Are you living life through screens instead of your senses? Do you ever feel like your body is slowly fossilising into your office chair? Has your comfort zone quietly become… a cage?
Time to step out. Far out. We take you out of Bristol, drop you deep in a magical land of forest, rivers and ancient myth, and from there it is all on foot.
The BRISTOL TO WYE VALLEY Survival Race is a two-day, team-based endurance challenge through ancient woodland and deep river valleys, finishing at the historic border town of Chepstow.
You’ll meet early in central Bristol and board a coach.
Somewhere near the beginning of the journey, your phone is sealed away.
From that point on: no screens, no location pins, no checking where you are.
For the final stretch, you’ll be blindfolded.
When the coach stops and the blindfolds come off, you’ll step out into ancient forest with no idea where you are.
Your first challenge is simple — and not at all easy:
Work out where the hell you are.
You won't be handed the whole race up front. Locations are disclosed in stages, and some things you'll have to find along the way. What you know at any moment is enough to make your next decision, and no more. Planning with incomplete information is part of the challenge.
At each checkpoint, your team faces a challenge. Some physical, some strategic, some lightly absurd. Do well and you earn time bonuses that improve your standing. Lose your heads and you'll pay for it later.
This is not a race the fittest team simply wins. An advantage is gained with brains, teamwork, and strategy as much as with legs. The teams who do well are the ones who stay together, think clearly, and make good decisions under pressure.
The Route
You'll travel entirely on foot, navigating by map and compass.
Expect at least 30 miles over two days, a longer first day and a shorter second. Most teams walk more, and more again if they get lost. The route takes you through:
• Deep ancient woodland with twisting paths and shifting light
• Mossy forest floors, steep banks and sudden clearings
• River valleys and quiet crossings where kingfishers flash blue
• Borderland hills with long, unexpected views across the Wye
• Landscape that feels alive — threaded with deer paths and old human traces
The views arrive suddenly: a break in the trees, a high bend in the river, a moment of height after enclosure.
Wildlife is part of the experience. Deer are common. Boar move through the undergrowth. Birdsong, movement, and signs of life are everywhere if you're paying attention.
By Day 2, the forest loosens its grip and the Wye Valley opens out, wide, calm, and luminous. Your finish sits in Chepstow, on the border, surrounded by water, trees and light.
The Vibe
Think pilgrimage meets adventure race.
Like Duke of Edinburgh but for adults in a perpetual existential crisis. Bear Grylls meets Alan from The Hangover meets Wes Anderson.
A proper challenge, minus the macho, with a touch of analogue beauty.
You’ll laugh.
You’ll ache.
You might swear.
You might cry.
And when you reach the journey’s end, you’ll feel something you haven’t felt in a long time.
This is Wolf Pack.
A medicine for modern life.
A story you’ll tell for years.
The CAMP
By late afternoon on Day 1, you'll reach a secluded woodland campsite, your base for the night.
There'll be:
A shared campfire beneath the trees
Hot drinks through the afternoon, evening and morning: tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and biscuits by the fire
A low-key acoustic set that feels more campfire than concert
An evening briefing, and a briefing again before you set off on Day 2
Toilets, running water, and some limited cover if it rains
Stories, laughter, and darkness settling in properly
Bring your own tent or bivvy, and your own mug. Carry what you need. Sleep surrounded by trees that have watched centuries pass.
what you actually get
You navigate your own way through this, and the hard miles are yours to walk as a team.
But you are never doing it alone in the deeper sense.
At the start, at every checkpoint, at camp and the campfire, and at the finish, there is warmth waiting, a crew who look after you and other teams to share the experience with.
And should you ever genuinely need help out on the route, the crew are there to reach you.
This is not a country walk from A to B. It is a crafted expedition, the kind of adventure people cross the world for, built into a single weekend close to home.
You take on the challenge yourselves, and you are supported and kept safe at every point that matters.
