History

The official Butcombe Trail is a 47-mile route connecting six Butcombe pubs in the Mendip Hills. It was devised as a hiking trail by local walker and writer, Sue Gearing, in 2007, in collaboration with Butcombe Brewery,

The six pubs are: The Ring O Bells at Hinton Blewett, The Queen Victoria, The Lamb, The Queens Arms, The Swan and The Ring O Bells at Compton Martin. The Swan served as BTU’s Race HQ for many years. Three of the pubs are still checkpoint locations on the 50M route.

The first BTU was organised by the Town & Country Harriers trail-running club as a single-day ultramarathon in 2016. There have been a few variants of the race over the years, including both 50M and 56M routes (the latter was devised to meet UTMB requirements).

The 50K race is brand new for 2025, designed to offer an opportunity for more people to enjoy the beautiful Mendips. Also new for 2025, the 50M race will run anticlockwise. And we have a new Race HQ at Mendip Activity Centre.

The races are organised by volunteer members of the Town & Country Harriers (TACH), a Bristol off-road running club, for the benefit of the Mendip Hills Fund. This is a community fund set up to conserve and enhance the environment, communities and economy of the Mendip Hills.  The fund is a partnership between the Mendip Hills AONB and the Somerset Community Foundation. TACH is proud to have donated a total of £18,000 to the Fund from the proceeds of the race in previous years.

We hope you will enjoy your time in the Mendips and take the opportunity to support local businesses including excellent pubs, cafes and MAC facilities.