The Path from Capel Curig to Moel Siabod - geograph

The Paddy Buckley Round, also known as the Welsh Classical Round, is a long distance fell running challenge in

Snowdonia Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the na ...

, Wales. The route is a circuit of just over 100 km long taking in some 47 summits. The Round has the reputation of being somewhat tougher to complete than its English Lake District equivalent, the Bob Graham Round. Although no official time limit is set, an arbitrary 24 hours is applied, although the first completer exceeded the original aim of 24 hours. Runners may start at any point on the circular route (finishing at the same place) and may run the course in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. The route takes in the well-known high mountain ranges of Snowdon, the

Glyderau The Glyderau (a Welsh plural form, also known in English as the Glyders) are a mountain group in Snowdonia, North Wales. The name derives from the highest peaks in the range, Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach. According to Sir Ifor Williams, the word ...

and the

Carneddau The (lit. 'the cairns'; is a Welsh plural form, and is sometimes anglicised to ''Carnedds'') are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. They include the largest contiguous areas of high ground (over or high) in Wales and England (although l ...

as well as the slightly less visited ranges of

Moel Siabod Moel Siabod ( Welsh for "bare hill" with unknown meaning of 'Siabod'), is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, which sits isolated above the village of Dolwyddelan. At , it is the highest peak in the Moelwynion mountain range. The UK National Mo ...

, the

Moelwynion The Moelwynion (a Welsh plural, sometimes anglicised to Moelwyns) are a group of mountains in central Snowdonia. They extend from the north-east of Porthmadog to Moel Siabod, the highest of the group. The name derives from the names of two of ...

Moel Hebog Moel Hebog (Welsh for ''Bare Hill of the Hawk'') is a mountain in Snowdonia, north Wales which dominates the view west from the village of Beddgelert. It gives name to a whole range of peaks in the north-western corner of Snowdonia, which i ...

and the

Nantlle Ridge The Nantlle Ridge ( cy, Crib Nantlle) is the name given to a small range of mountains in Snowdonia, north Wales which runs south-west from the village of Rhyd Ddu for a distance of about , ending above Nebo in the Nantlle Valley. The Nantlle Ridg ...

. The route was devised by the eponymous Paddy Buckley and first completed in 1982 by Wendy Dodds. The selection of summits that must be visited is somewhat arbitrary and no rules appear to have been applied in selecting them . Generally, it takes in the major peaks of the ranges that are being crossed, then any minor tops that are passed along the way are also included. Some of these tops really are just bumps on the ridge and not really summits in their own right at all. The fastest known completion of the round was, for many years, by Mark Hartell in 18 hours 10 minutes. On 4 May 2008, this time was matched by Chris Near of Eryri Harriers. This old record was broken in July 2009 by Tim Higginbottom who completed the Round in a time of 17 hours and 42 minutes. This was further reduced in 2019 by Damian Hall with 17 hours 31 minutes, and again on 30 August 2020 by Matthew Roberts with a time of 16 hours 38 minutes. Kim Collison set a new best time of 16 hours 20 minutes in April 2021. A year later, in April 2022, a new record was set by

Finlay Wild Finlay Wild (born 8 September 1984) is a Scottish runner and mountaineer who has been a British fell running champion. He has won the Ben Nevis Race eleven times. Early life and professional career Wild was born on 8 September 1984 in Thurso.J ...

who completed the round solo and unsupported in a time of 15 hours 14 minutes. The women's record is held by

Jasmin Paris Jasmin Karina Paris (born November 1983) is a British runner who has been a national fell running champion and who has set records for the Bob Graham Round and the Ramsay Round. She is well known in Great Britain as a fell runner, but became ...

with a time of 18 hours and 33 minutes, set in 2016. The book "The Welsh Three Thousand Foot Challenges: A Guide for Walkers and Hill Runners" "The Welsh Three Thousand Foot Challenges: A Guide for Walkers and Hill Runners", by Ronald Turnbull and Roy Clayton. describes a version of the route which avoids the slate quarries, which the fastest line utilises, and also suggests attempting it as a four-day backpacking (lightweight camping) excursion rather than a one-day run.

Route

Below is a list of the summits to be visited, in a clockwise direction, if starting from

Llanberis (; ) is a village, community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activities in Snowdonia, including walking ...

Route profile

Below is a profile of the route, again starting and finishing at Llanberis, running in a clockwise direction. Paddy Buckley Round profile

References

{{reflist Sport in Conwy County Borough Sport in Gwynedd Peak bagging in the United Kingdom Challenge walks Fell running challenges