Westcountry Ultra 50 mile

Ok, so starting off in Taunton you will have around 15 miles of quaint canal path to get yourself moving. The scenery here is pretty varied, and you may spot some interesting wildlife – Kingfishers are frequently spotted along here, Otters have been known and by the time you get to the first aid station you will already feel like you’ve seen a real slideshow of tranquil scenes. After the canal is the meandering River Parrett – the muddy banks tell you that you’re nearing an estuary, but the long grass and rural splendour are a bridge between canal and coast

Once you get to the West Somerset coast you will see the infamous Hinkley Point Power station (sorry, we can never get them to move it despite our best efforts!) and then you have the spectacular limestone formations of Kilve Beach and the surrounding coastline to marvel at. If you look out to sea you may spot the engimatic islands of Steepholm and Flatholm with the Welsh coast lying beyond them. If you look to your left when you get past Kilve you will spot the Quantock Hills, where Samuel Taylor Coleridge composed many of his best known poems

You have an inland diversion through a little bit of pine forest to West Quantoxhead, through that pretty village and on to Lucke’s Lane, cutting across to Williton and then back to the coast at Watchet. You will already have glimpsed the gleaming white of Butlin’s Minehead from a couple of points if you keep your eyes peeled, and  this is where you are ultimately heading for, but not before the  expanses of Dunster Beach, where your final aid station before Minehead lies

You will turn left just after Butlins and from there it’s around a mile to the finish, where plenty of refreshments await you along with a chance to reminisce in comfort with your fellow finishers. If you’re not in a rush to go anywhere why not hang around at the finish to see the Hilly 50, or even the 100 unfold?…

There’s a coach to the start from the finish for anyone who needs it, which we encourage you to use if you aren’t getting picked up, but if you need transport back after the race we’ve sorted out lift shares the previous few years and this has worked well 

​