Great news! The best one-day ultramarathon in Wales just got better! As part of our 10th Anniversary celebrations, the HOWUM 30 trail race has been tweaked to include even more awesome views of our favourite mid-Wales landscape from the hills of the Pumlumon Massif.
Llanidloes is a place where history and wilderness come together. From the historic market streets and timber-framed buildings to the rolling hills and vast Cambrian Mountains beyond, this characterful Welsh town is full of adventure. Expect quiet valleys, sweeping ridgelines and some of the wildest scenery in Wales, every mile filling your lungs with crisp mountain air, your eyes with unforgettable views and your heart with the desire to keep exploring.
Those who don’t fancy the full HOWUM 30 route can choose the HOWUM HALF. All the fun, half the distance, give or take!
Start Location
Dol Llys Farm, Llanidloes, Powys, Wales
Finish Location
Dol Llys Farm, Llanidloes, Powys, Wales
Start Time
0800 Saturday 1st May 2027
Elevation Profile
5,675ft
Checkpoints
Two fully stocked aid stations Midpoint water station & drop bag point
We use plotaroute.com for supplying our maps as this means we can provide last minute updates that are readily available and allow you to download them in the best format for your navigation device.
Note: plotaroute.com does have pop-ups. Pegasus Ultra Running will never charge you for downloading or accessing our route files
LLANIDLOES & THE HEARTLANDS OF WALES
HOWUM 30 is a single loop course through the cinematically beautiful landscape of the Heartlands of Wales and includes parts of legendary Welsh trails such as the Severn Way, Wye Valley Walk, Cambrian Way and Glyndwr’s Way.
From Dol Llys Farm just outside Llanidloes, in a contrast to previous iterations, this year the route loops clockwise along the Severn Way and hops over undulating hills to the Wye Valley.
In a new twist for 2027, we head into the Pumlumon massif, the source of three of great Welsh rivers. We climb over Pumlumon Fawr (752m), Pen Pumlumon Llygad-Bychan (727m) and Pen Pumlumon Arwystli (741m), the three highest points of the massif, from which there are views of Nant-y-Moch Reservoir and Llyn Llygad Rheidiol glacial lake.
We descend from here, through the Hafren Forest and along Glyndwr’s Way towards the spectacular Llyn Clywedog Reservoir. Clywedog is based on the Welsh word “to hear” so its name means Lake Audible, presumably after the river that once rushed through the valley, like we will be rushing now!
This is where HOWUM HALF participants join the route, having taken a more modest, undulating loop from Llanidloes up the Clywedog valley, over Cefn Penarth (317m) and Deildre Hill. We all share the final eight miles or so back to the finish line at Dol Llys Farm.
With a total ascent of 5,675 feet, HOWUM 30 is not for the faint-hearted. However participants will be rewarded by the most beautiful landscapes that the Heartlands of Wales has to offer.
POINTS OF INTEREST
The market town of Llanidloes grew to be a major centre for weaving and flannel production in the 18th Century.
The Pumlumon Massif is the source of the Severn, Wye and Rheidol rivers, which spawned the legend of the Three Sisters of Welsh mythology, with each sister choosing a different direction to reach the sea.
The 727-metre high Pen Pumlumon Llygad-Bychan is not named on Ordnance Survey maps.
Hafren Forest is a 40-square-kilometre upland forest named after Afon Hafren, the Welsh name for the River Severn. It contains a dramatic, picturesque waterfall called Severn-Break-its-Neck.
Formed by the tallest concrete dam in the UK, Llyn Clywedog Reservoir has a capacity of 50,000,000,000 litres. Drinking water is not directly taken from the reservoir, instead its reserves are used to maintain the flow of the River Severn, from which drinking water is extracted to serve the West Midlands.
At the base of the dam nestles a ruined lead works from the 1800s called Bryntail. Bryn is hill and tail is dung/manure so this is “Muckheap lead works”.
Janet and Andrew Evans have been running Dol Llys Farm campsite for over 25 years.
MANDATORY Kit
Running shoes or hiking boots (trail shoes recommended).
Waterproof jacket.
Water bottle or similar (1-litre minimum).
Mobile phone (fully charged).
GPX route downloaded to a device (GPS, phone or watch).
Head torch or similar light source.
Survival bag.
A reusable cup – suitable for hot and cold drinks.
Backpack, race vest or similar to carry all other mandatory equipment.
More details are provided in the race manual.
Included with your Entry
No cut-off times.
A glorious finisher’s medal.
Pre- and post-race care.
Race manual packed with information (and a few rules!).
Three checkpoints – two fully-stocked aid stations and a midpoint water stop.
Access to drop bags at midpoint.
Professional medical cover.
Amazing support from “The Teulu”, the Pegasus & Stable Adventures volunteer family.
Fancy volunteering?
Want to experience an event from the eyes of “The Teulu”, the Pegasus & Stable Adventures volunteer family? Drop us an email to info@pegasusultrarunning.com and we’ll be sure to get in touch.
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