The Perfidious Albion
Taking the scenic route since 2021.
Three ultra-endurance events. Steep climbs, quiet lanes and someone at the finish who knows your name.
Fixed-route events through some of the most beautiful riding in mainland Britain, joining high passes, empty moorland and coast roads. Riding self-supported, you set the pace and decide when to sleep. It’s challenging and you’ll earn every view, but the reward is seeing Britain at its best, slowly and on your own terms.
We’ll find you on the road to take your photo. And whatever hour you finish, someone will be there with a t-shirt and a friendly face. Most people start with Wild West Country in May. Some come back for the long one. A few are daft enough to do all three.
Three events, one island
Pick your kind of beautiful
Wild West Country runs every year. The Perfidious Albion and Mountains of the Merfynion alternate.
Applications open late OctWild West Country
Our annual event and the usual first one. Five days, 800-odd kilometres and more first-timers than veterans. 2027 brings a brand new route.
Entries open late 2026The Perfidious Albion
The long one. Lockerbie to the Cotswolds via every hill you’ve heard of and several you haven’t. For people who already know they like this sort of thing.
Returns 2028Mountains of the Merfynion
A lap of Wales for drop-bar bikes that don’t know their place. Gravel, grass, a few fords and some walking. Nobody has finished with dry feet.
We stopped trying to make routes hard and just went looking for the beautiful bits. The hard arrives on its own.
Exmoor, Wild West Country
How we do things
The bits that aren’t about the hills
01
You’re a name, not just a number.
Fields are small enough that we know who you are: 60 at Wild West Country, fewer elsewhere. We’ll find you on the road and photograph you, ideally more than once.
02
Places at Wild West Country go through a weighted lottery.
First-timers and riders from under-represented groups get a better shot than a first-come scramble would give them.
03
Every entry pays forward a meal.
Through The Long Table in Stroud. In 2024 that came to over £900. Spare parts you bring to the start go to The Bike Drop.
04
Any gender, or no gender: you’re welcome.
An open classification for everyone. Identify however you like, or not at all: we’ll never force anyone into a gender category. The entry form asks for your pronouns, and you can keep your gender off the tracking map.
05
You can pre-book a bed.
Some events ban it. We think it makes a first ultra less daunting, so we don’t.
06
It isn’t a race, but it is self-sufficient.
Some people choose to race it. Either way, your main opponent is always the route. No support crews, no stashed supplies, no prizes.
What riders say
“I was so nervous when I got to registration. But after talking to the other riders I realised everyone was in the same boat, even the most experienced ones.”
First-time ultra rider, Wild West Country
“It wasn’t about competing. It was an introduction to the possibilities of where I could go on a bike and the magical places I would stop at.”
Wild West Country finisher
“Last one in, with a 38% scratch rate. A lovely welcome at the finish and some amazing food. Super chuffed.”
Finisher, Wild West Country
“In tears at the beauty of the Welsh mountains. In tears at the thought of climbing more Welsh mountains. Just in tears in general.”
First-time finisher, The Perfidious Albion
Follow along
Half the fun is watching the dots
Your family will know where you are, what you ate in Porlock and what you said about the hill afterwards.
1
Live tracking
Every rider carries a GPS tracker from Follow My Challenge. Watch the map, check the leaderboard, send a message to a dot you care about.
2
Commentary
A volunteer commentator writes the story of each day on DotWatcher. Expect weather, food and the occasional lamb rescue.
3
From the roadside
Our roving reporters post photos and updates from the route several times a day. Everyone gets found at least once.
Cleeve Hill, The Perfidious Albion
From the road
Stories
Mountains of the Merfynion 2026
Wildfire diversions, a faster and hotter start than usual, and our highest ever finish rate. Jake Cullen led home after 60 hours, while James Page and Jon Cox became the first pair to complete the Triple Crown.
Wild West Country 2026
The fifth and, for now, final loop of the south west stayed dry until the frosts arrived. Rhys Clarke won in 43 hours and 41 minutes, with Ella Brown the first woman home in fifth.
The Perfidious Albion Awards 2025
Helpless livestock, bionic body parts, broken backs and unusual apologies. Our very tongue-in-cheek look back at 2025.
People who help
Mailing list
A few emails each year
Entries, dates and the occasional story. That’s it.