No. of days 3 days
Distance 83 mi
Ascent gain 1931 m
Accom. yes
Food yes
A three day, 85-mile, 136km, ultra marathon crossing the historic Ridgeway. You'll be following in the footsteps of travellers, herdsmen and soldiers who have used the Ridgeway since prehistoric times. Be entranced by the ancient landscapes, hidden valleys, beautiful downland and woodland.
As with all of our events, everything is taken care of at the Druid's Challenge so you can focus on the experience! Overnight accommodation, evening meals, showers, breakfast, food and drink at checkpoints, free parking (for those booking a coach seat), and even inspiring guest speakers in the evening are all included.
On top of all that, prices are frozen for 2025!
Thanks to all your wonderful reviews, we're delighted to say The Druid's Challenge been awarded a GOLD race award! Thank you so much for your feedback!
We are delighted to support SheRACES and commit to providing a great experience for female participants. Find out more
Included
- Overnight accommodation
- Free parking for those booking a coach seat
- A fully recced and marked route
- Full medical cover throughout
- Toilets, showers and changing facilities
- Breakfast and evening meals
- Checkpoint food and water at regular intervals
- Inspiring guest speakers in the evening
- A quality finishers T-shirt and medal
- Prizes and trophies for overall and category winners
- Action photos en-route, free to download
- A great atmosphere and a fun but challenging day out
The multi day event prize for 1st male and 1st female overall winners is FREE entry to the same event next year!
Route
A broad track that takes the higher ground, the Ridgeway is a unique route that passes through the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), often quite a distance from any towns or villages, giving a real sense of peace and seclusion. You'll experience open views of the rolling chalk downland, peppered with ancient monuments including Stone Age long barrows, Bronze Age round barrows, Iron Age forts and white horse chalk figures.
We will only be marking the route at the end of each day, when we guide you to the finish. Until then you will follow the Ridgeway National Trail markings.
We recommend you familiarise yourself with the route before the start of the race and download the GPX file or OS Maps route onto your watch or phone to assist your navigation.
Day 1
Route
Checkpoints
#1 St Marys Church, Wendover HP22 6NL ///scarecrow.rezoning.making Grid ref: SP871073
#2 Whiteleaf Car Park Peters Lane HP27 0LH ///plotting.lingering.clutter Grid ref: SP823036
#3 Ridgeway nr station Chinnor OX39 4BA ///handyman.sharpened.upcoming Grid ref: SP760002
Toilets
Wendover Library Car Park HP22 6DU ///choirs.skirt.hotspots
Day 2
Route
Checkpoints
#1 Trinity Church, Nuffield RG9 5SN ///chess.teach.shrimp Grid ref: SU667873
#2 Riverside, South Stoke RG8 0JS ///shameless.plankton.proves Grid ref: SU593837
#3 Track off Churn Rd, Compton RG20 6PP ///ventures.battle.grounding Grid ref: SU509819
Toilets
Goring High Street Wheel Orchard Car Park RG8 9AT ///clearcut.rosette.gliders
Day 3
Route
Checkpoints
#1 B4001/Ridgeway crossing OX12 9XF ///shows.lifeboats.torched Grid ref: SU344851
#2 Car Park Nr Hinton Parva SN4 0DR ///define.nightlife.duty Grid ref: SU233814
#3 A436 crossing Ogbourne St George SN8 1SG ///spots.crash.able Grid ref: SU198733
Toilets
Barbury Castle SN4 0QZ ///stacks.bother.shins
Finish SN4 0QJ ///orders.shaky.nodded
Pricing
Very early bird
£239
until 31st December 2024
Early bird
£259
from 1st January 2025
Standard entry
£279
from 1st April 2025
Late entry
£310
from 1st October 2025
Single day: £77
Accommodation and food: £33 per night
Full event without food and accommodation: Early bird: £199 (until 31st March) --- Standard price: £219 --- Late entry: £250 (after 30th September)
There is a Mercure Hotel 20 minutes from the finish of day 1 and a Premier Inn a few miles away from day 2 overnight location. So, why not book the full event (no accommodation or food) option and have a comfortable bed instead? Scroll down for more information about hotel pick-ups.
There are 20 places available at a 10% discount for all serving and veteran military or emergency services staff. To book with your discount, please email us with a photo or scan of your military or NHS ID to obtain a code: info@xnrg.co.uk.
Please note: a 2.5% service charge, levied by the registration software, will be added to your total. If you need to cancel your entry or transfer to another event, you can do that by logging back into the booking system, Racespace.
If for some reason you are not able to make the event you have entered. The XNRG refund policy is that we will give you 70% refund of your entry fee up to 1 month before the start date of the event. You also have the option (1 month before the date of the event) to get a 100% transfer credit to another one of our multiday events. Both of these options you can execute on your Racespace entry page.
After this time we are sorry there will be no refunds or transfers to future events. Refunds will be to your booking credit card.
