picked up at Bangor Train Station at 18:00 on Day 1 (this is usually on a Saturday; please check the exact days and dates of your departure). If you're driving, aim to arrive at the hotel in Llanberis by no later than 18:30, to be ready in time for the briefing at 19:00.
At the end of your challenge on Day 2 (usually on a Sunday; please check the exact days and dates of your departure), you will be dropped back at the hotel at 17:30, or at Bangor Train Station at 18:00 – the choice is yours.
Travel options
Trains run frequently to Bangor from destinations all across the UK. There is car parking at the hotel for those driving.
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
A full English or continental breakfast is included at the hotel and a packed lunch is provided for the hiking portion of the challenge, including a sandwich, cereal bar, drink, chocolate bar and piece of fruit. Llanberis also has plenty of restaurants and pubs to choose from and any dietary needs can be accommodated (including vegetarian and vegan), just let your host know when booking.
What is the accommodation like?
Llanberis
You’ll stay at the Royal Victoria Hotel in Llanberis, which features comfortable and modern ensuite rooms. Exactly the kind of comfort you need before the challenge starts.
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).
This trip has been rated as Moderate
This trip is suitable whether you’ve done challenges before or it’s your first one. No particular level of skill is needed, but you do need a good level of walking and cycling fitness.
Summers in Llanberis are perfect for athletics because they’re not excessively hot or sunny. Daytime temperatures average a pleasant 19 °C, and nighttime temperatures cool off to 12 °C.
Because of its elevation, weather on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) is considerably cooler and more fickle. Temperatures range from 10 – 12 °C during the day, but the skies are clear roughly half the days each month.
Snowden October 2024
What an incredible experience. Our guides Cat and Ewan were exceptional. Extremely friendly and Cat gave me great advice in order to complete the hike. I’ll defo being booking my next adventure through much better…. 😁😁
Expertly managed by Jim and
Expertly managed by Jim and the guides , Ewen and Kat were lovely, relaxed.and knowledgeable . Would highly recommend them and the experience
A fantastic day with cheery
A fantastic day with cheery friendly staff to get us where we needed to be. Well organised. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Snowden challange
Where to begin.arrived at the hotel the night before,very friendly staff,unfortunately arrived late,so missed the team talk out the front,which was a shame because we could have introduced ourselves to everyone for a while before going to bed.went down about 7 to a nice fried breakfast to set us up for the day.met up with everyone 8.15.they had all the bikes ready for us.there were 3 guides,Jim who moved all of the equipment and any gear we needed for the day from our start Finish points,and ewan and kat who would look after us.off we went on our bike ride,it was a lovely route,which was a mixture of road and cycle paths.nobody was pushed to rush along and the ride was very pleasant.there was one Hill which was quite steep,but they stressed to everyone to get off and walk if you need to,which a few of us did,including myself. I just couldn't quite make it to the top.got to the next point where Jim met us to take the bikes and get ready for the walk.they gave us plenty of snacks to eat and take up the mountain.we were there about 20 minutes or so,and then we were off.the views were amazing and the weather was perfect.we had a couple of short breaks on the way up to regroup and kat and ewan kept an eye on us the whole way.they encouraged us when we needed it,which was a few times for me.gets quite cold at the top so take a few layers you can take on and off as you go.there was a big visitor centre at the top ,so we all got in there and had a bit to eat and drink.we went up the ranger track which is moderately hard, but came down a much easier trail,which was very welcome. I think it took us about 5.45 hours to complete. Got to the bottom and strolled over to where we did our kayaking. It was lovely to have a little paddle around with everyone, and a perfect end to our amazing day.would thoroughly recommend to anyone.made some amazing friends,and I'm looking forward to my next adventure.
Awesome trip!
The guides were fantastic - very friendly and made us feel comfortable throughout the entire day. Highly recommend!
Snowdon August 2024
What a way to climb Snowdon!!!!! I enjoyed it a lot more then my other half.
I would definitely practice cycling up hills before hand as the one you cycle up goes on forever.
Theres no pressure to be quick. They had two guides - one for the fast group and one for the slower group. There was two of us in the slow group so we did miss all the group dynamics....but actually, we didnt mind that at all!
Our guide was Mark. He was great, encouraging and dropped in lots of handy tips to make sure we looked after ourselves along the way. We didnt think we'd make it to the summit but with Marks help, we got to the top. He was brilliant!!!
Be prepared. The ranger path is harder then we thought. It starts off with a steep zigzag, which is definitely made a lot more challenging doing it straight after the bike ride.
A great day! Our muscles are very sore and we can barely move but we have taken away many funny memories!!!
Hi guys, I had a
Hi guys, I had a wonderful day today. Spot-on really enjoyed it.
First experience with the company.
First experience with the company. Disappointed to say the least. I do appreciate that participants have different levels of ability and fitness, but the company obviously do not cater for this. I also felt that the organisation and leadership was poor. Sadly due to this first time experience I shan't be using the company again. Lost faith very rapidly. Possibly have been spoilt in the past with excellent organisation by other adventure companies.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review regarding a few issues that you experienced on this trip.
On this trip, we generally have 2 guides accompanying the group, and in addition we have a support driver/guide on call throughout the day who can also provide assistance wherever necessary. We believe that this gives us plenty of flexibility to manage the group as best we can according to various abilities and preferences.
If you have any further questions or comments you would like to share with us, please email the customer experience team on [email protected]
Ruth MBA Operations Team
Awesome adventure
Was an incredible day out, was fortunate to have really good weather for the trip. Between the bike ride, the hike and the kayak, you will have absolutely breathtaking views to enjoy. Highly recommend
A fantastic day out
First challenge and I was nervous, but I didn’t need to be! Everything was so organised and my group we lovely. We had amazing weather (24 degrees!), the challenge was well-paced. Wonderful scenery and an all round fantastic day out. When can I book the next adventure?! 😂
Great experience and organisation
Well worth making the trip to Snowdon for! MBA team really put everyone at ease, made it feel fun and led the day absolutely seamlessly. Guides are all outdoors enthusiasts and felt very well looked after in their hands. If you do this trip, go up the afternoon before and do the 2 hour walk around Llyn Padarn - splendid views of the lake and valley. I certainly couldn’t be more impressed with MBA and already looking at future trips!
A great day out!
An enjoyable and challenging adventure. The trip went off without a hitch thanks to Mike, Sue and Jim. The flapjacks for lunch were also amazing!
Snowdon Challenge
Well organised trip, basic but decent accommodation and a good day out. The bike and kayak sections are secondary to the walk up the mountain so bear that in mind if you prefer wheels and paddles to feet