Before the race
A full mandatory kit list and clear guidance on how to prepare
We answer your questions and help you get ready, whatever your starting point
A racer WhatsApp group in the final fortnight, for the Pack to find each other before race day
Getting there
A coach from central Bristol to the secret start, included in your ticket
The blindfolded arrival and the mystery start
Out on the route
Curated checkpoint challenges, crafted and set in beautiful locations
Crew at every checkpoint, paid staff and trained volunteers
Qualified first aiders on the crew throughout
Full scoring, times and bonus points, across both days
A team GPS tracker, and a support vehicle if you genuinely need it
At camp
Campfire, hot drinks, live music, and briefings
At the finish
A post-race speech and debrief
Awards and the full leaderboard announcement, with a breakdown of every team's score
The coveted Wolf Pack League patch
After the event
Before and after photos, sent round to the Pack
TEAMS
Wolf Pack is a team event.
You navigate together, solve challenges together, make questionable decisions together, and finish together.
Teams can be 2–8 people. We recommend 3–5 people for the best mix of navigation, morale, decision-making and snack-based emotional support.
Individual sign-ups are very welcome. We’ll place you in a team with other solo racers — which is often how the best Wolf Pack stories start.
Minimum age: 18+
WHAT YOU’RE TAKIN ON
This is hard, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Two days on foot, at least 30 miles, navigating your own route, carrying everything you need, sleeping outside in October.
How hard it is depends a lot on the weather. Two crisp, dry days will be beautiful. Two days of wind and rain will test you to your limits. Both are part of the deal. Just as our ancestors could not wait for kinder weather, neither can you. The race goes ahead.
You do not need to be an athlete, but you do need to train and prepare properly. You carry all your own kit and food, and everything you need to survive a night outdoors. The kit list is mandatory and some of it takes time to get hold of, so read it early.
WHAT FINISHERS SAY
Rated 5.0 from 32 Google reviews.
"Locking up my phone and navigating 30-plus miles of wild British landscape with nothing but a paper map, a compass, and a sense of humour is medicine for modern life. The checkpoint challenges are wonderfully absurd. The community with other teams on route and at the wild campsite is pure magic, and the support crew were exceptional. It is tough, you will be challenged, but the experience is hugely rewarding. If you want a real adventure that makes you feel human again, join the pack."
— Jo Bridle
"It's hard, it's long, it will push you, but so much fun and a real achievement. Incredibly well organised and would thoroughly recommend."
— Joanna Whineray
"This could actually change your life. You'll go further than you thought possible. You'll say I'm never doing this again, and then the day after, when are we going again?"
— Gareth Davis
Read all our reviews on Google
Tickets
£215 per person
What's included:
Race entry, materials, and Wolf Pack challenges
Coach from Bristol to the secret start
Overnight campsite, campfire, hot drinks and live music
A full crew of paid staff and trained volunteers, with first aiders and a support vehicle
Team GPS tracker for safety
Full scoring, final leaderboard, and a post-race awards ceremony.
The coveted Wolf Pack League patch
Optional extra: Return coach from Chepstow to Bristol, £25. Limited seats, add it early.
DATES AND LOGISTICS
3 to 4 October 2026
Early meet in central Bristol, exact point confirmed before the race
Coach to the secret start in the Forest of Dean, included in your ticket
Two days on foot, camping Saturday night
Around 30 miles total, a longer first day and a shorter second
Day 2 cut-off to finish: 5:30pm
Finish in Chepstow on Sunday
Optional return coach, Chepstow to Bristol, leaving at 7:00pm Sunday. If you don't book it, your way home from Chepstow is your own to arrange.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Refunds and cancellation. No cash refunds. If Wolf Pack has to postpone or cancel the event for safety reasons, your ticket will transfer to the rescheduled date or be converted into credit for another Wolf Pack event, in line with our full booking terms.
Weather. Wolf Pack is designed to go ahead in rough weather. Rain, mud, cold, wind, discomfort and general British nonsense are all part of the adventure. But this is not bravado for the sake of it. If conditions become genuinely unsafe, we may shorten, adapt, reroute, delay, postpone or cancel the event at the Race Director’s discretion.
The campfire. We commit to creating a proper camp atmosphere and prepare for all weathers, including dry wood and shelter wherever possible. Only a genuine safety reason, such as a fire ban or dangerous winds, would stop the campfire.
Filming. This event may be filmed and photographed for event documentation and promotion, and you may appear in the footage. If you would strongly prefer not to, let us know and we will do our best to keep you out of it, though in a live outdoor event we cannot guarantee it.
Pocket money. This is a no-phone, no-money event, with one exception. You may carry up to £10 in pocket money for a pick-me-up along the way.
Full terms and conditions here.
