North Coast 100

Hartland Quay immediately sets the tone: hilly, exposed, and pointed at the true North Coast of the South West peninsula. This is self-navigation on the South West Coast Path, built for experienced ultra runners comfortable making decisions when tired. The organisers call it their "toughest event yet," and with "nearly 6,000m elevation gain" plus "12 hours of darkness," that does not sound like empty talk. The route turns east at Hartland Point, with big views out to Lundy island before the hills keep coming past Clovelly and onward to Westward Ho! After that, the course changes character with a flatter stretch around the Torridge and Taw estuaries before joining the line into Barnstaple. North Coast 100 reads like a "brutal adventure of epic proportions": coastal paths, night running, GPS tracking, and enough climbing to make even steady runners show some respect.