Race-day Preparation
Kit List
The only compulsory kit is a fully charged mobile phone and a minimum 500ml of water, but it's worth taking a look at our recommended kit list.
Other equipment may be made compulsory by the race director depending on the weather.
Medical
The event is supported by a Course Manager and a fully qualified medical crew will be in attendance. We strongly recommend taking a moment to read our medical page before booking.
FAQ
We've answered a range of common questions in our FAQ. For other questions, say hello on info@xnrg.co.uk.
Registration
Please register and pick up your timing chip from:
Full event/day 1 only entrants
Day 2 only entrants
06:30 on Saturday
Lord Williams's Lower School (day 1 overnight location).
Day 3 only entrants
06:30 on Sunday
Didcot Leisure Centre (day 2 overnight location).
Shuttle Service
All shuttles listed below, except coach transfer, are free.
Any other transfers at the competitors' expense via local taxi companies.
Shuttles/transfers provided
| To start from... | From finish to... | |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 |
Tring Train Station, from 07:30 Premier Inn, Swindon West, Great Western Way, Swindon SN5 8UB. Coach transfer departing at 07:00 (car parking must be arranged with Premier Inn). Pre book and pay only. |
The overnight accommodation (Lord Williams's Lower School) The Mercure Hotel, Aston Lambert, OX49 5SQ |
| Day 2 |
The overnight accommodation (Lord Williams's Lower School) The Mercure Hotel, Aston Lambert, OX49 5SQ |
The overnight accommodation (Didcot Leisure Centre) Premier Inn, Milton Interchange, Didcot, OX14 4TX |
| Day 3 |
The overnight accommodation (Didcot Leisure Centre) Premier Inn, Milton Interchange, Didcot, OX14 4TX |
Swindon Train Station Premier Inn, Swindon West, Great Western Way, Swindon SN5 8UB |
Inspiring talks
You can look forward to hearing from some guest speakers who will share their experiences, while you relax after a hard day!
Come back soon to find out more.
Accommodation
You'll stay at Lord Williams's Lower School in Thame (OX9 3NW) on the first night and Didcot Leisure Centre, Mereland Road, Didcot, OX11 8AY on the second night, with sleeping accommodation in a large hall.
Don't fancy sharing accommodation during the event? We'll be running minibus shuttles to and from three local hotels during the event. Click the button below for more details.
Getting there
There are plenty of options for reaching the start and finish points of the Druid's Challenge.
By train to the start: Trains run regularly from London Marylebone to Tring, taking roughly 35 minutes. It's a short shuttle ride from the Station to the registration point.
By car/coach: If you'd prefer to drive, you can arrange parking at the Premier Inn, Swindon West SN5 8UB so you can leave your car there and book a seat on our coach, which will take you from the Premier Inn to the start. To book your space on the coach, please add this to your booking at the bottom of the 'Optional Extras' section. There will be a shuttle to the Premier Inn (Swindon) from the finish.
More Information
Entries
You can enter the whole weekend event including food and accommodation or individual days.
Entries will close one week before the event (or when full). A waitlist option will be available if the event becomes fully booked.
Aid stations
There will be three checkpoints each day at regular intervals, fully stocked with water and food. See route above for precise locations.
We're going green
Help us do our bit to reduce the impact our events have on the environment by bringing your own reusable or collapsible cups for drinks at checkpoints. Some suggestions we love: the Salomon soft cup and the X cup.
As part of your entry fee you will get an event T-shirt, or you can choose not to have the T-shirt and the money we would pay for the T-shirt will go to Trees not Tees and a tree will be planted instead.
For more details visit their website - https://treesnottees.com/
Reviews
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped with this event yesterday. It was my first ultra and I absolutely loved it! The fantastic organisation meant all I had to do was concentrate on getting myself round the distance! The malt loaf and coke at the checkpoints were a much needed treat! Thanks again
Rachel O'Dwyer
Dear Neil, Many thanks to you and all your team for yesterday. It was a tough day, but made so much easier thanks to the warm and sincere support from all the marshalls. Thanks again.
Karen
Thank you for arranging the Druids. It was my first multi-dayer. Great weekend. Your slick organisation, flexibility and attentiveness made it. It was just the right size to make a great atmosphere and friendly. Also thank you for instigating the minutes silence on Sunday morning, very much appreciated.
Thanks again for organising a superb Druid Challenge this weekend. I reckon your races are the smoothest, best-organised events of any kind I've ever been on -- and everybody is so pleasant, helpful and patient, even with the most ridiculous requests.
Many thanks for yet another great weekend, it was a beautiful and tough route, the support as always was fantastic. It was great seeing so many familiar faces and catching up with friends. Please pass on my gratitude to all the team, have a great Christmas and new year.
See you next year.
We can't wait to see you there! Questions? Say hello on info@xnrg.co.uk
