Ellis Brigham Explore 2026

Welcome to Explore 2026 in collaboration with Ellis Brigham.

The Ellis Brigham Explore weekend is a welcoming and inspiring multi-activity weekend held in the heart of Eryri. The aim of the event is to bring runners, hikers, hillwalkers and climbers together to advance and progress their skills together, whether you want to try a new sport or gain further experience in an activity you’re already passionate about.

Your ticket includes all of your meals for the whole weekend, as well as access to our on-site showers and drying rooms. We also have a talk on Friday and Saturday evening, included in your ticket.

Residential guests can choose between a private single room with ensuite, a bed in an ensuite twin, or a bed in one of our newly-refurbished bunk rooms. Then, simply add-on your choice of engaging weekend workshops from the second page at checkout.

When booking your weekend sessions, please make sure you have booked either a two day course or a course for Saturday AND a course for Sunday. 

**Please double check the workshops in your basket before proceeding to checkout**

Scroll down for more details on each session, as well as our FAQ.

Courses:

Two-Day courses

Trail Running improver: A 2-day course. Day 1 includes a shorter run looking at fitness and technique required when going out on the trail, as well as route planning, navigation, weather forecasts, kit, what to eat and how to fuel, and pace and movement over rugged terrain. There is then a chance to put these skills into practice on a longer trail run on the second day.

Climbing improver: 2 days spent looking at climbing technique, skills and confidence across top ropes and abseiling, putting this into practice on climbing routes in the beautiful Welsh mountains.  

Saturday courses 

Trail Running intro: A 1-day course spent looking at fitness, technique, progression and putting those skills into practice on the trail with a short run that day. Suitable for those with no experience, or wanting to gain more experience.

Climbing intro: A 1-day getting to grips with the climbing basics, focusing on how to tie in, how to belay each other safely, movement technique and how to gain confidence climbing outside (weather permitting). Suitable for those with no experience, or wanting to gain more experience.

Navigation and hill walking improver: 1-day spent looking at route planning & weather navigation using map and compass, putting them into practice in the mountains.

First aid top up (Saturday only): 1-day spent refreshing knowledge on first aid skills needed for outdoor activities.

Sunday courses 

Trail Running intro: A 1-day course spent looking at fitness, technique, progression and putting those skills into practice on the trail with a short run that day. Suitable for those with no experience, or wanting to gain more experience.

Climbing intro: A 1-day getting to grips with the climbing basics, focusing on how to tie in, how to belay each other safely, movement technique and how to gain confidence climbing outside (weather permitting). Suitable for those with no experience, or wanting to gain more experience.

Navigation and hill walking improver: 1-day spent looking at route planning & weather navigation using map and compass, putting them into practice in the mountains.

Stand Up Paddleboard improver (Sunday only): A 1-day course looking at skills, technique and confidence on a SUP board and water, culminating in a short river journey.

FAQs

Who is the Explore weekend for?

The Explore weekend is an event aimed at trail runners, hill walkers, hikers, climbers and stand up paddleboarders who are keen to either try a sport or improve their skills and confidence in it.

Can we swap the workshops that we are booked onto?

We have a range of courses from introductory sessions to improvement workshops, which you can choose from when booking, please choose carefully to ensure you are happy with the course choice. Once booked we are unable to offer any swaps, if you are unsure of which course is right for you please give us a call or email. 

What is included in the food package?

Both residential and non-residential tickets include:
Friday: Evening Meal
Saturday: Breakfast, Packed Lunch, Tea+Cake, Evening Meal
Sunday: Breakfast, Packed Lunch, Tea+Cake

Am I able to use kit from Plas y Brenin's stores?

If you have your own running, hiking climbing or wetsuit and paddling equipment please do bring it along. For those without their own kit, we can provide it from our stores free of charge. Unfortunately, we don’t have trail running equipment. However, Ellis Brigham will be bringing a selection to trial and buy. Any kit you bring will need to be inspected by instructors.

What accommodation options are there?

At Plas y Brenin we have a range of onsite accommodation made up of a mixture of single rooms, twin rooms, and bunk-bed dormitory rooms. Most of our rooms are in our Main House, while some are in separate cottages and farmhouses across our site. Please notify us if you have any mobility issues or other special requests regarding bedrooms, and we will try our best to accommodate these. If your preferred accommodation option is sold out, please get in touch with us at info@pyb.co.uk and we'll see what we can do.

What happens if there are poor weather conditions during the event?

Our experienced instructors will adapt the program depending on weather conditions to make sure all attendees stay safe and get the most from their sessions.

What happens if I can no longer attend the event?

Terms and Conditions apply, please see our website for further details: https://pyb.co.uk/terms-conditions/